governor Andy Beshear

Governor Andy Beshear

Gov. Andy Beshear strives each day to live out the values of faith and public service. At no time was that more evident than during the global pandemic and in the wake natural disasters that devastated the western and eastern regions of the commonwealth. But Gov. Beshear’s faith and values are also the North Star that provides guidance in all aspects of his job, and that means doing what’s right, every time, to better the lives of all Kentuckians.

Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has overseen the largest private sector investment secured during the tenure of any governor in Kentucky history, at over $35 billion. He has announced more than 1,150 private sector new-location and expansion projects and more than 59,800 full-time jobs. Since 2022, the average incentivized hourly wage has topped $26 in three consecutive years for the first time ever. The Governor has now secured three of the top four years for private sector investment in the commonwealth’s history.

At the same time, Gov. Beshear has expanded access to health care and invested in cleaner water. His administration is building and repairing the state’s roads and bridges and seeing that access to high-speed internet is extended across the state. He has also secured record-high budget surpluses and record-low unemployment.

As the Governor likes to say: We’re not looking at the same Kentucky anymore. That’s why he is leading the effort to reintroduce the commonwealth to the world, to leave the stereotypes of the past behind, and to welcome the world to our New Kentucky Home – where the pace of business is fast, but the pace of life is just right.

The Governor is focused on the people of Kentucky. At a time when things cost too much, the Governor signed legislation to lower the income tax, and property taxes have gone down four years in a row. Gov. Beshear froze the gas tax when times were tough, and his administration capped the price of insulin.

Gov. Beshear understands that we are all our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, and that means making sure our justice-involved population and those in recovery are provided second-chance opportunities. Under his leadership, voting rights have been restored to more than 194,000 Kentuckians who have completed sentences for nonviolent offenses. And Kentucky leads the nation in number of drug treatment beds per capita. The results of these efforts are tangible, as the state’s recidivism rate is at an all-time low.

The Governor believes that living the principle of loving our neighbor, we can achieve great things… for everyone. By pushing out the toxic noise so prevalent on TV and online, by showing more compassion and forgiveness, we can increase opportunities for our people. His commitment to the people of Kentucky is to stay focused on the things our families need and deserve, working to find common ground and use common-sense approaches to move the commonwealth forward.

The Governor and his wife, First Lady Britainy Beshear, along with their two children, Will and Lila, live in Frankfort and are members of Louisville’s Beargrass Christian Church.

Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman

​Jac​queline Coleman is the 58th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky. She is a life-long Kentuckian, educator, basketball coach, writer and founder of a nonprofit. She is wife to Chris, mom to Evelynne, adopted mom to Emma, and a bonus mom to Will and Nate. Her family lives in Frankfort.

Public service is a way of life for Jacqueline and her family. She was raised on a farm in Burgin, where her family owned a small business for five generations. Her upbringing, including her father’s tenure as state representative, taught her to help those in need and, as a result, she has devoted her personal and professional life to service.

After graduating from Mercer County High School, Jacqueline attended Centre College, where she majored in history and secondary education and played on the basketball team. Basketball has always been part of Jacqueline’s life and instilled values in her like attention to detail, discipline, and teamwork. Her grandfather, Jack Coleman, Sr., was the University of Louisville’s first 1,000-point scorer, a hall-of-famer, and two-time NBA champion. Jacqueline earned her master’s degree in political science from the University of Louisville and served on the women’s basketball coaching staff. As a high school basketball coach, she appeared in the 2017 KHSAA Sweet 16 and was named regional coach of the year in 2015.

As the state’s highest elected teacher, Jacqueline is a vocal and passionate advocate for public education. She believes education is the key to providing Kentuckians opportunities for transformational change that can create new cycles of success. She began her career as a high school civics teacher in her hometown at Burgin High School. Jacqueline also taught at East Jessamine High School and, most recently, served as an assistant principal at Nelson County High School. She is currently completing a doctorate in educational leadership at the University of Kentucky.

Her experience in Emerge Kentucky inspired her to found her own nonprofit, Lead Kentucky, in 2013. Lead Kentucky ensures Kentucky’s college women are prepared, encouraged, and empowered to seek leadership positions on their campuses and later in their professional lives. Since its inception, Lead Kentucky has empowered students on more than a dozen college campuses.

Jacqueline remains focused on the challenges Kentucky families face. During her first term, through the Team Kentucky Student Mental Health Initiative, she worked with student leaders to secure more than $40 million in federal funding to increase student mental health resources in schools across the commonwealth. In January 2020, she led the charge to waive the testing fee for adults earning their GED. Since then, more than 8,100 Kentuckians have earned a GED and changed the trajectory of their families’ futures. She revived the Kentucky Commission on Women after its office was shuttered and funding was removed during the previous administration. As a rural Kentuckian, she aims to ensure Kentucky’s booming economy reaches every zip code.

First Lady Britainy Beshear

First Lady of Kentucky Britainy Beshear has long been an advocate for Kentucky’s children and has been there for them and their families during many challenging times.

Throughout the pandemic, she led efforts to keep kids safe at school through her “Coverings for Kids” program, for which thousands of Kentuckians, as well as businesses like Ford Motor Co., donated more than a million facial coverings directly to local school districts.

When deadly tornadoes hit Western Kentucky before Christmas in 2021, Mrs. Beshear organized a toy drive for the children who had just lost everything. She did the same to help children in Eastern Kentucky following the devastating floods in the summer of 2022. More than 100,000 toys and $200,000 in gift card donations poured in from around the country to help these children recover.

From supporting the Purple Star Certified program to visiting Kentucky’s military bases, the First Lady has worked to support and lift up military children who make sacrifices daily so that their loved ones can serve and protect our country.

The First Lady has also been dedicated to the safety of Kentucky’s children and families through her work raising awareness around human trafficking as a member of the National Coalition for the Prevention of Human Sex Trafficking.

Mrs. Beshear knows that Kentucky students are our future, and she enjoys spending time reading to and visiting with young leaders in their classrooms.

Each year, the First Lady has also supported domestic violence victims through the annual Shop & Share program. The effort directly helps domestic violence shelters located across our state have the resources and supplies they need to help survivors and their children be safe and to help them rebuild their lives.

Mrs. Beshear is actively involved in her children’s education and volunteers in their classrooms and after-school programs. The family enjoys many volunteer activities with Family Scholar House and Dare to Care Food Bank, both in Louisville, and God’s Pantry in Lexington.