Governor appoints cabinet secretary, former communications director to KY Board of Ed

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – Governor Matt Bevin announced Monday Hal Heiner, the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet secretary, accepted an appointment to the Kentucky Board of Education.

Heiner says he has resigned his cabinet position to serve on the board.

Another appointee, Amanda Stamper, was Bevin’s former communications director. Stamper is currently the public relations director for Anthem, Inc.

Also appointed: Kathy Gornik, co-founder and former president of Thiel Audio; Tracey Cusick, a parental advisor to the Kentucky Board of Education; Joe Papalia, chief executive officer of Munich Welding and Deposition Technology Innovations; Laura Timberlake, chief operating officer for Big Sandy Distribution/Big Sandy Superstores; Ben Cundiff, owner/operator of Cundiff Farms;
Rich Gimmel, chairman of Atlas Machine and Supply, Inc.; Dr. Gary Houchens, associate professor in the Department of Educational Administration, Leadership and Research at Western Kentucky University; Alesa G. Johnson, chief workforce solutions officer for Somerset Community College; Milton C. Seymore, pastor of Energized Baptist Church in Louisville.

The Kentucky Board of Education develops and adopts the regulations that govern Kentucky’s public school districts and the actions of the Kentucky Department of Education. The Board is comprised of 11 voting members, each appointed by the Governor to serve four-year terms, as well as the president of the Council on Postsecondary Education, who serves in an ex-officio non-voting capacity.