NEW HIRES & PROMOTIONS
The University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment has named Michael Wall as director of The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky.
Central Bank announced the promotions of Chris Campbell to vice president, merchant services officer; Chris Eder to vice president, card services manager; and Shelby Lyons to assistant vice president, retail banking officer.
A graduate of University of Kentucky’s Landscape Architecture program, Anna Del Rio has joined the design studio at Hortus Gardens.
Asbury University has named Andrew Miller as director of information technology services and chief information officer (CIO), a key leadership role supporting the university’s technology strategy and campus-wide innovation.
Stites & Harbison, PLLC has welcomed Stevi H. Whitman to its Lexington office's intellectual property and technology service group.
Bank of America announced the appointments of Scott Herrmann as senior relationship manager for global commercial banking and Syed Tariq as consumer banking market leader.
Anthony Allen, vice president of public policy at Commerce Lexington, has joined the board of directors of Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky.
Emma Dupre has been named new legal advocate for The Nest's Intimate Partner Violence Program.
KUDOS
Saint Joseph East announced its quarterly DAISY and BEE award winners recognizing clinical caregivers who go above and beyond to make the healing presence of God known. The DAISY award was presented to Rebecca Finkbine, charge RN; and the BEE award was presented to patient care assistant, Peaches Adeyi.
Saint Joseph Medical Group recently recognized its 2026 Physician of the Year, Advanced Practice Provider of the Year, Employee of the Year, and Leader of the Year award recipients. This year’s recipients are: Physician of the Year – Benjamin Neltner, MD, Lexington; APP of the Year – Jessica McMaine, APRN, Richmond; Employee of the Year – Julie O'Nan, Medical Office Representative, Harrodsburg; and Leader of the Year – Jasmine Ellis, Manager, Clinic Practice, Lexington Saint Joseph Hospital.
Saint Joseph East, Continuing Care Hospital and Saint Joseph Health Corporate also announced annual award winners. At Saint Joseph Hospital, this year’s winners are: Physician of the Year – Kathleen Martin, MD, Woodbury, NJ; APP of the Year – Isaac Hughes, PA-C, Lexington; Employee of the Year – Alban Hayden, inventory specialist, Versailles; and Leader of the Year – Elizabeth Hatfield, supervisor, nurse extern program, Charlestown, IN.
At Saint Joseph East, this year’s winners include: Physician of the Year – Eric Schafer, MD, Charlestown, MA; APP of the Year – Ashley Frankowski, PA-C, Lexington; Employee of the Year – Danny Hunt, nutrition assistant, Lexington; and Leader of the Year – Jen Spegal, director, surgical services, Richmond.
Continuing Care Hospital’s 2026 winners include: Physician of the Year – Ibrahim Shahoub, MD, Lexington; APP of the Year – Reginia Mullins, APRN, Pikeville; Employee of the Year – Jennifer Osborne, RN, Carlisle; and Leader of the Year – Joann Rose, supervisor respiratory therapy, Richmond.
Saint Joseph Health's corporate staff were also honored, notably: Employee of the Year – Mersi Lawhorn, senior recruiter, Lexington; and Leader of the Year – Elizabeth Sword, market director, print services, Lexington.
Saint Joseph Health and Continuing Care Hospital were recognized at the 2026 Kentucky Hospital Association Quality Awards. Saint Joseph Health was recognized in the Hospital System category for its Operational Excellence Program; and Continuing Care Hospital was recognized in the Long-Term Acute Care Hospital category.
Kentucky REALTORS® proudly presented the 2025 Kinman Award to Senator Julie Raque Adams in recognition of her commitment to housing policy and advocacy.
Benchmark Litigation has named Stites & Harbison, PLLC as Litigation Firm of the Year for Kentucky at its 2026 Benchmark US Awards Gala. This is the sixth time the firm has received the honor.
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) recently partnered with Feeding Kentucky for the 9th annual Serving Up Solutions and raised $57,400 to address hunger in Kentucky. These funds will directly benefit the food pantries at 16 KCTCS college locations.
Republic Bank & Trust Company has been recognized by S&P Global Market Intelligence as a Top 50 Community Bank among institutions with $3–$10 billion in assets. Republic Bank & Trust Company’s 24th place national ranking makes it the highest-ranked bank or financial institution headquartered in Kentucky for the third year in a row.
The Children’s Advocacy Center of the Bluegrass recently hosted its annual Pinwheels for Prevention Planting Ceremony in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month, with Republic Bank & Trust Company serving as the presenting sponsor. The ceremony highlights the ongoing CAC of the Bluegrass mission to treat survivors of child abuse, and the role that all individuals play in preventing child abuse.
Metro Plus Credit Union celebrated the opening of its new main office at 1565 McGrathiana Parkway in Lexington.
As part of a nationwide commitment to economic mobility, Bank of America announced it invested nearly $40 million throughout 2025 into U.S. workforce skills, job training, and career pathways. In Lexington, these targeted investments have yielded significant results, contributing to over 1,000 job placements locally and more than 2,700 across the Commonwealth.