Kentucky Governor
Supporting Tourism And Agriculture By Hosting And Producing Successful Events
At Kentucky Venues, we're dedicated to curating exceptional experiences and fostering success for every event. From bustling trade shows to community gatherings, our mission is clear: to champion tourism and agriculture by seamlessly hosting and producing events at our premier venues.
Through strategic initiatives and a relentless pursuit of excellence, we're proud to be a catalyst for memorable moments and sustainable growth in the Commonwealth and beyond.
Governance
The Kentucky State Fair Board is the governing body of Kentucky Venues. With members representing agriculture, business and education, the board was first created in 1938 to oversee the Kentucky State Fair.
KY Venues Staff
Board Members
Chairman, Governor's Designee
Ray Perry
Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Garrard County
Jonathan Shell
VP for Land-Grant Engagement and Dean College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington
Dr. Laura Stephenson
CDME-CTA Louisville
Cleo Battle
Louisville
John Cox
Louisville
Greg Pope
Prospect
Hans Poppe
Louisville
Sadiqa Reynolds
Henderson
Dorsey Ridley
Adairville
Lee Robey
Ex-Officio
Finance & Administration Cabinet, Frankfort
Secretary Holly M. Johnson
President, 4-H, Owen County, KY
Jeremiah Jury
President, FFA, Nicholas County, KY
Garrett Zimmerman
Executive Team
Interim President & CEO
Michael E. Berry
Chief of Staff
Matthew Johnson
General Counsel
Ellen Benzing
Executive Director of Communications
Ian Cox
CFE Executive Director of Expositions
Corinne P. Fetter
Executive Director of Safety and Security
Shawn Hensler
Executive Director of Operations
Kevin McCoy
Executive Director of Event Services
Tim Postlethwait
Executive Director of Human Resources
Sierra Rojas
Interim Executive Director of Sales and Food & Beverage
Laura Whitehead
Free Speech Policy
The purpose of the Kentucky Exposition Center’s free speech policy, is to ensure that persons have the ability to exercise their right to peacefully demonstrate at an event held at the Kentucky Exposition Center while not unreasonably disrupting those who have license agreements for use of the facility.
Incident Report