In June, 40 principals across the state graduated from the Kentucky Chamber Foundation’s Leadership Institute for School Principals program, a year-long executive-level leadership training course usually reserved for the nation’s top CEOs.
The Foundation’s Leadership Institute for School Principals offers public and private school principals in the Commonwealth the opportunity to receive powerful individual leadership training provided by the Truist Leadership Institute, customized to meet school administrators’ specific leadership development needs.
In the program’s 13 years, the Foundation’s Leadership Institute for School Principals has invested over $4.4 million to train over 600 elementary, middle, and high school principals, impacting over 112 counties and 2,979,508 students in Kentucky.
During the Leadership Institute graduation ceremony, elected class speaker Jameelah Henderson, principal of Kenwood Elementary School in Jefferson County, shared how she rediscovered her purpose and passion for leadership and what the opportunity to complete this program meant.
“I think there’s no denying the influence and the impact that this program will have on our lives and our leadership journeys,” Henderson said. “We learned strategies to better understand ourselves as people so that we could become better leaders. We reflected on who we are as individuals and leaders and explored why we lead the way we do.”
Fellow graduate James Hood, principal of Rodburn Elementary in Rowan County, echoed Henderson’s remarks, describing how being a principal is one of the loneliest jobs in education.
“It’s not every day you get a chance to step back from the day-to-day grind and connect with others who understand exactly what it means to carry the weight of a school on your shoulders,” Hood said, emphasizing the connection he’s made with his cohort that will go beyond the year-long program.
Leadership Institute for School Principals Board Co-chairs Rob Clayton, superintendent of Warren County Schools, and Rich Maddux, founder of The Cowabunga Group, thanked the graduating class for their dedication to the program and the business community for supporting current and future generations of leaders.
“This program has always been about helping our school leaders. It’s about giving them the tools that would help them lead their staff, develop their staff, and most importantly, develop their kids,” Maddux said.
Below are the principals that graduated from the Foundation’s Leadership Institute for School Principals in 2025:
- Aaron Baldwin, East Carter Middle School, Carter County
- Megan Barton, Hearn Elementary, Franklin County
- Jenna Blair, Perryville Elementary, Boyle County
- Shannon Brickler, Sherman Elementary, Grant County
- Ryan Burch, Florence Elementary School, Boone County
- Laquetta Carter, Hartstern Elementary School, Jefferson County
- Danielle Cassady, James T. Alton Middle School, Hardin County
- Cory Coble, Union County Middle School, Union County
- Dana Corson, Camden Station Elementary, Oldham County
- Gwen Courtney, Jefferson Elementary, Henderson County
- Justin Craft, LaRue County High School, LaRue County
- Jenn Crase, Kenwood Station Elementary, Oldham County
- Jennie Currin, Valley High School, Jefferson County
- Ryan Dixon, Flaherty Primary School, Meade County
- John Eveland, Bardstown Primary School, Nelson County
- Melissa Farris, Sublimity Elementary School, Laurel County
- Emily Girten, John Paul II Catholic School, Union County
- Casey Greene, Mapleton Elementary School, Montgomery County
- Jameelah Henderson, Kenwood Elementary, Jefferson County
- James Hood, Rodburn Elementary, Rowan County
- Shamika Johnson, Newburg Middle School, Jefferson County
- Caitlin Lawson, Bowling Green Independent Preschool, Warren County
- Curt Merrifield, Thomas Nelson High School, Nelson County
- William Noble, Lee County Middle/High School, Lee County
- Amanda Nokes, Bullitt Lick Middle School, Bullitt County
- Shannon Pfaff, Southside Elementary School, Shelby County
- Lacey Ramirez, Sinking Fork Elementary School, Christian County
- Christy Reliford, Cannonsburg Elementary School, Boyd County
- Leah Renfrow, Allen County Primary Center, Allen County
- Kenley Ringstaff-Hefner, North Livingston Elementary School, Livingston County
- Jessica Sekulski, Nelson County High School, Nelson County
- Diana Smith, James Lane Allen Elementary, Fayette County
- Teresa Spann, McNabb Elementary School, McCracken County
- Allison Steineker, North Oldham Middle School, Oldham County
- Robin Stephenson, Carroll County Middle School, Carroll County
- Jeremy Stone, Hardinsburg Elementary School, Breckinridge County
- Ben VanderHorst, Glendover Elementary, Fayette County
- Sarah Velotta, Audubon Elementary School, Daviess County
- Kelly Workman, Clark Elementary School, McCracken County
- Leslie Workman, Fairview Independent Elementary School, Boyd County
The Leadership Institute is provided at no cost to principals. This $18,000 training is provided to the participants through an in-kind donation of $12,500 per principal from the Truist Leadership Institute. The remaining $5,500 per principal is provided through match donations from Kentucky’s business community members.
Each year, the Leadership Institute holds an application period for the upcoming class. The Leadership Institute’s board of managers, consisting of Kentucky business leaders and school superintendents, chooses the principals. Learn more about the board at https://www.principalsleadky.com/boardofmanagers/.
Learn more about the Foundation’s Leadership Institute for School Principals at www.principalsleadky.com. If you would like to be notified when the applications for the next class open, please complete the form at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7M7CRQ8.