Friends of KET
About Friends of KET
Beginning as a small volunteer group in 1971, the Friends of KET has expanded to include members in 35 districts representing all 120 Kentucky counties. Their work is essential to KET’s operations, from supporting events and fundraising to serving as informed advocates who promote our programs and services, share community feedback, and strengthen our connection to audiences across the Commonwealth.
Interested in joining the Friends of KET? Contact Julie Schmidt, Director of External Affairs and Friends of KET Liaison at 859 258 7512 | jschmidt@ket.org.
Current Friends Executive Committee
President: Ben Talley, Hopkinsville
President-Elect: Jeff Tate, Irvine
Secretary: Jamie Collins, Lebanon
Vice Presidents: Kathy Bodine, Murray | Lexie Centers, Owingsville | A. Dale Josey, Louisville
Past President: Elizabeth Griffith Mudd, Benton
Nominating Chair: Carol Beirne, Covington
Contact: Julie Schmidt | Senior Director, External Affairs and Friends of KET Liaison | 859 258 7512 | jschmidt@ket.org
Join the Friends in supporting KET
KET is proud to bring you the best in informative, engaging and entertaining broadcast programs, and Friends of KET are committed to helping fundraise to support these programs. Won’t you join them in supporting KET?
KET invites you to tell us with your gift the programs you value most. Your financial support and feedback help determine the next broadcast season and further KET’s mission to make Kentucky a better place through the power of public media. Now is the perfect time to renew your KET Membership — or become the newest member of the KET family!
On a mission
In his memoir The KET Story: A Personal Account, KET’s founder O. Leonard Press noted that KET was not the brainchild of any one person, but rather the collective product of ordinary citizens, advocates and volunteers who led a statewide campaign to promote the idea of creating an educational network for Kentucky.
“The first sentence in the account I wrote of the history of KET recognizes that KET had literally thousands of founders,” Press wrote. “These citizens came from all levels of influence, from the schoolhouse to the statehouse, without whose persuasive and persistent voices KET would still be an egg trying to hatch.”
Friends of KET is the organization that continues in that spirit. The organization, comprising regular citizens from every region of Kentucky, has been an invaluable contributor to the network’s fundraising efforts, programming and educational initiatives in the Commonwealth.
Interested in joining the Friends of KET? Contact: Julie Schmidt | Senior Director, External Affairs and Friends of KET Liaison | 859 258 7512 | jschmidt@ket.org
Current Friends Members and their districts
| District | Member – hometown | Counties |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carol Major – Hickman | Fulton, Graves, Hickman |
| 2 | Kathy Bodine – Murray | Calloway, Marshall, Trigg |
| 3 | Barbara W. McGinty – Paducah | Ballard, Carlisle, McCracken |
| 4 | Sean Mestan – Princeton | Caldwell, Crittenden, Livingston, Lyon |
| 5 | Betsy Allen – Madisonville | Hopkins, Muhlenberg |
| 6 | Kathy Brauer – Henderson | Henderson, Union, Webster |
| 7 | Elizabeth Griffith Mudd – Benton | Daviess, Hancock, McLean |
| 8 | Ben Talley – Hopkinsville | Christian, Logan, Todd |
| 9 | Melissa W. Stephanski – Bowling Green | Allen, Barren, Simpson, Warren |
| 10 | Rebecca Rose – Morgantown | Butler, Edmonson, Grayson, Ohio |
| 11 | Gina Ryan – Rineyville | Breckenridge, Hardin, Hart, Larue, Meade |
| 12 | Jamie Collins – Lebanon | Bullitt, Marion, Nelson, Washington |
| 13 | A. Dale Josey – Louisville | Mary Michael Corbett – Louisville | Jefferson |
| 14 | Luke King – Burkesville | Clinton, Cumberland, Metcalfe, Monroe |
| 15 | Tammy Snyder – Mt. Sherman | Adair, Green, Russell, Taylor |
| 16 | Daphne Blevins – Liberty | Casey, McCreary, Pulaski, Wayne |
| 17 | Peggy Mershon – London | Bell, Knox, Laurel, Whitley |
| 18 | Nancy Thames – Richmond | Theresa Tope – Richmond | Garrard, Jackson, Madison, Rockcastle |
| 19 | Jason Cooper – Danville | Kinsey Hisle – Danville | Anderson, Boyle, Lincoln, Mercer |
| 20 | Jean Dorton – Lexington | Brenda Owen – Lexington | Marian Moore Sims – Lexington | Fayette, Jessamine, Woodford |
| 21 | Kelly Green – Frankfort | Franklin, Shelby, Spencer |
| 22 | Judy Handmaker – Goshen | Henry, Oldham |
| 23 | Kelly McEuen – Georgetown | Grant, Harrison, Pendleton, Scott |
| 24 | Mattea Kirk – La Grange | Carroll, Gallatin, Owen, Trimble |
| 25 | Carol Beirne – Covington | Boone, Campbell, Kenton |
| 26 | Terri Srinivasan – Maysville | Bracken, Fleming, Lewis, Mason, Robertson |
| 27 | Martha Taylor – Carlisle | Bourbon, Clark, Montgomery, Nicholas |
| 28 | Jeff Tate – Irvine | Estill, Lee, Owsley, Powell |
| 29 | Barbra Ledford – Baxter | Clay, Harlan, Leslie |
| 30 | Elsa Spurlock – London | Breathitt, Knott, Letcher, Perry |
| 31 | Lora Hutchison – Paintsville | Floyd, Johnson, Martin, Pike |
| 32 | John Burton – Wellington | Magoffin, Menifee, Morgan, Wolfe |
| 33 | Lexie Centers – Owingsville | Bath, Carter, Elliott, Rowan |
| 34 | Heather Whitman – Ashland | Boyd, Greenup, Lawrence |
Friends of KET Presidents
1974 Margaret Griffen
1974-1976 Priscilla McElvein
1976-1977 Maryann Davis
1977-1979 Mrs. James Adams
1979-1981 Anne T. Hall
1981-1982 Jewell Cline
1982-1983 Hugh Wittich
1983-1984 Margie Pope
1984-1985 Jane Winkler Dyche
1985-1986 Patti Acquisto
1986-1987 Paul Sartori
1987-1989 Russ Powell
1989-1990 Ruth Wesley
1990-1992 Dan Griffith
1992-1993 Carrie Cinnamond
1993-1994 Tommy Hines, Jr.
1994-1995 Kathy Guyn
1995-1996 Romanza Johnson
1996-1997 Betty Pogue
1997-1998 Barbara Burdette
1998-1999 Jewell Deene Ellis
1999-2000 Bobby Humes
2000-2001 Neal Tucker
2001-2002 Elsa Spurlock
2002-2003 Matt Gandolfo
2003-2004 Gee Gaither
2004-2005 Marie Piekarski
2005-2006 Don Parrish
2006-2007 Will Cox, Jr.
2007-2008 Maggie McElvein
2008-2009 Carol Beirne
2009-2010 Cheryl Lawson
2010-2011 Cheryl Lawson
2011-2012 Jim Carter
2012-2013 Barbra Ledford
2013-2014 Mary Butler
2014-2015 Maude Teegarden
2015-2016 Nancy Thames
2016-2017 Sean Mestan
2017-2018 Donna Wear
2018-2019 Martha Deener
2019-2020 Sean Mestan
2020-2021 Lora Hutchison
2021-2022 Rebecca Rose
2022-2023 Kelly Green
2023-2024 A. Dale Josey
2024-2025 Elizabeth Griffith Mudd
2025-2026 Ben Talley
