Jamie Link was appointed Secretary of the Kentucky Education & Labor Cabinet effective July 1, 2021.
Link has been tapped to lead several successful public-sector initiatives throughout his career.
Most recently, in January 2020 Gov. Andy Beshear asked him to serve as executive director of the Kentucky Communications Network Authority – the agency responsible for overseeing the completion of the KentuckyWired broadband expansion project. The project is slated for completion in October.
Link has previously served as deputy secretary of both the Kentucky Finance & Administration and Tourism, Arts and Heritage cabinets. He was appointed to serve as CEO of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in 2010 before becoming executive director of the Kentucky Horse Park.
Additionally, he has served as deputy chief of staff for former Kentucky Gov. Steven L. Beshear, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Facilities Management, and has worked as a finance director and as a project coordinator at the University of Kentucky.
To begin his 29th year in education, Dr. Robbie Fletcher assumed the role of Kentucky’s commissioner of education on July 1, 2024.
Before becoming commissioner, Dr. Fletcher served as the superintendent of Lawrence County School for 10 years. Prior to that, he served as principal of Sheldon Clark High School (5 years), principal of Warfield Middle School (4 years), and assistant principal of Inez Middle (1 year).
Before moving into an administrative role, Dr. Fletcher enjoyed eight years in the classroom, teaching courses such as physics, computer applications, 7th/8th grade mathematics, algebra, geometry, and AP Calculus in three school settings: Williamstown Independent, Bourbon County High, and Inez Middle Schools. During each step of his career, he has tried to build relationships with the students to better serve as an educator.
The drive to make a difference for more students led Dr. Fletcher to participate in several statewide initiatives, advisory boards and task forces, including KDE’s Local Superintendents Advisory Council, the Kentucky United We Learn Council, the School Funding Task Force created by the Kentucky General Assembly, and the Appalachia Regional Advisory Committee created by the U.S. Department of Education.
Once he took over as superintendent at Lawrence County Schools, Dr. Fletcher started his “All In” social media campaign to further drive his dedication to students. He prioritized being with the students, both inside and outside the classroom, as much as possible, and the tight-knit community bought in right away, cheering along with the “All In” chants during sporting events and pep rallies. He has now taken the “All In” mantra to KDE.
Dr. Fletcher and his wife, Dr. Melissa Haney Fletcher, have three children and recently moved to Georgetown.
Aaron Thompson is a nationally recognized leader in higher education with a focus on policy, student success and organizational leadership and design. He serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer for the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education and as Professor of Sociology in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Eastern Kentucky University. He recently served as Interim President of Kentucky State University. Dr. Thompson holds a Ph.D. in Sociology in areas of Organizational Behavior and Race and Gender Relations.
His leadership experience spans 27 years across higher education, business and numerous non-profit boards. Thompson has researched, taught and consulted in areas of diversity, leadership, ethics, multicultural families, race and ethnic relations, student success, first-year students, retention, cultural competence and organizational design throughout his career.
As a highly sought after national speaker, Thompson has presented more than 800 workshops, seminars and invited lectures in areas of race and gender diversity, living an unbiased life, overcoming obstacles to gain success, creating a school environment for academic success, cultural competence, workplace interaction, leadership, organizational goal setting, building relationships, the first-year seminar, and a variety of other topics. He continues to serve as a consultant to educational institutions (elementary, secondary and postsecondary), corporations, non-profit organizations, police departments and other governmental agencies.
Diana currently is serving as Interim Executive Director and CEO for the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) and its sister organization the Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation (KHESLC), the Asset Resolution Corporation (ARC) and Kentucky’s Affordable Prepaid Tuition (KAPT). Diana Barber has been General Counsel for KHEAA/KHESLC since 2008.
Prior to her current position, Diana served as Assistant General Counsel for KHEAA/KHESLC from 1993 to 2008. Before coming to KHEAA/KHESLC, Diana worked for the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund. Diana received her J.D. from the University of Kentucky and a B.A in Economics from Indiana University.
Eric Friedlander was the Chief of Resilience and Community Services for Louisville Metro Government. In April 2017, Mayor Greg Fischer appointed Eric Friedlander as Louisville Metro’s first Chief Resilience Officer. Friedlander led the city’s efforts to help prepare for, withstand, and bounce back from chronic stresses and acute shocks. He also led the agency responsible for anti-poverty programs for Metro Louisville like Neighborhood Place, Meals on Wheels and other collaborative programs with partners ranging from Metro Untied Way to the Coalition on the Homeless.
Prior to his work in Louisville Metro Government, Friedlander served for over 30 years in Kentucky State Government most recently as the Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. During his tenure with the Cabinet, Friedlander served in a wide variety of roles, both acting and appointed. These roles ranged from leading the Commission for Children with Special Health Care needs, to Family Resource and Youth Services Centers to the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, the Office of the Inspector General and several others.
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