Business Awards: Leadership Lexington 2016-17 class announced; Turner West joins class of Health and Aging Policy Fellows

▪ Turner West, director of education and communications, and director of the Palliative Care Leadership Center at Hospice of the Bluegrass, has been accepted for the 2016-2017 Class of Health and Aging Policy Fellows.

Fellows are selected each year through a national competition based on their commitment to health and aging issues, leadership potential, and interest in impacting policy.

“This fellowship placement is an extraordinary opportunity for Turner and helps Hospice of the Bluegrass continue our leadership and advocacy role in the fields of hospice, palliative care and innovations in care for the seriously ill,” says Liz Fowler, Hospice of the Bluegrass president and CEO.

During the fellowship, West will be placed with a mentor from the National Advisory Board. The program starts with a five-week orientation that includes training in health policy, aging policy and participation in the American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship Program. During the year-long fellowship program, West will spend 20 percent of his time with a placement site and working on a policy project. Additionally, there will be specialized workshops on communication skills, leadership, and health policy.

▪ Commerce Lexington has been named Chamber of the Year in the large chamber category. Commerce Lexington President and CEO Bob Quick and other staff members accepted the honor from the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives in Savannah, Ga., recently, after competing against other category finalists, which included chambers from Brooklyn, N.Y., Jacksonville, Fla., and Tacoma-Pierce County, Washington.

In addition to the Chamber of the Year Award, Commerce Lexington also received one of ACCE’s top communications/marketing honors – a Grand Award – for the Economic Development Division’s “Here’s Our Proof” marketing campaign during the 2015 Breeders’ Cup. Partnering with VisitLEX, this Bourbon box marketing gift showcased Lexington as a great place for business and a top location for conventions and tourism.

▪ Baptist Health Corbin, Baptist Health Lexington and Baptist Health Richmond have been recognized for promoting enrollment in state organ donor registries in a national campaign sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration. The campaign has added 400,000 donor enrollments to state registries nationwide since 2011.

Baptist Health Richmond and Baptist Health Lexington were awarded platinum recognition by HRSA, and Baptist Health Corbin received gold recognition.

Of the 995 hospitals and transplant centers participating in the campaign, only 281 achieved platinum level and 147 achieved gold level recognitions.

See the full list of recognized hospitals here.

▪  Saint Joseph East and Saint Joseph Hospital, both part of KentuckyOne Health, have been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as being two of the best hospitals for 2016-17 for treating heart failure.

Both facilities were named “High Performing” hospitals. Saint Joseph East was recognized for treating heart failure. Saint Joseph Hospital was recognized for treating heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The rankings will be published in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals 2017” guidebook.

▪ The Leadership Lexington Steering Committee has announced the new class of Leadership Lexington for 2016-17, which includes 50 people with varied backgrounds from a variety of segments of the Lexington economy. The program gives participants the opportunity to better understand the city and to prepare for the challenges it faces by meeting with and learning from today’s leaders. Leadership Lexington is an educational opportunity that broadens perspectives and allows participants to gain increased understanding of community dynamics and public issues.

Beginning in August, classes meet in different locations around the area each month with a major program topic covered by knowledgeable speakers and panels, tours, group activities, demonstrations and class discussions. Sessions will cover topics, such as media, government, education, public safety, economic development, arts, equine, diversity, health and human services, and leadership development. Find out more at Leadershiplexington.com.

2016-17 Leadership Lexington Class Members: Robby Arrasmith, Messer Construction; Melissa Bacon, Fayette County Public Schools; James Brown, Kentucky One - Saint Joseph Hospital; Evan Buckley, Goss Samford; Holly Jones Clark, Hilary J. Boone Center & The Club at UK's Spindletop Hall; Lori Collins, Goodwill Industries of Kentucky; Thomas Curtsinger, Lexington Police Department; Elizabeth Darby, Stites & Harbison; Liz Davenport, GreenHouse 17; Betsy Davies, University of Kentucky College of Engineering; b Deaton, UK Athletics; Anne Donworth, Lexington Public Library Foundation; Amy E. Dougherty, Bluegrass ElderLaw; Lee Erik Eachus, Lexington Art League; Amy Friskney, Associations International; Sharon L. Gold, Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs; Ryan Graham, Blue & Co.; Brandon Green, PNC Bank; Amelia Groetsch, Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras; Lauren Gross, Commerce Lexington; Gretchen Gruenberg, Big Ass Solutions; Brian Hegnauer, Keeneland Hospitality; Roger Holland, Lexington Police Department; Jillian Dove, House Ward, Hocker & Thornton; Lauren Johnson, McGregor & Associates; Melissa Kane, Community Action Council; David Larson, Larson & Co.; Brandon Lewis, Vaughn & Melton; Angie Marshall, MCM CPAs & Advisors; Donald Mason, The Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center; Laura McDonald, SteinGroup/ Impressions Marketing & Events; Kyle Melloan, Dinsmore & Shohl; Jessica Middendorf, Stoll Keenon Ogden; Anne-Tyler Morgan, McBrayer, McGinnis, Leslie & Kirkland; Jenny Paul, Lexington Public Library; Liz Paul, Kentucky Employers' Mutual Insurance; Meredyth Pederson, Lexington Children's Theatre; Kaelyn Query, LexEffect Events; Simarpreet Rattan, Lexmark International; Quisha Ray, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky; Jamie Rodgers, City of Lexington; Fausto Sarmiento, Kentucky Small Business Development Center; Adam Smith, LG&E and KU; Candace Smith, Steptoe & Johnson; Steven Stadler, Fayette County Attorney’s Office; Carrie Thayer, Hope Center; Quentin Tyler, University of Kentucky; Logan Wilson, Bingham Greenebaum Doll; Lindsay Wright, Fayette County Public Schools; and Serenity Wright, Transylvania University

▪ The seventh annual Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at the Hilton Lexington Downtown on Nov. 16. The Hall of Fame celebrates the stories of Kentucky's most successful entrepreneurs, with a mission to raise awareness around the impact entrepreneurship has made in the Commonwealth, and to encourage others to pursue similar ambitious endeavors.

2016 Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame inductees:

Colonel Harlan Sanders, Kentucky Fried Chicken; Kent Oyler, High Speed Access Corp, OPM Services; Robert B. Trussell Jr., Tempur Sealy International; and Carey Smith, Big Ass Solutions

Table, individual tickets and sponsorships are availableby calling Andrea Flanders at 502-848-8719.

For more information about the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, go to Entrepreneurhof.com.

Compiled by Dorothea Wingo

This story was originally published August 21, 2016 at 11:53 AM with the headline "Business Awards: Leadership Lexington 2016-17 class announced; Turner West joins class of Health and Aging Policy Fellows."