Three Kentucky cabinet secretaries get new roles in Beshear administration • Kentucky Lantern
FRANKFORT— Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear introduced that three cabinet secretaries will transfer into new roles in his administration.
Transportation Secretary Jim Gray, a former Lexington mayor, is taking a part-time function as a particular adviser to Beshear on transportation.
Energy and Environment Secretary Rebecca Goodman will succeed Gray as transportation secretary. John Lyons, who’s the deputy secretary of the Energy and Environment Cabinet, will succeed Goodman.
Public Protection Secretary Ray Perry will turn into deputy secretary of Beshear’s govt cabinet. Perry’s deputy secretary, DJ Wasson, would be the subsequent secretary of the Public Protection Cabinet.
Before becoming a member of the Beshear administration, Gray served two phrases as mayor of Lexington and was president and CEO of Gray, Inc., a building, design and engineering firm. He was the Democratic challenger to Republican US Sen. Rand Paul in 2016. In the press launch, Gray stated he was “grateful to have served alongside thousands of talented and dedicated public servants these past six years, and I take a lot of pride in what we’ve been able to accomplish by working together.”
Goodman grew to become head of the Energy and Environment Cabinet in 2019 initially of Beshear’s first time period. She started her profession in state authorities as a cartographer for the Transportation Cabinet and later served as a workers legal professional for the Public Service Commission. She has beforehand served as common counsel on the Transportation Cabinet and the Executive Branch Ethics Commission.
Perry will likely be a deputy secretary below Executive Cabinet Secretary John Hicks. Perry grew to become the general public safety secretary in 2021 after having been assistant director of shopper safety and deputy commissioner on the Department of Insurance. He was additionally govt director of the then-Labor Cabinet’s General Administration and Procurement Services.
Senate Transportation Committee Chair Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, who’s retiring from the legislature this yr, issued a press release wishing Gray effectively.
“I appreciate that Secretary Gray has consistently brought a thoughtful and steady approach to this work, and I am grateful for his willingness to collaborate in good faith with the General Assembly to move important state road projects forward,” Higson stated. “His efforts, together with these of the cabinet crew, have helped form significant enhancements to Kentucky’s transportation system, together with the development of main regional initiatives such because the Brent Spence Bridge and the Mountain Parkway, and lots of different important initiatives.
“As I not too long ago concluded my last highway plan serving the 14th Senate District, this second marks a transition for each of us. I’m grateful for the partnership we have shared in working to fulfill the transportation wants of our districts and the commonwealth.
Beshear, who’s serving his second time period as governor, stated in a Tuesday press launch that his administration “has secured historic economic investments and a record number of new, good-paying jobs while also delivering safer roads and bridges, increasing access to health care, and rebuilding from some of the nation’s most devastating natural disasters.”
“While we have a lot to be proud of, this administration is more committed than ever to making every day count as we deliver results that Kentuckians want and deserve,” Beshear stated. “These leaders are incredible public servants who have dedicated themselves to this work, and these new positions will help us make even more progress.”
