Agenda is tentative and subject to change.
8:00 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast with Sponsors
Breakfast sponsored by Appalachian Regional Healthcare
8:30 a.m.
Welcome and Overview
Ashli Watts, President and CEO, Kentucky Chamber
Summit Emcee: Kate Shanks, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Kentucky Chamber
8:40 a.m.
Overview of Federal Policy Changes
Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer, and Head of Strategic Advocacy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Hear from Neil Bradley about the most significant federal policy measures impacting the business community. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the nation’s leading business advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. He will cover a range of key topics, including federal tax reform, deregulation, and international trade, and discuss how the business community is navigating a rapidly evolving federal policy landscape.
9:30 a.m.
Immigration Policy Changes
Lisa DeJaco Crutcher, CEO, Catholic Charities of Louisville, Inc.
Chelsea Granville Reed, Partner, Dentons
Purna Veer, President, V-Soft Consulting Group Inc.
Moderator: Kim Halbauer, President, Kentucky Region, Fifth Third Bank
A panel of employers and immigration experts will examine how recent changes to federal immigration policy are impacting businesses and local economies throughout Kentucky. Panelists will address key immigration policy measures implemented by the Trump administration, including policies related to refugee resettlement, temporary worker visas, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and more.
10:15 a.m.
Break with Sponsors
10:30 a.m.
Impact of Executive Orders on DE&I
LaToi Mayo, Shareholder, Littler
The Trump Administration has placed a particular focus on rolling back initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). These actions have included a series of executive orders directly impacting private-sector employers. LaToi Mayo with Littler will walk audience members through the most important aspects of the administration’s actions on DE&I and highlight steps that employers should be taking to ensure compliance with federal rules.
11:00 a.m.
Tariffs and Trade Policies
Jim Coleman, Chairman and CEO, Coleman Crest Farm
Jan de Beer, Office Partner-in-Charge, Frost Brown Todd LLP
Jack Mazurak, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs, Kentucky Distillers Association
Caleb Ragland, President, American Soybean Association
Moderator: Charles Aull, PhD, Vice President, Policy, Kentucky Chamber
Under the new administration, international trade policy in the United States has experienced the greatest transformation since at least the 1930’s. With significant – and frequently changing – new tariffs on imports, an escalating trade war, retaliatory tariffs, and strained relationships with long-standing international partners, businesses and consumers alike now find themselves in a new era of international trade policy. This panel will examine how businesses are navigating these changes and how trade policy is affecting their operations and plans for the future.
11:45 a.m.
Break with Sponsors
12:00 p.m.
Congressional Overview: A Conversation with U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell
Interviewer: Ashli Watts, President and CEO, Kentucky Chamber
1:00 p.m.
Break with Sponsors
1:15 p.m.
Government Grants in the New Administration
Danielle Tharp Clore, Executive Director and CEO, Kentucky Nonprofit Network
Jennifer Hancock, President and CEO, Volunteers of America Mid-States
Amy Luttrell, President and CEO, Goodwill Industries of Kentucky
Moderator: Beth Davisson, Senior Vice President, Kentucky Chamber Foundation
In January 2025, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget released a memo seeking to freeze federal grants. Since then, uncertainty has loomed over access to federal funding and grant opportunities. While this dynamic has affected a range of different entities – including state and local governments and private businesses – the nonprofit sector has been hit particularly hard. This panel will include the perspectives of nonprofit leaders in Kentucky and will focus on how the state’s nonprofit sector is adjusting to changes in federal grant opportunities.
2:00 p.m.
Medicaid Changes
Mark Birdwhistell, Senior Vice President for Health and Public Policy, University of Kentucky
James C. Musser, Esq., Senior Vice President for Policy and Government Relations, Kentucky Hospital Association
Tom Stephens, President and CEO, Kentucky Association of Health Plans
Moderator: Anne-Tyler Morgan, Esq., Member, McBrayer PLLC
As Congress examines the country’s finances and seeks opportunities to reduce U.S. debt and deficits, potential changes to Medicaid have increasingly become the subject of debate. Reforms to this key state-federal program will have significant impacts on health care services, private businesses and nonprofits, and state budgets around the country. This panel will provide a variety of perspectives on what possible changes to Medicaid might mean for Kentucky.
2:45 p.m.
Regulations in the New Administration
Ballard Cassady, Jr., President and CEO, Kentucky Bankers Association
Charlie Vance, CEO, Member, Current HR
LaJuana Wilcher, Partner, English Lucas Priest & Owsley, LLP
Moderator: Sarah Cameron, Partner, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP
A major campaign theme of President Trump in the 2024 election was deregulation. Since coming into office, the administration has quickly begun rolling back standing regulations and implementing significant regulatory reforms. This panel will cover what these changes mean for the financial sector, federal environmental policy, and labor and employment law.
3:30 p.m.
2025 Federal Issues Summit Adjourns