Jennifer Barber, Louisville Partner in Charge, FBT Gibbons LLP
Jennifer Barber is the Partner-In-Charge of the Louisville office of FBT Gibbons, Kentucky’s largest law firm. She leads over 160 attorneys in the execution of the firm’s strategy, civic engagement, and charitable initiatives. She is a tax attorney who advises clients on tax planning, disputes, and economic incentives.
She has been named to Best Lawyers in America®, Super Lawyers®, and Martindale Hubbell’s Registry of Preeminent Women Lawyers. She was recognized by Business First of Louisville as “Enterprising Woman to Watch” and “Forty Under 40” for her impact on state and local economic development. She was inducted into the Forty Under 40 Hall of Fame in 2022 and named to the “Power 50” in 2025 and 2026, which recognizes Louisville’s 50 most influential people.
Jennifer has served on numerous boards, including the Kentucky State Fair Board, U.S. Bank, and the UK Board of Trustees, where she chaired the UK Athletics Committee. She currently serves on the boards of UK Healthcare, Impetus, and One Louisville. She also serves on the Kentucky Chamber’s board and as the Kentucky Chamber’s Foundation Chair.
Jennifer previously served as United States Delegate to the 75th United Nations General Assembly where she handled foreign policy, particularly in the areas of human rights and humanitarian aid.
Jacqueline Coleman, Lt. Governor, Kentucky
Jacqueline Coleman is the fifty-eighth lieutenant governor of Kentucky. She was raised on a farm in the small Kentucky town of Burgin. Her family owned a lumberyard for five generations. It was there she was taught to help her neighbors. As a result, Jacqueline has devoted her life to public service.
Jacqueline is a passionate advocate for public education. She entered public office after serving as a teacher, assistant principal and basketball coach. She believes education is the key to providing Kentuckians opportunities for transformational change that can create new cycles of success.
During her first term, through the Team Kentucky Student Mental Health Initiative, she worked to secure more than $40 million in federal funding to increase student mental health resources in schools. She led the charge to waive the testing fee for adults earning their GED. Since then, more than 25,000 Kentuckians have taken advantage of the program. She revived the Kentucky Commission on Women after its office was shuttered and funding was removed during the previous administration.
As a rural Kentuckian, Jacqueline aims to ensure Kentucky's booming economy reaches people in every zip code. In the first six years of the Beshear-Coleman administration they have announced a record $43 billion in economic investments. More importantly, this will change the lives of thousands of families with the creation of nearly 70,000 new full-time jobs.
Lt. Governor Coleman is wife to Chris, mom to Evelynne, adopted mom to Emma and a bonus mom to Will and Nate.
Colene Elridge (Coach Colene), CEO, Be More Consulting
Colene Elridge, also known as Coach Colene, is a dynamic speaker, leadership coach, and CEO of Be More Consulting. With over 20 years of experience in HR and organizational development, she’s known as “The Fixer” for her ability to help leaders and teams create better workplaces. Colene is the author of Monday Morning Pep Talks, and her new book, Read This When... Pep Talks For When You're (Barely) Holding It Together. She is also the founder of the EmpowHer Conference, and a trusted voice on leadership, inclusion, and personal growth. She brings energy, honesty, and heart to every room she steps into.
Kimberly Halbauer, Kentucky Regional President, Fifth Third Bank
Kimberly Halbauer serves as regional president of Fifth Third Bank, N.A. (Kentucky), which covers Kentucky and Southern Indiana and has more than $2.5 billion in assets. She is responsible for the growth and strategic direction of the Bank’s Commercial, Wealth & Asset Management and Consumer businesses to deliver distinctive value to our customers and community impact throughout the region. Kim has more than 30 years of experience with Fifth Third, most recently as managing director of Fifth Third Private Bank in Cincinnati. She was responsible for Wealth & Asset Management businesses, including the customer experience for more than 3,000 clients with $12 billion in assets and 100 wealth professionals. Kim began at Fifth Third Bank as a customer service representative. After working through college, she rose to leadership in the Consumer and then the Commercial divisions, where she worked with government, not-for-profit, small and midsized businesses as well as publicly traded companies, focused on customer and employee development, strategy and growth. Kim earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in finance and business from Thomas More College and completed an Executive Leadership program at Yale University. Kim serves on the boards of the Kentucky Chamber, Kentucky Chamber Foundation, One West, One Southern Indiana, Greater Louisville Inc., Leadership Louisville Center and Fund for the Arts. She has served as chairman of the board for American Heart Association and United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s Tocqueville Society. She was vice chair for the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education and on the boards of United Way Greater Cincinnati, Kentucky Educational Television, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and Thomas More College Leadership Council. Kim is a Northern Kentucky native. She and her husband, an entrepreneur, have four daughters and live in Louisville, Kentucky.
Lee Kiefer, Olympic Gold Medalist
Lee Kiefer first made her way into the history books when she medaled at the cadet, junior, and senior World Championships in 2011 at 16 years old. She continued to have success through college where she won 4 individual NCAA Championship titles with the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Lee did not anticipate her career would be so long and illustrious, but at 31 years old, her resume included holding the #1 World Ranking 4 consecutive years and being a member of four Olympic teams for Team USA: London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016, Tokyo 2021, and Paris 2024. She won the first women’s foil individual gold for her country in 2021, and at the following Games, she not only defended her title but also brought home the team gold with her squad, making them the first Olympic champion team in USA Fencing history. While actively pursuing LA 2028, she and her fellow Olympian husband work with young fencers through their new business endeavor KM Fencing.
Shay McAlister, Independent Journalist, Shay Informed
Shay McAlister is an award-winning investigative journalist and founder of Shay Informed, an independent news platform serving Kentucky and surrounding communities. After a decade as a reporter and anchor at WHAS11-TV in Louisville, she launched her ad-free, subscription-based new outlet in 2025 to focus on accountability journalism and victim-centric reporting. Her work has earned six Regional Emmy Awards, two regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, and driven real-world impact- from a chart-topping podcast that brought a cold case back to life to investigations prompting policy changes. A Missouri School of Journalism graduate, McAlister is a mother, board president of non-profit The ACE Project, and passionate advocate for journalism that serves communities over algorithms.
Renee Shaw, Director of Public Affairs, Kentucky Educational Television (KET)
Renee Shaw is the Director of Public Affairs and Moderator for Kentucky Educational Television, currently serving as moderator of KET’s Kentucky Tonight, Connections, Election coverage, Legislative Update and KET Forums. Since 2001, Renee has been the producing force behind KET’s legislative coverage that has been recognized by the Kentucky Associated Press and the National Educational Telecommunications Association. Under her leadership, KET has expanded its portfolio of public affairs content to include Kentucky Supreme Court coverage, townhall-style forums, and multi-platform program initiatives. As an award-winning journalist, Renee has earned many top awards, including being named as one of the 50 most notable women in Kentucky politics and government by The Kentucky Gazette. Renee is a sought-after speaker on media, diversity/inclusion, public policy, and political issues.
Ashli Watts, President and CEO, Kentucky Chamber
Ashli Watts was named the President and CEO for the Kentucky Chamber, the state’s largest business association, in November 2019. Ashli joined the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in November of 2012, and during her tenure as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at the Chamber, she has led efforts in passing significant pieces of legislation such as felony expungement, right to work legislation, workers’ compensation reform, unemployment insurance reform and tax reform. Prior to joining the Chamber, she worked at the Kentucky Bar Association and the Legislative Research Commission.
Ashli graduated from Campbellsville University with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History in 2004 and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Louisville. Ashli is a 2016 graduate of Leadership Kentucky, currently serves on the boards for Campbellsville University, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of State Chambers, and the Louisville Orchestra. She was appointed by Governor Andy Beshear, and confirmed by the Kentucky State Senate, to serve on the Energy Planning and Inventory Commission, where she was also elected Chair in 2025. She currently resides in Frankfort with her husband Ryan and two children, Emma and Carter.