Why It Matters
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has reshaped the leadership of the University of Kentucky’s governing body, appointing two new members to the Board of Trustees. The moves follow a period of public friction between the governor and university administration over hiring practices and donor influence.
What Happened
Governor Beshear issued an executive order on Monday, filed with the Kentucky Secretary of State, naming Joseph Palumbo and Phillip Patton to the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees. The appointments fill vacancies created by the expiration of a term and the death of a sitting trustee.
Palumbo replaces Ron Geoghegan, whose six-year term concluded on June 30. He receives a full six-year appointment. Patton fills the remainder of the term held by Claude “Skip” Berry, who died in July. Patton’s service will extend until June 30, 2027.
The appointments arrive after Beshear publicly criticized several administrative decisions at the university last spring. The governor expressed a loss of confidence in UK President Eli Capilouto via social media posts. He specifically targeted the creation of a $1 million annual position for retiring Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart and the appointment of U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove as law school dean without full faculty approval.
Beshear stated that these administrative moves reflected undue influence from donors pushing partisan agendas. Barnhart subsequently stepped away from the newly created role, while Capilouto maintained support for Van Tatenhove’s appointment. The board later voted to initiate a process reversing the rule that allowed dean appointments without trustee involvement, though the change did not apply retroactively to Van Tatenhove.
By the Numbers
$1 million — Annual salary for the job created for Mitch Barnhart
18 — Number of people Beshear appointed to the UK board since 2019
$1.94 million — Total contributions from appointees and families to Beshear campaigns
$4,100 — Amount Joseph Palumbo contributed to Beshear’s 2023 gubernatorial campaign
$2,000 — Amount Phillip Patton’s wife contributed to Beshear’s 2023 campaign
Zoom Out
The new appointees bring significant local business and legal experience to the board. Palumbo is president of Palumbo Lumber Company, Palumbo Properties, and Palumbo Development. He holds a business management degree from the University of Kentucky and co-chaired the 2026 American Heart Association Central Kentucky Heart Ball with his wife, Jennifer. His mother, Ruth Ann Palumbo, served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1991 through 2024.
Patton, born in Johnson County in 1946, moved to Lexington during elementary school. He earned BS, MA, and JD degrees from UK, graduating from Law School in 1973. After two years as an attorney for the Legislative Research Commission in Frankfort, Patton was elected commonwealth attorney twice without opposition in Glasgow. He served three terms as a circuit judge without opposition before retiring in 2015.
Patton previously served on the UK Board of Trustees from 2003 to 2009. Earlier this year, he received the Chief Justice’s Special Service Award and was inducted into the UK Law School Hall of Fame. Election finance records show no contributions from Patton to Beshear committees since Patton became a circuit judge in 2001.
What’s Next
The two new trustees will join the board immediately following the filing of the executive order. Their presence alters the composition of the body that oversees university governance, including future decisions on administrative appointments and budgetary matters. The board’s ongoing effort to revise rules regarding dean appointments will proceed under this new membership structure.