Tim Longmeyer
Secretary
Personnel Cabinet
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Tim brings nearly 16 years of legal experience to our cabinet. A member of the Kentucky Bar Association, Tim earned his BA from the University of Kentucky and earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Louisville. In his role as Deputy Secretary, Tim served on Governor Beshear’s Pension Working Group as chair of the Healthcare Sub-Committee and also chairs the Kentucky Group Health Insurance Board. Tim has also served as Jefferson County Attorney’s Office, Legislative Liaison; Division Chief, Family Court Prosecutors; and Asst. County Attorney. Tim and his wife, Lyn, have four children and are members of St. Agnes Parish in Louisville.
Walt Gaffield
Executive Director
Office of Administrative Services
Walt has worked for Kentucky State Government for over 32 years with most of the time in the Personnel Cabinet as the Cabinet’s principal budget officer. He previously worked for State Tourism, the Kentucky Department of Parks, and the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet. Walt has a B.A. from Colgate University, an M.A. in history from the University of Texas (Austin), and an MPA from the Martin School at the University of Kentucky. He lives in Lexington with his wife, Susan, and has two children, Meredith and Peter.
Crystal D. Pryor, MPA
Chief Legislative Affairs and Public Information Officer, Executive Director
Center for Strategic Innovation
Crystal began her career in community development, where she administered state and federal development projects for communities across Central Kentucky. In this capacity she assisted in the formulation and implementation of the following grants, projects, contracts and infrastructure related plans: Homeland Security, tourism, transportation, Kentucky Infrastructure Authority, Appalachian Regional Commission and FEMA. Ms. Pryor earned a BA in Government and Communications, with an emphasis in Advertising, Public Relations and Organizational Communications from Morehead State University and a Masters in Public Administration, with an emphasis in Health Policy and Community Development and Leadership from the University of Kentucky, Martin School for Public Policy and Administration.
Robert "Bob" C. Brown
Executive Director
Kentucky Public Employees' Deferred Compensation Authority
Mr. Brown has over 35 years of employee benefits experience with heavy emphasis on the administration of governmental defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans as well as health insurance plans. In his role as Executive Director, Bob is responsible for the daily administration of the Authority’s $1.3 billion 457 and 401(k) (including a Roth 401(k) option and Deemed IRAs (both Traditional and Roth) voluntary retirement plans. He is a member of the Louisville Employee Benefits Council where he is a past president. Bob is also a member of the National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators where he has earned the designations of Certified Retirement Administrator and Certified Retirement Consultant. Bob graduated from the University of Louisville with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree. He also took advanced courses in Employee Benefits and Compensation offered by the American Management Association, American Compensation Association and legal education courses.
Arthur Lucas
Executive Director, State EEO Coordinator
Office of Diversity and Equality
Mr. Lucas is with the Personnel Cabinet’s Office Diversity & Equality. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Kentucky State University in Early Childhood Education and Family Relations. He joined state government in September 2006 after a successful 19 year career with United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS). During his tenure with UPS, Mr. Lucas served 16 years in management; 10 of those years within the Human Resources Department. From April 2003 to January 2006, Arthur served as the Employee Relations Manager for a district with approx. 5,500 employees. During this time, Arthur was instrumental in reducing the districts active legal case log from 23 to 8 civil and EEOC cases in two years.
Frederick D. Nelson, JD, SPHR
Commissioner
Department of Employee Insurance
Fred has 20 years of executive-level experience in human resources ― half in the public sector and half in the private sector ― as well as 13 years experience in the practice of law. He has worked on all three sides of the health insurance triangle, leading organizations representing employers and employees, healthcare providers and insurers. Fred began his career in human resources as an employee benefits consultant for Acordia of Lexington, where he managed group health, life and disability insurance programs for some 40 professional and trade associations in four states. He later helped bring managed care to Central Kentucky by serving as executive director of The Physicians’ Network, a fully-delegated, risk-bearing, independent practice association. During the Patton Administration, he served as the initial director of Kentucky Access, the commonwealth’s statewide, high risk pool. More recently, Fred served as director of Risk Management and Safety for the Fayette County Public Schools, where he managed the district’s OSHA compliance, workers’ compensation, and property and casualty insurance programs. Fred currently serves as commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Employee Insurance, where he oversees the Kentucky Employees’ Health Plan, a statewide health plan which provides benefits to over 285,000 public employees. Fred is a licensed attorney and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). He received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from the University of Kentucky with a double major in philosophy and political science, and holds a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law.
Jenny Goins, SPHR
Deputy Commissioner
Department of Employee Insurance
Jenny brings more than 25 years of experience in human resources and training and organization development. Jenny has spent the last 10 years in the corporate world as both organizational development manager and HR leader. She retired from the United States Air Force as a Chief Master Sergeant after a 26-year career that included duties related to communication, public affairs, journalism, personnel and education. Jenny is a member of the Bluegrass Society of Human Resource Management and serves on the Chapter Board of Directors as Professional Development Director. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Kentucky National Guard Memorial Fund. She has a Bachelor Degree in Organizational Management and a Masters Degree in Adult Learning from Tusculum College, Greeneville, TN.
Mary E. Hook
Executive Director
Office of Employee Relations
Mary has over twenty years of extensive insurance experience that includes rehabilitation, case management, mediation, claim examination, settlement negotiation, actuarial projection, job modification and fraud prevention. As an Ombudsman for the Kentucky Department of Workers’ Claims, Mary mediated numerous workers’ compensation claims and Medical Fee Disputes. She also provided assistance with various projects, such as Managed Care and Electronic Data Interchange for the Office of Workers’ Claims. Mary worked for several years serving county government in Flint, Michigan in mental health and child and adolescent services. Working as a claim examiner for several insurance carriers, third party administrators and group self-insured, she has gained a great perspective on the Workers’ Comp Claim community. She is also experienced in vocational assessment, work readiness training, on-the-job- training, and job placement for injured employees. Mary attended Central Michigan University where she earned a BS degree in Psychology and completed the Master of Rehabilitation Counseling Program at the University of Kentucky.
Dana Harvey
Deputy Executive Director
Office of Employee Relations
Prior to joining the Personnel Cabinet, Dana was employed for 13 years as Director of Human Resources and Director of Public Relations in the private sector. She was very active in her community; serving on various boards and coordinating philanthropic events. In her present capacity, Dana works with the Employee Recognition Branch, State Safety Program, Employee Engagement, Adoption Benefits, and Workplace Relations. Dana graduated from Murray State University and lives in Lexington.
Wes Swarner
Acting Executive Director
Governmental Services Center
Wes has over 24 years experience in management training and employee development. Wes also serves as the Co-Chair for the Local Health Department Employment Personnel Council for the Department of Public Health, Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Wes received his certification in Lean Production Systems from the University of Kentucky, Center for Manufacturing. Prior to joining state government, he spent 21 years in the United States Army, retiring in 1999. Wes is originally from Beavercreek, Ohio, and is a graduate of the University of Louisville with a BS in Health Occupations Education.
Dinah Bevington
Executive Director
Office of Legal Services
Dinah Bevington is a 2003 graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Law and a 2000 graduate of Western Kentucky University, where she majored in Mass Communications and Government. From 2003-2007, she practiced at the law firm of Landrum & Shouse, LLP in Lexington, Kentucky. During this time she handled a variety of cases, with a primary emphasis on employment law and insurance defense at both the state and federal level. Dinah joined the Personnel Cabinet Office of Legal Services as a staff attorney in April, 2007. She is currently the Executive Director for the Office of Legal Services and serves as the primary legal advisor and legal representative of the Personnel Cabinet. In addition, she provides guidance to other executive branch agencies on personnel-related concerns, including the review and approval of settlement agreements and disciplinary actions of other agencies.
Dinah resides in Frankfort, KY with her husband, John, son, Ben and daughter, Drew.
Joe R. Cowles
Deputy Executive Director
Office of Legal Services
Joe R. Cowles, a native of Lexington, Kentucky, is a graduate of Centre College, Danville, Kentucky (1999) and Capital University Law School, Columbus, Ohio (2002). Joe has served as a legal advisor in both public and private sectors. Prior to joining the Personnel Cabinet, Joe served as a staff attorney to the Honorable Judge Lawrance B. VanMeter on the Fayette County Circuit Court and a staff attorney at the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Department of Insurance, Office of Legal Services. Joe also practiced law at the firm of Clark and Ward, PLLC in the areas of general tort, employment, and insurance defense.
Joe’s serves as the primary legal advisor to the Personnel Cabinet, Department of Employee Insurance and the Commonwealth’s Kentucky Employees’ Health Plan. His duties include state and federal law compliance as it relates to administration of the Kentucky Employees’ Health Plan.
Joe resides in Lexington with his wife, Emily, and two young children.
