Lifetime Achievement Awards -- Lois Mateus

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Lois Mateus

Kentucky has been a very important part of Lois Mateus' life since her childhood days growing up on her family's farm in Harrodsburg.

After graduating from the University of Kentucky, Lois began her communications career in the public information office of state government. Her boss at the time was Jim Host, the current Commerce Secretary. She later edited the Journal of Kentucky Libraries and directed the Kentucky Historical Events Celebration Commission for the Commonwealth's 1976 observance of America's bicentennial.

If you asked Lois about the people who gave her counsel and advice over the years, she would first of all recall the influence of her mother. She would then identify two former Kentucky governors, Wendell Ford and John Y. Brown.

"Wendell Ford allowed me access to meetings that a young woman would not ordinarily have access to. He would say, 'Listen and then write what you need to write.' John Y. Brown surrounded himself with lots of different people. He never thought to ask someone if they were a Democrat or a Republican."

In 1978, after John Y. Brown was elected governor, Lois served as state Commissioner of the Departments of Tourism and Public Information and the Department of the Arts. From this position, she worked closely with Phyllis George Brown, promoting Kentucky's economic development and tourism programs, creating the Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, and initiating the marketing program for arts and crafts that has developed into an important industry for the state.

Following her years in the Brown administration, Lois joined Brown-Forman, one of Kentucky's oldest and most respected corporations. Today, she is a senior vice president, executive director of corporate communications and services at Brown-Forman. In addition to corporate services, brand homeplaces, and property management, Ms. Mateus is responsible for public relations, corporate communications, community relations, and contributions. She also serves on the board of Hartmann Luggage and is a member of the corporate executive committee. She was also involved in the restoration of Labrot & Graham Distillery in Versailles, Ky., the home of Woodford Reserve Single Barrel Kentucky Bourbon.

Ms. Mateus is president of the Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft, and serves on the boards of Kentuckians of New York, Leadership Kentucky, the International Association of Culinary Professionals Foundation, Issac W. Bernheim Foundation, Kentuckv Educational Television Foundation and the Warwick Foundation. She is a former State Historic Preservation Officer, member of the Kentucky Humanities Council, a charter member of the Kentucky Oral History Commission, and second vice president of the Kentucky Historical Society.

Lois is married to Louisville businessman Tim Peters and together they operate a 750-acre organic farm near her childhood farm in Mercer County. They also maintain a home in Crescent Hill, a historic area near downtown Louisville.