Robert D. Vance | Board of Trustees

Offices/Positions Held on the Board:

Executive Committee, Member; Finance Committee, Member; Investment Committee, Member; and University Health Care Committee, Chair.

Term:

August 1, 2014 to July 30, 2026

Mr. Robert D. Vance has spent most of his career in banking, serving as Chairman or Senior Officer of several banking institutions across Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. He went on to work in state government from 2007 until 2014 serving as Secretary of the Public Protection Cabinet where he oversaw numerous departments including the Department of Financial Institutions; Department of Insurance; Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction; the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission; and Alcoholic Beverage Control.

During his tenure as Cabinet Secretary, Vance has also served as a member of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s Task Force to enhance the safety and integrity of horse racing in Kentucky. He also chaired the Governor’s Task Force on the Study of Kentucky’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Laws which led to wide changes in the way in which Kentucky licenses entities that manufacture, distribute, and sell alcohol in the Commonwealth.

In June 2022, the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law inducted Vance into their 2022 Hall of Fame. This program annually recognizes alumni who have reached and remained at the pinnacle of their field for a period sufficient to demonstrate perseverance and/or have made a profound positive influence on the Rosenberg College of Law since his or her graduation. Additionally, the Kentucky Executive Branch Ethics Commission presented Vance the prestigious Livingston Taylor Ethics Award for the 2011-2013 biennium. The Commission established this biennial award program to recognize individuals, programs or agencies within the executive branch of state government for their outstanding achievements and contributions in promoting the ethical conduct of executive branch employees.

A native of Grant County, Vance earned Business and Law degrees at the University of Kentucky. He also is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University and the Executive Banking Institute at the University of Louisville.

He and his wife Judy, have one son, four daughters, and nine grandchildren.