About Us

The Kentucky Bar Foundation, Inc. (KBF) is a nonprofit organization serving as the charitable arm of Kentucky’s legal community. Its mission is to further the public’s understanding of the judicial system and the legal profession through programs and philanthropic partnerships that help those in need.


Thank you to Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company of Kentucky
for making this film possible.

Providing Help Today and Hope for Tomorrow

The Kentucky Bar Foundation, Inc. has awarded grants totaling over $3.5 million since 1988 to agencies promoting access to justice and law-related education for Kentuckians.  The KBF has also developed its own projects toward this mission at times.  KBF support has positively affected the lives of many citizens of our Commonwealth and furthered the administration of justice through programs that include:

  • educating the public about law and the justice system
  • helping at-risk children
  • providing funding to assist abused women and children
  • assisting veterans with legal problems by funding clinics offering free legal services
  • providing funding to educate high school seniors about abuse of credit
  • preserving legal history

Click here to review the KBF's annual fact sheet outlining
the KBF's impact across the Commonwealth in 2019.

Contact Us

KBF’s Board of Directors and staff are readily available to answer your questions and tell you how you can help.

The Kentucky Bar Foundation, Inc.
Kentucky Bar Center
514 W. Main Street
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-1812
(800) 874-6582
(502) 564-3795

Executive Director
Guion L. Johnstone
gjohnstone@kybar.org

Program Manager
Gwen Smallenburg
gsmallenburg@kybar.org

 

Board of Directors 2021-2022


Officers

President:  Allison J. Donovan
President-Elect:  Delores Woods Baker
Vice President:  Sadhna G. True
Secretary/Treasurer:  Emily E. Walters
Immediate Past President:  John R. Crockett III
IOLTA Chair:  Rebecca Simpson

Directors

First Supreme Court District
Natasha Camenisch Little, Madisonville
G. Kent Price, Paducah
H. Douglas Willen, Hopkinsville

Second Supreme Court District
Andrew J. Johnson, Owensboro
Scott D. Laufenberg, Bowling Green
Stephanie McGehee Shacklette, Bowling Green

Third Supreme Court District
Douglas G. Benge, London
John M. Gambrel, Pineville
Kelly Kirby Ridings, London

Fourth Supreme Court District
John R. Crockett III, Louisville
Judge David L. Holton II (ret.), Louisville
Don W. F. Rodgers, Louisville
Melinda T. Sunderland, Louisville

Fifth Supreme Court District
J. Hadden Dean, Danville
Allison J. Donovan, Lexington
Joshua E. Santana, Lexington
Sadhna True, Lexington

Sixth Supreme Court District
Delores Woods Baker, Maysville
Jessica L. Craven, Crescent Springs
Emily E. Walters, Florence

Seventh Supreme Court District
Miranda D. Click, Pikeville
Rachel Wagner Kennedy, Pikeville
Richard W. Martin, Ashland

Ex Officio Directors

Kentucky Supreme Court
Appointment Pending

Kentucky Court of Appeals
Judge Kelly Thompson, Bowling Green

Kentucky Circuit Judges Association
Judge A. C. McKay Chauvin, Louisville

Kentucky District Judges Association
Judge Earl-Ray Neal, Richmond

Chair, Kentucky IOLTA Fund
Rebecca Simpson, Bowling Green

KBA President Representative
J. D. Meyer, Owensboro

KBA Past President Representative
Thomas N. Kerrick, Bowling Green

KBA Young Lawyers Division Representative
Elizabeth A. Combs, Lexington

Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law
Dean Judith Daar, Highland Heights

University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law
Dean Mary J. Davis, Lexington

University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law
Interim Dean Lars S. Smith, Louisville

 

Financial Information

Visit the Foundation's GuideStar Nonprofit Profile here. If you are interested in additional informaton, the Foundation's governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements will be made available upon written request.