
The 2025 KyPolicy Conference is a full-day exploration of the challenges and opportunities facing Kentucky in the 2025 legislative session and beyond.
8:15 a.m. Registration
The Paddock (in front of the barn)
9:00 a.m. Opening Session
Threats and Opportunities in This Moment
Big policy issues are under consideration at the federal and state level that will deeply affect the lives of Kentuckians and the future of our communities. We’ll look at some of what’s on the table and begin exploring what we can learn from current and recent efforts to block harmful policies and head Kentucky in a better direction.
Location: The Barn
9:30 a.m. Break
9:40 a.m. Breakout Sessions
Progress and Possibilities in Kentucky’s Juvenile Justice System
The legislature passed Senate Bill 200 in 2014, overhauling Kentucky’s juvenile justice system by emphasizing early interventions and services in the community over detention. A decade later, the successes of that approach are clear even as there remains work to be done. This session will feature the architect of SB 200, along with state experts and youth justice advocates exploring the progress we’ve made along with necessary next steps.
Location: The Bluegrass Room
Unaffordable Housing in Kentucky
Kentuckians have suffered under spiking rents and prohibitively expensive mortgages in the wake of the pandemic, but the roots of Kentucky’s housing crisis dig far deeper than 2020. To solve it, federal, state and local governments will need to act and invest. In this session we will explore Kentucky’s housing gap, hear how Kentucky’s housing market has been shaped by the national housing landscape, and hear about local efforts to make housing more available and affordable for all Kentuckians.
Location: The Bluegrass Room
11:15 a.m. Lunch
11:15 a.m. Lunch Session
Legislature 101
KyPolicy Senior Fellow Pam Thomas will lead this session for college students and those new to advocacy during lunch. It will focus on how a bill becomes a law and other basic knowledge for those who wish to closely follow the legislature.
Location: The Ballroom
12:10 p.m. Keynote Panel
Amendment 2 and the Future of Public Education in Kentucky
The defeat of Amendment 2 in November was a historic win for public schools, and it makes Kentucky a national model in successfully beating back efforts to privatize school funding. This session will look at what went into that victory and what it means for effective organizing and advocacy in our state. And it will look at priorities and plans to rededicate Kentucky to reinvestment in our public schools. Guest speakers include Kelsey Hayes Coots, campaign manager for Protect Our Schools KY and the Kentucky Student Voice Team.
Location: The Barn
1:40 p.m. Break
1:50 p.m. Breakout Sessions
The True Cost of Fines & Fees in Kentucky
When an individual becomes involved with the criminal legal system in Kentucky there are fines and fees assessed at nearly every step of the process. Excessive fines and fees drive up incarceration and perpetuate poverty, and failure to pay carries steep consequences. However, little is known at both the state and local levels about the true cost of these fines and fees in Kentucky. This session will feature national experts as well as KyPolicy’s foundational state and local research on the scope and extent of criminal legal system fines and fees, and policies to address them.
Location: The Barn
Safeguarding Kentucky’s Strongest Tool Against Hunger
Food is a basic human right, but year after year the Kentucky General Assembly has faced proposals to take food away from tens of thousands of Kentuckians who are already struggling to make ends meet. In this session, we will hear from advocates in Kentucky and neighboring states who have faced and defeated similar efforts to dismantle our strongest tool against hunger, SNAP.
Location: The Bluegrass Room
3:30 p.m. Adjournment
Social workers are eligible to receive 5.5 Continuing Education Credits for their attendance. Participants will check in during the program with National Association of Social Workers Kentucky chapter Executive Director, Brenda Rosen. For more information please message Brenda Rosen: brosen.naswky@socialworkers.org.
Speakers
Opening Session: Threats and Opportunities in This Moment

Jason Bailey, Executive Director, KyPolicy
Jason Bailey is the founder and Executive Director of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. Jason appears frequently in the media and is a regular speaker to civic organizations on the critical economic and fiscal issues facing the commonwealth. His public service includes appointments to the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform and the Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System Funding Work Group. He has a master’s in public administration with a specialization in public finance from New York University and a bachelor’s degree from Carson-Newman College.
Keynote Panel: Amendment 2 and the Future of Public Education in Kentucky

Kelsey Hayes Coots, Campaign Manager, Protect Our Schools KY
Kelsey grew up in a family and tight knit community that taught her the importance of service – to others and to a cause bigger than herself. Since then, she has pursued a mission to take on inequity and fight for a better world. First, as a teacher leader in Houston, then as an award winning teacher in Louisville. Starting in 2014, her mission took her into politics where she had an immediate impact – helping bring in a record haul of fundraising dollars as the Kentucky House Democratic caucus defended its majority.
Since then she was a leader in the teacher’s movement in Kentucky, worked with multiple candidates at the State and Federal level, and has guided new organizations all while successfully developing and executing innovative strategies in digital and political organizing, and finance. She even ran for office herself.
In 2018, she co-founded Blue Dot Consulting to further expand the mission and help like-minded candidates, caucuses and causes pursue a better world. The results speak for themselves.
Kelsey’s mantra is, “Kentucky is worth fighting for.” And that’s just what she is going to do.
Kelsey lives in Louisville, KY with her husband, Taylor, their dog, Miss Charles Barkley, and their new baby, Avery.

Will Powers, Policy and Public Engagement Coordinator, Kentucky Student Voice Team
Will is a graduate of Occidental College with a B.A. in Diplomacy and World affairs and an Obama scholar. Will has previously worked for the Brookings Institution, Blue Haven Initiative, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Seek Common Ground
Progress and Possibilities in Kentucky’s Juvenile Justice System

Rachel Bingham, Program and Policy Expert in Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, and the Judiciary
For over 28 years, Rachel Bingham has been powerful state and a national voice around child welfare, juvenile justice, and judicial system efforts to improve outcomes for children and families. Mrs. Bingham was directly involved with 2012 Task Force on the Unified Juvenile Code around SB 200 policy development and, in 2014, was responsible for the effective implementation of the statutory requirements impacting the Kentucky Court Designated Worker Program as well as the statewide judges, clerks, and partnering agencies.
In August of 2024, Mrs. Bingham retired from the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts as the director of the Office of Statewide Programs which includes Family and Juvenile Services, Pretrial Services, and Specialty Courts. Currently, Mrs. Bingham is a consultant with The National Center for State Courts as well as The Messenger, LLC (focusing on racial equity, policy review, and practice transformation). She works directly with state leaders and stakeholders to identify, develop, and/or implement effective child welfare, juvenile justice, and/or judicial initiatives.
In addition, Mrs. Bingham is an executive board member of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice which consists of juvenile justice experts from across the country. She is also a member of the National Juvenile Justice Reform and State Courts’ Initiative Steering Committee, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges’ Curriculum Development and Diversity Committee, OJJDP’s Juvenile Justice System Reform Roundtable, and the National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts’ Response to Mental Illness.
Some of Mrs. Bingham’s notable achievements include:
- Publication: Palmer Sr., Edward L. & Bingham, Rachel (2021). “Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game: The Importance of Systemic Change to Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities.” Juvenile Justice Update, Spring 2021, 7-14
- Publication: Kentucky Court of Justices’ A Guide for Identifying, Addressing and Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities.www.kycourts.gov, 2020
- Presenter at the 2018 Janet Reno Forum: Transforming Juvenile Justice Systems Conference at Georgetown University and the Future of Children Conference- Multisystem Approaches to Help Keep Children Out of the Justice System at Princeton University
- 2018 Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities Certificate Program Fellow through McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University
- Recipient of the Kentucky Supreme Court of Justice’s 2023 Justice Williams E. McAnulty Jr. Award- named after the first African American Supreme Court Justice in the state of Kentucky
2023 Bluegrass Black PRIDE, Inc.’s Ally Award

Pastor Edward L. Palmer Sr.
Pastor Edward L. Palmer Sr. is a co-pastor with his wife Elizabeth Palmer for The Sign of the Dove Church International located in Radcliff, Kentucky. He is a Certified Diversity Trainer and works to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities within the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. He most recently became a certified Racial and Ethnic Disparities Capstone Project Fellow through the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University. He chairs the State Inner-Agency Council’s Diversity Standing Committee, vice-chair of the National Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) and is a board member for Kentucky Youth Advocates, the Hardin County Health Department and Hardin County Habitat for Humanity. Pastor Palmer is currently serving his fifth term as a Radcliff City Councilman. His recent awards include, the 2017 Kentucky Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award, and the Courage for Kids Award from Kentucky Youth Advocates, and the 2018 System of Care Champion Award. Pastor Palmer operates with unyielding passion.
2024 Coalition for Juvenile Justice’s A.L. Carlisle Award
2024 Omicron Nu Lambda Education Foundation’s Thurgood Marshall Social Justice Impact Award
2024 Kentucky Court of Justice’s Racial Equity Visionary Award

Former State Sen. Whitney Westerfield
Whitney Westerfield is a lifelong resident and active community member in Christian County, Kentucky. He represented Christian, Logan, and Todd counties and served as chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Judiciary since his election in 2012 till he left his seat in 2024.
He has recently accepted the role as Director of Legal and Govenerment Affairs at LifeSkills, Inc.
Whitney’s record of public service is grounded in conservative values and his belief that stubborn challenges must be met with bold solutions. He has been recognized for his work on some of the legislature’s biggest, bipartisan compromises including a bill to address the treatment of heroin addiction and to make harsher penalties for drug trafficking, to expand protections for victims of dating violence, and to make it a hate crime to attack a police officer or first responder. In 2014, Whitney sponsored Senate Bill 200 which brought about the largest reform to Kentucky’s juvenile justice system in 30 years. The legislation received national attention by aiming to get youth and their families the services they need to get back on track, instead of back in jail.
Senator Westerfield serves on the Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee; Agriculture Committee; Capital Planning Advisory Board; Natural Resources and Energy Committee; Child Welfare Oversight and Advisory Committee; Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee; Program Review and Investigations Committee; Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary; Juvenile Justice Oversight Council (Co-Chair); and Senate Standing Committee on Judiciary (Chair).
Through his private law practice, he works with clients in Western Kentucky and has over 5 years of prior experience serving as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney. Whitney has been a member of the Kentucky Bar since 2006 and the Tennessee Bar since 2012.
Whitney owns a small row crop farm in Western Kentucky with his five brothers. He also operates a commercial drone photography/videography company serving clients across the Commonwealth and Tennessee.

Pam Thomas, Senior Fellow, KyPolicy
Pam Thomas is Senior Fellow at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. She joined the staff in January 2017 after a long career in state government. Prior to joining KyPolicy, Pam was the Committee Staff Administrator for the Appropriations and Revenue Committee of the Kentucky General Assembly. Pam has extensive experience in the areas of tax policy, budgeting, education finance and workforce policy. Pam also spent some time with the state Justice Cabinet, with a focus on juvenile justice, policy development, budgeting and strategic planning. Pam has a law degree from the University of Kentucky, and a BS in business from St. Bonaventure University in New York. Pam lives in Midway with her husband and enjoys spending time with family, traveling and riding bicycles.
Unaffordable Housing in Kentucky

Adrienne Bush, Executive Director, Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky
Adrienne Bush is the executive director at the Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky. She has worked in affordable housing, community development and homeless service programs. She supports the mission of eliminating the threat of homelessness and increasing affordable housing in Kentucky through policy advocacy, a statewide AmeriCorps and VISTA program and direct rental assistance to people who have experienced homelessness. Bush holds a Master of Public Administration from Eastern Kentucky University.

Sharon Cornelissen, Director of Housing, Consumer Federation of America
Sharon Cornelissen is the Director of Housing for the Consumer Federation of America, where she advocates on behalf of American consumers for fair, affordable housing and equitable mortgage lending.
She brings over a decade of experience as a housing researcher, who is passionate about promoting affordability and racial equity in homeownership. Prior to CFA, she worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, where she published research briefs and advocated to address contemporary housing discrimination in Massachusetts. During her Ph.D. in Sociology from Princeton University, she lived in Detroit and first-hand observed the challenges of homeowners amidst neighborhood decline. She also gained expertise as a tax foreclosure prevention activist in Detroit and interned at the Detroit Land Bank Authority.
Her work has been featured in local and national media and is published in academic journals. Drawing on three years while she lived and became a homeowner in one of Detroit’s most disinvested neighborhoods, she has a book forthcoming about everyday life in depopulated cities.

Wendy Smith, Deputy Executive Director of Housing Programs, Kentucky Housing Corporation
As the executive director of housing programs at KHC, Wendy Smith leads statewide affordable housing efforts, including home development for first-time homebuyers, homelessness response systems, rental assistance for low-income Kentuckians, and asset management for multifamily properties. She has been instrumental in KHC’s pandemic programs and disaster housing recovery efforts. She has led KHC initiatives around strategic business planning, multifamily preservation, asset management, and multifamily policy development. Before joining KHC, Wendy worked as a freelance housing and community development consultant with a focus on Housing and Urban Development (HUD) technical assistance and training. She has authored national guides for HUD and NeighborWorks America and has developed project feasibility and underwriting templates for nonprofits and municipalities in many states. Wendy was executive director for a Dayton, Ohio, community development corporation and worked as a neighborhood community organizer in Cincinnati. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Miami University and a master’s in community planning from the University of Cincinnati.

Dan Wu, Vice Mayor, Lexington
At-Large Council Member and Vice Mayor Dan Wu was first elected to office in November of 2022. Born in China, Dan came to the United States as a child, first to Fargo, North Dakota, then settled with his family in Lexington. A graduate of Henry Clay High School and the University of Kentucky, Dan has been a jack of all trades, having worked in journalism, retail, hospitality and other fields. He was the owner and operator of Atomic Ramen, a restaurant with multiple locations in Lexington.
A former board member of LexArts, The Human Rights Commission, Local First Lexington, KY Equal Justice Center, and CivicLex, Dan has been very active in the community, working on issues ranging from food insecurity to immigrant and refugee rights. He created both the “I Am A Kentuckian” and “Immigrants and Refugees Belong Here” campaigns. Dan is a co-founder of Get HAAPI, a grassroots group that creates arts and cultural events to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Dan is married to Lauren, a high school teacher of kids with moderate to severe disabilities and an LGBTQ+ advocate, father to Lin and Lilly, and a trio of felines Cake, Talulah Mae and Tammy Faye. In his spare time, Dan loves pickleball, jigsaw puzzles, binging bad sci-fi shows, and cooking for his family. His kryptonite is unusually flavored potato chips.
The True Cost of Fines & Fees in Kentucky

Amanda Hall, Senior Director of National Campaigns, Dream.org
As the Senior Director of National Campaigns, Amanda Hall leads strategic efforts to shape national drug policy within expansive coalitions and advocates for the voices of those directly impacted. Amanda brings extensive expertise and a passionate commitment to her work at Dream.org. Within the organization, she focuses on coordinating and driving national campaigns aimed at transforming the justice system. Collaborating closely with teams, Amanda provides leadership and guidance in executing nationwide initiatives. Her primary objective is to empower directly impacted leaders within the Dream.org network, ensuring they have access to the necessary resources, support, and knowledge to drive meaningful change on a national scale. Prior to her contributions at Dream.org, Amanda was a Policy Strategist at the ACLU of Kentucky, where she emerged as a prominent figure leading the Kentucky Smart on Crime coalition. The Smart on Crime coalition is a broad coalition that works together to advance common-sense justice reforms that enhance public safety, empower communities, and champion cost-effective sentencing alternatives. Amanda is also the co-founder of the ACLU of Kentucky Smart Justice Advocates. The first of its kind advocacy group, consisting of directly impacted Kentuckians, who work on state and local criminal legal systems issues. Through tireless coalition building, impassioned advocacy, and a steadfast commitment to amplifying the voices of those directly impacted, Amanda played a pivotal role in propelling substantial bipartisan reforms in Kentucky.. Equipped with a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Louisville, Amanda combines her academic training with personal experiences within the criminal legal system. Driven by a profound sense of purpose, she tirelessly endeavors to dismantle mass incarceration and cultivate a more just and equitable world for all.

Patience Martin, State Policy Fellow, KyPolicy
Patience, a Kentucky transplant from East Tennessee, joined the KyPolicy team in the summer of 2024 as the State Tax and Budget Policy Fellow. After receiving her BA in Sociology from Berea College, she became interested in public policy and advocacy, especially within Appalachia. Alongside her work’s focus on Kentucky tax and budget policies, she has been researching criminal legal system issues, including jail and prison fees.

Michael Mitchell, Lead Researcher, State Fiscal Policy, CBPP
Michael Mitchell is a Lead Researcher on the State Fiscal Policy team. He worked at the Center for nearly eight years from 2013 to 2021 before leaving to serve as the Director of Policy and Research with the Groundwork Collaborative, an economic policy think tank. During his first stint with the Center, Mitchell worked as a Senior Policy Analyst with the State Fiscal Policy team, focusing on higher education, youth justice reform, and the linkages between state tax policy and white supremacy. He also served as the Program Director of the Center’s State Policy Fellowship and was the organization’s first Senior Director for Equity and Inclusion.
Mitchell graduated from the University of Connecticut with degrees in Economics and Political science and holds an MPA from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Scott West, Retired Deputy Public Advocate, Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy
B. Scott West recently retired as the Deputy Public Advocate for the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy in Frankfort, Kentucky; prior to that, Scott was the General Counsel for the agency from 2011 through October, 2017. He has been the Bluegrass Regional Manager in the Richmond Field Office, Directing Attorney for the Murray Field Office, and a staff attorney in the Hazard Field Office. He is the recipient of the 2017 Kentucky Bar Association’s Thomas B. Spain CLE Award (which he received for his presentations for the Kentucky Law Update), the 2015 KBA Bruce K. Davis Bar Service Award, the 2014 Kentucky Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Frank E. Haddad, Jr. Award, and 2011 DPA Gideon Award, 2011. He is a member of the KBA Ethics Committee and is a former President of the KACDL. Prior to joining DPA in 1999, Scott was an attorney and a senior attorney at Texaco Inc. in Houston, Texas, from 1988 through 1998, where he was involved in both corporate litigation and general corporate work. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky Law School (1988), and Vanderbilt University (1985). He is married to Beverley (a social worker). They live in Richmond.

Ashley Spalding, Research Director, KyPolicy
Ashley Spalding is Research Director at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. She joined the staff in October 2011. Ashley has conducted research on social and economic policies affecting low-income families for over 15 years. Her doctoral and postdoctoral research projects at the University of South Florida focused on low-income housing and education, respectively. Ashley holds a PhD in Applied Anthropology from the University of South Florida, an MA in Anthropology from the University of South Carolina and a BA in English from Samford University. She was named one of the 2019 Notable Women in Kentucky Politics and Government by The Kentucky Gazette. Ashley is a Kentucky native.
Safeguarding Kentucky’s Strongest Tool Against Hunger

Rachel Cahill, SNAP Policy and Advocacy Consultant
Rachel Cahill is a long-time anti-hunger policy advocate based in Ohio who launched Rachel Cahill Consulting, LLC in January 2017. As Principal Consultant, Rachel works closely with partner organizations to design and implement high-impact projects that increase SNAP advocacy capacity across the country. Rachel especially loves coaching and training emerging SNAP policy advocates and helping local coalitions defend and strengthen SNAP during state legislative sessions.
As the nation’s most critical anti-hunger program, Rachel is committed to making SNAP the strongest, most accessible, and most equitable program it can be in every community.

Hope Lane-Gavin, Director of Nutrition Policy and Programs, Ohio Association of Foodbanks
Hope Lane-Gavin is the Director of Nutrition Policy and Programs with the Ohio Association of Foodbanks where she focuses on strengthening access to public assistance programs aimed at eliminating food insecurity and improving public health. Prior to this role, Hope served as the Health Equity Fellow with The Center for Community Solutions where she led their maternal health, racism as a public health crisis and nutrition access portfolios statewide. Hope also has extensive legislative experience having both worked for the Ohio General Assembly as both a staffer and lobbyist. Hope is a graduate of both Kent State University and The George Washington University and currently resides right outside of Columbus, in Grove City with her yellow Labrador, Ella-Barker and her husband Mark. When she is not tending to the vegetables in her garden or at one of the amazing MetroParks central Ohio has to offer you can find her watching whatever sport is on TV, reading or cooking! Go BUCKS!

Melissa McDonald, Executive Director, Feeding Kentucky
Melissa comes to Feeding Kentucky with two decades of working in the public health and human services sector. Her career embodies a commitment to advocating and improving health and wellness for all people. She most recently led all fundraising efforts for Brighter Bites, a national non-profit providing children and families with nutrition education and fresh fruits and vegetables. Melissa also worked for many years with The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a national nonprofit working with schools, youth-serving organizations, businesses, and communities to empower kids to develop lifelong healthy habits, including serving as the Kentucky program lead providing technical assistance to school nutrition leaders, physical educators, and community organizations.

Jessica Klein, Policy Associate, KyPolicy
Jessica Klein joined the staff in September 2019 and focuses on policy issues related to health, food and nutrition. Jessica previously worked on policy and innovation initiatives related to food systems and built environment for the Center for Health Equity in the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness. She has a Master’s in Public Health from New York University and a BA in Psychology and Art from Bellarmine University. In her free time, Jessica enjoys biking around her neighborhood and visiting art galleries.
Legislature 101

Pam Thomas, Senior Fellow, KyPolicy
Pam Thomas is Senior Fellow at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. She joined the staff in January 2017 after a long career in state government. Prior to joining KyPolicy, Pam was the Committee Staff Administrator for the Appropriations and Revenue Committee of the Kentucky General Assembly. Pam has extensive experience in the areas of tax policy, budgeting, education finance and workforce policy. Pam also spent some time with the state Justice Cabinet, with a focus on juvenile justice, policy development, budgeting and strategic planning. Pam has a law degree from the University of Kentucky, and a BS in business from St. Bonaventure University in New York. Pam lives in Midway with her husband and enjoys spending time with family, traveling and riding bicycles.