Mayor Gorton Names UK's Higgins-Hord 6th District Council Member
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 12, 2020) — On Aug. 11, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton named Lisa Higgins-Hord, a University of Kentucky administrator with broad experience working with groups throughout the community, the new Urban County Council member for the 6th District.
Higgins-Hord took the oath of office, administered by Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge Pamela Goodwine.
Higgins-Hord will fill out the term of Angela Evans, who stepped down from the council last month to pursue a graduate degree at Princeton University.
“Lisa is a strong leader, who has considerable experience working with the community as assistant vice president for community engagement at UK,” Gorton said. “With her strengths and background, she can make an enormous contribution right now to our city. We are determined to root out systemic racism. Timing is critical as work continues on the Commission for Racial Justice and Equality, and Lisa can help by finishing Angela’s term.”
David Kloiber, who is running for the 6th District seat without opposition, will be an “excellent council member for the 6th District, but right now timing is critical. We all know, this is not a moment to be wasted,” Gorton said.
“I am honored to accept this opportunity to serve the 6th District,” Higgins-Hord said. “I look forward to being an advocate, and with my experience gained over the last two decades with regard to communities, it will be useful as I navigate with you the issues of the 6th District. I also recognize the City of Lexington is at a crossroads, and we are making a deliberate decision not to be static. We’ve read the books, had the conversations around systemic racism, and now we need results. Therefore, it’s time to take a deep dive into examining the effectiveness of our policies and practices, and then challenging the systems and structures where inequity exists, because nothing will change until we do this. Without the lens focused on these areas, accountability isn't an option.”
Higgins-Hord’s responsibilities at UK have included helping to develop the university’s Strategic Plan, project director for the Civil Rights Hall of Fame Project in partnership with the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, and supervision of the Office of Lifelong Learning unit that offers educational and enrichment courses and events for a diverse community of learners over age 50.
Higgins-Hord serves on a number of community boards. She is a member of the Bank of the Bluegrass Board, the Breaking the Bronze Ceiling Committee, the Carnegie Center for Literacy Board, the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame Committee and the Blue Grass Community Foundation Equity Fund Advisory Committee.
Higgins-Hord holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from UK. She has an adult child.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.