Professional News

Three Nominees Campaign for Staff Trustee Post

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 29, 2010) – Three University of Kentucky employees have qualified as candidates in the election of the 2010-2013 staff representative to the Board of Trustees. This year’s candidates are Mike Adams, Jann Burks and Sheila Brothers, all current or former senators of UK’s Staff Senate.

Michael Adams, currently the vice chair of the Staff Senate, started at UK in 1995 as a returning student. As a student he became a teaching assistant in the Department of Biology, which led to a full-time position as a laboratory technician in 1998. He currently serves as the facilities coordinator for the Department of Biology. He has been married for 14 years to Ruth Adams; he has two sons and a stepdaughter, who is currently a senior at UK. In his first year of full-time employment, he joined the College of Arts and Sciences staff council, which fueled his interest in groups that address staff needs. He is a current staff senator.

Sheila Brothers has been employed by UK for over 15 years. She began her UK career in Communications and Network Systems, as a telephone operator. She took a position in 2000 in Internal Medicine, and it was during the years of this tenure that she served in the Staff Senate. Brothers is now employed in the Office of the Senate Council, where responsibilities include coordinating many aspects of governance at the faculty level. Brothers has been married to her husband David for 11 years, and they have two children, Samantha and David, Jr. They live on a small farm in Bourbon County.

Jann Burks has been at UK for 19 years and has worked in the College of Dentistry, the Division of Student Affairs and currently, in the College of Agriculture Extension Service as a 4-H youth development specialist. Previously, Burks, who has a master's degree in counseling, worked in Fayette County public and private education areas. She holds positions of leadership on several boards, the Kentucky Girls STEM Collaborative Leadership Team, Kentucky 4-H Agent Association, 4-H in Science, Engineering and Technology, Joint Council of Extension Professionals, and Southern Region Cooperative Extension Curriculum Education. Currently, she is serving a fourth term as a Staff Senate officer. 

The Staff Senate will host an open forum during its regularly scheduled April 8, meeting. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. in the William T. Young Library auditorium. During the forum, the candidates will debate various issues and present their platforms. Another open forum is slated 1:30-3:30 p.m. April 13, in the Worsham Theatre of the Student Center. Visit the Staff Senate Web site for an additional forum to be scheduled at a later date in the UK Medical Center.

Primary voting begins April 21 and ends May 5. The general election begins May 19, Staff Appreciation Day, and ends June 2. Employees can vote on the Staff Senate Web site at http://www.uky.edu/Staff/Senate/.

For more information regarding the Board of Trustees election or the Staff Senate, visit the Staff Senate Website.

Important dates to remember during the staff trustee election are:

March 29: Campaigning begins

April 8: Open forum for all candidates during Staff Senate meeting

April 12-16: Open forums in UK Medical Center and Worsham Theatre

April 21: Primary election begins

May 5: Primary election ends

May 10: Primary election results announced

May 13: General election debate during Staff Senate meeting

May 19: General election begins

June 2: General election ends

June 7: General election results announced