Darrell Higginbotham, center, with Daviess County Schools Assistant Superintendent Matt Robbins and Superintendent Owens Saylor after being present the Joseph W. Kelly Award by the Kentucky Board of Education.
Photo by Amy Wallot, June 4, 2014
At its meeting yesterday, the Kentucky Board of Education presented the 14th annual Joseph W. Kelly Award to two business leaders who are actively engaged in making a difference in their local schools. Darrell Higginbotham, president of Independence Bank in Owensboro, and Mark Shirkness, the general manager of General Electric (GE) Appliances Distribution Services in Louisville, were both on hand to receive their awards.
“Kentucky is fortunate to have the involvement of the business community in P-12 public education,” Kentucky Board of Education Chair Roger Marcum said. “The support provided, as evidenced by these two individuals, is invaluable in helping Kentucky reach its educational goals.”
The Kelly Award is given to businesspeople who offer outstanding leadership and service toward promoting school improvement and equitable educational opportunities for all Kentucky children.
In his nomination letter, Daviess County Superintendent Owens Saylor and Assistant Superintendent Matt Robbins wrote of Higginbotham’s involvement as a charter member of the Foundation for Daviess Co. Public Schools, “His vision and contributions have guided the Foundation in attaining and allocating resources to enhance learning opportunities for students and our community. Darrell has worked tirelessly to solicit funds for the many projects sponsored by the Foundation, always with the belief that quality education is the best investment we can make in our children and their future.”
The Foundation serves a vital role in encouraging business and individual support to fund schools’ “wish lists” for the direct benefit of children. In addition, under Higginbotham’s leadership, Independence Bank has partnered with the RiverPark Center, a local performing arts venue, and worked with school Family Resource and Youth Services Centers to provide vouchers to low-income families so they can attend Broadway performances and kid-friendly, educational programming. Higginbotham’s goal is to “enhance educational opportunities in recognition of studies that have demonstrated students with access to arts education tend to achieve higher education levels and performance.”
Higginbotham also:
• has pledged his financial support to ensure the district’s “Leader in Me” Program continues and expands.
• is spearheading a partnership of local public school districts and community partners to improve childhood literacy and kindergarten readiness.
• initiated an annual project in which Independence Bank provides baskets of apples and notes as encouragement to teachers each fall.
• provides funding for several local scholarships and support for community agencies servicing children and families.
In the letter nominating Shirkness, Dave Calzi, chair of the Business Leaders for Education in Louisville, described him as “a tireless supporter of education for several decades.” Shirkness has been actively involved in the Jefferson Co. Public Schools (JCPS).
Kentucky Board of Education Chairman Roger Marcum and Commissioner Terry Holliday present the Joseph W. Kelly Award to Mark Shirkness.
Photo by Amy Wallot, June 4, 2014
“Regardless of his busy work schedule, Mark always makes the time to share his leadership and passion with our community. He has been an avid collaborator who rallied other business leaders behind the JCPS district, interjecting GE volunteers in many areas of the education system to drive support and improvement. He is a strong ambassador for our public schools and our community at-large.”
As part of his work with the Jefferson County Public School Foundation, Shirkness created and secured funding for the Act Now Program, which delivered Advanced Placement (AP) training for all JCPS high school English teachers. He also is active with the JCPS/Ford Next Generation Learning Initiative, which mobilizes educators, employers, and community leaders to create a new generation of young people who will graduate from high school both college- and career-ready. He also has been involved with the Close the Deal program, an initiative that helps build a college-going culture in high schools.
Shirkness also served as the GE Education Volunteers Chair, and has been involved in creating mentoring, externship and test prep programs; advocating for college- and career-readiness and Common Core State Standards, and is a key liaison for developing future grants. Additionally, he is heavily involved with the $35 million GE grant awarded to JCPS, and has helped facilitate some of the sessions at the annual GE Foundation Business Leadership Summit.
“Mark’s volunteerism is exemplary with countless hours dedicated to students and education initiatives,” said JCPS Superintendent Donna Hargens. “He mentors students and provides externships to the public school system which prepare our students for the workforce. Additionally, his contribution as a member of the Ford Next Generation Learning and GE Foundation initiatives has been an excellent resource to our school district.”
The Kelly Award was created in honor of Joseph W. Kelly, a respected businessman and chair of the Kentucky Board of Education from 1991 to 1998. Kelly’s efforts and expertise were crucial to the implementation and nurturing of Kentucky’s school improvement efforts.
Board members Leo Calderon, Jay Parrent and Mary Gwen Wheeler served as the selection committee for the award this year.
Previous Winners of the Joseph W. Kelly Award
2013 Jim Allen, chairman and CEO of Hilliard Lyons
2011 Henry Hunt, chief operating officer for Dataseam
2010 Helen M. Carroll, manager of Community Relations for Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing,
North America, Inc.
2009 Bud Hudson, CEO of the Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center in Richmond
2008 Al Rider, president and CEO of the North Central Education Foundation in Elizabethtown
2007 Ben Cundiff, owner/operator of Cundiff Farms in Cadiz
2006 Henry Vogt Heuser, Jr., CEO and president of Unistar/Vogt in Louisville
2005 Wynn Long Radford III, president and co-owner of Higgins Insurance Agency in Hopkinsville
2004 Ann Yager Hamlin, director of Stith Funeral Home in Danville
2003 State Senator Jimmy Higdon, owner of Higdon’s Foodtown in Lebanon
2002 Frank and Mattie Justice, founders of the Frank and Mattie Justice Charitable Foundation in Pikeville
2001 Billy Harper, president of Harper Industries, Inc., in Paducah
2000 Vince and Valorie Tanner, owners of the Beaver Dam McDonald’s restaurant
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