The Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship Board of Directors
gathers at the historic Henry Clay Law Office
for the Board's Inaugural Meeting on July 5, 2007

(pictured, left to right in front row: Tracy Farmer, John R. Hall, Mindy Shannon Phelps, D.G. Van Clief, Jr., Mira Ball, William Farish, Jr., John Carroll;
left to right in back row: Dr. D. Kay Clawson, Robert N. Clay, Bill Giles, Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh) (Board Members not pictured: Alex Boone, Phyllis George, Ann Hagan-Michel, Dr. Charles Shearer)

Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship Board of Directors and Staff

Mr. Robert N. Clay, Board Co-Chairman

Robert Clay is the owner of Three Chimneys Farm, home of Kentucky Derby Winner Smarty Jones. He is a Founding Director of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and is Vice-Chairman of the Breeders' Cup. He is a Director of PNC Bank, was founding Chairman of Bluegrass Tomorrow and the Bluegrass Conservancy and serves numerous other community and educational endeavors.

Mr. William Hudson Giles, Board Co-Chairman and Treasurer

Bill Giles is the Executive Creative Director of Chappelle Ciafardini Advertising Associates, a Cincinnati based advertising agency that serves Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee for Toyota. Prior to joining CCAA in 2003, Bill worked for over 30 years in New York City, Los Angeles and Detroit as Creative Director for some of America's leading advertising agencies, including Wells Rich Green, BBDO and Grey. His work for international clients such as American Express, Proctor & Gamble, Humana, Revlon, Adidas, Chrysler and Jeep has won every major industry award for creative excellence, including the One Show, Clios, Caddys and The Cannes Festival.

Mr. D.G. Van Clief, Jr., Board President

D. G. Van Clief is a Founder of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and is the former President of Breeders' Cup Ltd., the development of which he has fostered since its inception in 1982. D. G.'s support for Thoroughbred Racing is widely regarded and appreciated. He is the recipient of numerous Thoroughbred industry recognitions including the Eclipse Award of Merit, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Service Award and the Inaugural Jockey Club Medal.

Mindy Shannon Phelps, Board Secretary and HCCS Executive Director

Since her retirement from broadcast journalism in 1992, Mindy Shannon Phelps has worked primarily in the non-profit sector. In 1996, she developed Phelps Communications, whose clients have included the U.S. Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Habitat for Humanity International, for which she served as Project Coordinator for the 2001 World Leaders Build and the 1997 Jimmy Carter Work Project. Her work with numerous non-profit agencies has taken her around the world on behalf of people in need.

Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh

Carey Cavanaugh is Director of the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. Earlier, he was a career Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, serving in Washington, Berlin, Moscow, Tbilisi, Rome and Bern. Under Presidents Clinton and Bush, he spearheaded and helped advance peace efforts involving Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Tajikistan and Turkey. He was confirmed in 2000 by the U.S. Senate as Ambassador/Special Negotiator responsible for conflicts in Eurasia.

Mrs. Mira Ball

Mira Ball is the Chief Financial Officer of Ball Homes and Donamire Farm, a horse farm and vineyard owned by Mira and her husband, Don Ball. Her many charitable and community activities range from serving as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Kentucky and as a Trustee of Midway College to the Board of Directors of The Blue Grass Community Foundation.

Mr. Alex Boone

Alex Boone is the owner of Sterling Ventures, a mining company based in Lexington. The Boone Family owns Wimbledon Farm in Lexington and is at the forefront of numerous charitable, educational and civic endeavors.

Mr. John S. Carroll

John Carroll has edited three newspapers: the Los Angeles Times (2000-2005), the Baltimore Sun (1991-2000), and the Lexington Herald-Leader (1979-1991). In 2006 he served as Knight Visiting Lecturer at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He first became a reporter at the Providence Journal-Bulletin. At the Baltimore Sun, he was posted to Vietnam, the Middle East and Washington. In the 1970's, he was Metropolitan Editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard and had a similar fellowship at Oxford. He served on the Pulitzer Prize Board (1994-2003) and was its chairman in 2002. He has received several individual awards, and the L.A. Times won 13 Pulitzer Prizes during his tenure. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. D. Kay Clawson

Dr. Kay Clawson, President of the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation, came to Lexington, KY from Seattle, WA, where he was the Founding Chairman of the Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at the University of Washington College of Medicine. As Dean of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, he organized the restructuring of the Physicians Practice Plan and the development of the Sanders Brown Center on Aging, the Markey Cancer Center and the Kentucky Clinic. The medical building on Limestone was named The D. Kay Clawson Pavilion in 2002. Dr. Clawson has served as president or chairman of four national orthopedic and medical education organizations, as well as Executive Vice Chancellor of the University of Kansas Medical Center. He is the author of over 100 books and scientific publications.

Mr. William S. Farish, Jr.

Bill Farish, of Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky, is the Executive VP/Director of W.S. Farish & Co., a Houston- based investment management company; Vice President and Board Member of The Gasparilla Inn of Boca Grande, Florida; Founder and Managing Member of Woodford Racing, LLC, a 48-horse racing stable; and is active in many charitable and thoroughbred industry endeavors and organizations, including serving as Board Chairman of Breeders' Cup Ltd.

Mr. Tracy Farmer

Tracy Farmer is the owner of Shadowlawn Farm and several automobile dealerships. He is involved in banking, commercial real estate development and building management. In 2000, he provided a $2 million gift to the University of Kentucky to establish the UK Center for the Environment.

Ms. Phyllis George

Phyllis George, who was named one of the “50 Greatest Women in Radio and Television,” has had many “firsts” in her career. She was 50th Miss America and the first to receive a gold crown, the first co-host of “Candid Camera,” the first network female sportscaster on the NFL Today show, the First Lady of Chicken (founder and owner of “Chicken by George”) and the First Lady of Kentucky. An author, her latest book is Never Say Never: 10 Lessons to Turn You Can't Into Yes I Can. Her humanitarian efforts stretch far and wide. She is the founder of the Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft in Louisville. She has worked with Save the Children for nearly three decades, sponsoring several children from Appalachia. Recently, she received the prestigious Rita Hayworth Alzheimer’s Award for her commitment to the cause at the annual gala in New York. The event raised a record-breaking $3.2 million to help prevent and cure Alzheimer’s.

Mr. John R. Hall

John Hall is the Former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Ashland Oil, Incorporated. He retired in 1996. He served as the first Chairman of Arch Coal Company and retired from that position in December 1998. After reaching the mandatory retirement age for Bank One Corporation, CSX Corporation and Humana Inc., he went off those boards; however, he continues to serve on the Board of Directors of GrafTech International Ltd. and United States Enrichment Corporation. He is Past President of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trustees and serves on the Board of Curators of Transylvania University. He has received honorary degrees from the University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky State, Marshall, Morehead State, Northern Kentucky, and Transylvania Universities. He is Chairman of the Commonwealth Fund for Kentucky Educational Television , Chairman of the Blue Grass Community Foundation, Past President of the Markey Cancer Foundation, and Past Chairman of Leadership Kentucky. He is an Honorary Director of the American Petroleum Institute, Past Chairman of the National Petroleum Refiners Association, and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Mr. Hall served as Kentucky State Chairman for the United States Olympic Committee from 1991 to 1996.

Dr. Charles L. Shearer

Dr. Charles Shearer has served as the 24th president of Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky since July 1983. Under his leadership, enrollment has increased from 655 to more than 1153 students, the endowment has grown from $17.8 million to $145 million, and more than $22 million has been spent on new facilities.

Ms. Ann Hagan-Michel

Ann Hagan-Michel is the Executive Director of the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation, which owns and operates Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate. Her enthusiasm for the values and principles of Henry Clay has confirmed the estate's reputation as a nationally-recognized historic landmark. Under her direction, programs and activities at Ashland have helped transform the property into one of the top destinations for tourists and historians alike.