University of Kentucky names Reed 1st Black Chair of Trustee Board

After nearly 140 years, a major barrier at the University of Kentucky (UK) was finally broken when Steve Reed, a 41-year-old lawyer from Louisville, KY, was unanimously elected chairman of the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees. He is the first Black in the history of the school to hold the post.

Reed, board vice chairman since 1999 and a trustee since 1994, succeeds Billy Joe Miles. As the new chairman, Reed promised a vigorous tenure at the state's flagship university. "We aspire for greatness each day, nothing less and nothing else," he said. "We're going to move UK to even greater heights."

Reed plans to focus on university efforts to stimulate statewide economic development and wants to talk with Gov. Paul Patton and legislative leaders about funding for higher education.

UK President Lee Todd called Reed's election "a proud moment for the University of Kentucky." Founded in 1865, the university did not admit Black students until 1949.

A Hart County native, Reed graduated from the UK College of Law in 1986, then clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Edward Johnstone in Paducah, KY. In 1991, he served as deputy counsel under former Gov. Brereton Jones. Two years later, he became assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District.

In 1999, Reed made history with his appointment as Kentucky's first Black U.S. attorney for the Western District. He stepped down from the post when President George Bush was elected. One of two Black members on the UK Board of Trustees, Reed was first appointed by Gov. Jones in 1994 and reappointed by Gov. Paul Patton for a second term that ends in 2006.