As chief operating officer of LG&E and KU, Lonnie Bellar is responsible for ensuring the company provides safe, affordable and reliable natural gas, electricity and customer service to 1.3 million customers in Kentucky and Virginia. Bellar became COO in March 2018 after climbing through the ranks of the electric and natural gas utility industry for more than 30 years.
When David Shippy graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, he followed in the footsteps of his father and UK College of Engineering faculty member Dr. David Shippy. While at UK, the younger Shippy held membership in Eta Kappa Nu, the electrical engineering honor society, and frequently made the Dean’s list. Shippy says his engineering education at UK laid a strong foundation in engineering for his master’s program at Syracuse University and, later, a 30- year career as a computer engineer.
Asghar (Oscar) Nosrati immigrated to the United States from Iran in January 1974—right after high school—with an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to succeed. He initially took classes at the University of Louisville and Eastern Kentucky University before completing his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Kentucky. Believing a graduate degree would give him a competitive edge in the job market, Nosrati conducted research and authored academic papers on coal slurry pipelines while earning a master’s degree in civil engineering in 1982.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) in India, Raj Krishnaswamy wanted to pursue graduate studies that would lead to a career in materials research. He saw that his best opportunity lay with the University of Kentucky College of Engineering.
By keeping his head down and focusing on leveraging his executive talents, Gordon S. “Stonie” Glenn spent over 35 years transforming small but promising businesses into highly profitable, publicly traded companies.
Billie Sue Chafins has spent over 20 years shipping world-class consumer and enterprise software for large consumer technology companies, with over 15 years of experience building and managing teams. A 1997 UK graduate, Chafins views her computer science degree as the passport to many opportunities she would have otherwise never had. Born and raised in Pike County, Kentucky, she grew up seeing few opportunities for women to pursue professional ambitions and her education altered the course of her life.
Born in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Harlen Wheatley has spent nearly his entire life in the Bluegrass State. After relocating and spending much of his youth in Florence, Kentucky, Wheatley attended Northern Kentucky University, where he attained his degree in chemistry. He then migrated to full-time work at a chemical company in central Kentucky while completing a chemical engineering degree at the University of Kentucky.
Malgorzata “Margaret” Marek Sturgill is the daughter of University of Kentucky emeritus professor of computer science Victor Marek; however, her interest in computers arrived independently of her father’s profession. While the Marek family was spending a year in Venezuela, a school-wide strike left 15-year-old Margaret with nearly nothing to do. While at her father’s office, she noticed a computer that was ignored by everyone. Her father handed Margaret manuals for the machine, and she took to it instantly and never looked back.
Until his retirement earlier this year, Richard Simpson was the vice president, global supply chain for GE Gas Power. He has been a part of the General Electric family of businesses since graduating from the University of Kentucky in 1984. During that time, he served in numerous executive and leadership roles with a focus on global supply chain that accelerated his development as an operations leader.
Rickey “R.D.” James is the 12th assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, a post he has held since his appointment in 2018 by former President Donald Trump.
