About us

Joe McDaniel is the Acting Controller of the Commonwealth of Kentucky after the retirement of Edgar Ross.

As Acting Controller, Joe provides oversight and financial expertise for statewide fiscal control, accounting policy and administration, transaction processing, data security, and reporting in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) as promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).

Joe is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), an active member of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers, and Treasurers (NASACT), and a prior board member for the Central Kentucky Chapter of the Association of Government Accountants (AGA).

Joe is a native of Powell County, Kentucky, and graduate of Morehead State University. He currently resides with his wife, Beth, in Franklin County.

Holly M. Johnson was appointed as Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet on December 6, 2019 with her tenure to begin December 10. Secretary Johnson most recently led administrative services in the attorney general’s office. She also has worked for several state cabinets and was a member of the Alcohol Beverage Control Board.

As Secretary, Ms. Johnson serves as the chief financial officer and manager of the financial resources of the Commonwealth. The Cabinet includes the Commonwealth Office of Technology, the Department of Revenue, and the offices of the State Controller, Financial Management and Procurement as well as the Department of Facilities. Additionally, the Finance Cabinet Secretary serves on a multitude of boards and commissions, addressing such issues as state investments, affordable housing, student loans, economic development, environmental issues, workforce development, technology and information services, debt issuance, and major transportation infrastructure.

Jim Henderson is the Executive Director/CEO of the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo). Created in 1974 as an association for county government advocacy, KACo has grown into a multi-faceted organization offering insurance, financial services, education, research and technical assistance to Kentucky’s 120 counties. While remaining focused on its core mission to serve as the voice for counties, KACo continues to look for new ways to serve the needs of its members.

Prior to joining KACo, Henderson was elected to five terms as Simpson County Judge/Executive. Elected in 1998, at age 28, he was also the first Republican to be elected to the post in the county's history. During his time as Judge, Henderson rose among the ranks, serving in various roles with regional and statewide boards and commissions.

Elected by his peers from across the Commonwealth, he served as 2016 President of KACo. He was a member of KACo’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors, and filled the role of Legislative Committee Chairman during the 2016 Legislative Session. He was 2014 President of the Kentucky County Judge/Executive Association (KCJEA) and was a member of its Executive Board and legislative committee.

Henderson is a past president of the Barren River Area Development District, which is comprised of the judge/executives, mayors and citizen representatives from the 10-county region. Henderson was also board treasurer of the Community Action Agency of Southern Kentucky and was a board member and past chairman of the Barren River District Health Board, which oversees eight area public health departments. As a founding member, Henderson also served as chairman of the South Central Kentucky Drug Task Force Board of Directors.

Recommended by Sen. Mitch McConnell, in 2012 Henderson received a Presidential appointment to the Truman Scholarship Foundation Board of Trustees, serving for five years. In 2013, Henderson was selected for the Board of Directors of Citizens First Bank, a regional bank in southcentral Kentucky. He left that post in 2017 after coming to work with KACo.

A lifelong Simpson County resident, Henderson is 1992 graduate of Western Kentucky University. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Karen. Jim and Karen have three adult children. The Hendersons live on their small beef cattle farm in east Simpson County.

Mark H Metcalf serves as Kentucky's 39th State Treasurer. Prior to his election as Treasurer, he practiced law for 38 years as a private practitioner, state and federal prosecutor, and as a judge on the US Immigration Court in Miami, Florida. He was selected Kentucky's Outstanding County Attorney in 2013 for his work as a special prosecutor and for one of the highest DUI conviction rates in the state. Treasurer Metcalf has twice represented Kentucky before the US Supreme Court as Special Assistant Attorney General of Kentucky. In civilian life, he served as Garrard County Attorney in Lancaster, Kentucky, a post to which he was elected six-times.

Treasurer Metcalf is a veteran of Iraq and served 29 years in the Kentucky Army National Guard, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2020. While posted to Baghdad, he served as Garrison Command Judge-Advocate at Victory Base Complex and on special assignments represented the 25th Infantry Division and the 2d Brigade of the 82d Airborne Division. His unit, the 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, coordinated the removal of American and foreign personnel, weapons, and equipment from Victory Base and closed American combat operations throughout Iraq. Treasurer Metcalf has-twice-received-the-Army Meritorious Service Medal.

Treasurer Metcalf is widely published and quoted by media outlets across the U.S., including the Miami Herald, Washington Post, Des Moines Register, Washington Times, Heritage Foundation, and National Public Radio. His book Built to Fail: Deception and Disorder in America's Immigration Courts was published by the Center for Immigration Studies in 2011. His most recent monograph, Courting Disaster, was also published by the Center in 2017. He has appeared twice at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, to discuss immigration courts, asylum fraud, and national security issues and has testified before Congress three times on immigration matters. He is a frequent guest on KTRH morning radio in Houston, Texas.

Treasurer Metcalf is a native of Garrard County, Kentucky, and lives in his hometown of Lancaster. He is married to the former- Julie Ann Catchen of Mt. Sterling. Both are graduates of the University of Kentucky.

Mary Elizabeth has worked in State Government, specifically Human Resources, for over 25 years. Throughout her career, she has served on numerous committees and is a member of the National Association for State Personnel Executives, CSG South-Staff Alliance for Intergovernmental Leadership, and Society for Human Resource Management. In her current role, Secretary Bailey provides executive policy and management support to the Cabinet's departments, offices, and divisions; promulgates administrative regulations; advises the Personnel Board and all agencies in the Executive Branch on matters pertaining to the classified service.

In her previous role as the Commissioner of the Department of  Human Resource Administration, she oversaw the administration of the Commonwealth's employment application process, state payroll functions, personnel administration for all branches of government, official personnel records for state employees, the state Classification and Compensation system, the Executive Branch Performance Management Program, and state government's organizational structure.  During her career, she led the largest human resource transformation in over thirty years with the implementation of the Kentucky Human Resource Information System including streamlining and modernizing the personnel administration process, hiring within the Executive Branch, and enhancing recruitment to ensure the commonwealth remains the employer of choice.

Bruce Dudley is a partner with the law firm of Wyatt Tarrant & Combs LLP, having practiced there for the past 22 years.

Bruce graduated from University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law in 1980. Following graduation, he practiced law for several years prior to joining First Kentucky Trust Company, where he worked in the trust and investment management business for 12 years. Bruce was elected a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel in 2003.

Bruce resides in Louisville. He is married to Joan, and they have three grown children. 

Kevin was appointed by Governor Andy Beshear in February 2025 to a 4-year term as a Board Member of Kentucky Deferred Compensation Authority. He brings a diverse background and perspective to the role. He was educated at Harvard University (BA), Boston College Law School (JD), and The London School of Economics (M.Sc.). He grew up near Boston, MA, and has had the opportunity to live in 6 countries on 3 continents, and to visit all 50 states, over 80 countries, and 6 continents.

Kevin is a CFP® and was in the financial services industry for over 20 years until 2023, advising high net worth clients. He worked for Merrill Lynch for 5 years as a Retirement Planning Specialist and Financial Advisor, for Fifth Third Wealth Planning and Trust Department for 3 years as a Wealth Planner, and for ARGI Financial for 13 years as a Financial Advisor. He also played a key business development role at ARGI that grew from $10 million annual revenue to one of the top 10 Registered Investment Advisors in the country after they merged with Cerity Partners in January 2023.

He has also served in key positions as an executive and lawyer in the private sector, in the government, and in non-profit organizations.

He spent 14 years with GE Company in various legal and executive positions with GE Appliances, GE International, and GE Capital. Over that time, he was based in Kentucky, Belgium, Hungary, China, South Korea, and Rhode Island. He received a CEO Award from former GE CEO Jack Welch for his work in Asia leading a multi-national team from LG Company and GE Appliances to develop a joint venture strategy to manufacture major appliances in China for distribution primarily in China and the United States. Kevin was personally recruited by the CEO of Zenith Electronics to develop the strategy to outsource the entire TV product line as part of a successful Chapter 11 restructuring which transitioned ownership to LG Electronics Company.

Kevin worked for the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. for over 5 years, as a Congressional Relations Attorney, a Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, and a Trial Attorney in the Antitrust Division working on various civil and criminal matters. He also worked in the public sector as Director of the Office of Globalization for Louisville Metro Government under former Mayor Greg Fischer to lead the development of the strategy for the Office.

Currently, Kevin is Growth Director in the Louisville Market for LBMC, an accounting firm based in Brentwood, TN, that is also a leading provider of cybersecurity and AI services.

Kevin serves or has served on several non-profit boards, currently the Center for Interfaith Relations, The Rotary Club of Louisville (Immediate Past President), and Louisville Committee on Foreign Relations. He previously served on boards of the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana (Chair), the American Committees on Foreign Relations (President), Cardiovascular Innovation Institute, Sister Cities of Louisville (President), Brown Cancer Center, Blessings in a Backpack, Asia Institute / Crane House, Venture Connectors, and Middletown Christian Church.

Kevin and his wife Sunny, who grew up in South Korea, enjoy living in Louisville, and are fortunate their 2 children and 2 grandchildren also live in Louisville. They enjoy sports, travel, reading, community activities, and spending time with the family. They attend Middletown Christian Church.