2022 Hall of Fame Inductee Robert Vance Class of 1968

A native of Grant County, Robert Vance earned a business degree (1965) and law degree (1968) from the University of Kentucky. Vance also holds degrees from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University and the Executive Banking Institute at the University of Louisville.

Vance was appointed to the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees in 2014 and currently serves as the Chair, a position he has held since 2019. Additionally, he has served on numerous Board committees including the Executive Committee as Vice Chair; Chair of the University Health Care Committee; and member of the Audit and Compliance, Finance, and Investment Committees. Vance has spent most of his career in banking, serving as Chairman or Senior Officer of several banking institutions across Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.

Vance went on to work in state government from 2007 until 2014 serving as Secretary of the Public Protection Cabinet where he oversaw numerous departments including the Department of Financial Institutions; Department of Insurance; Department of Housing, Buildings, and Construction; the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission; and Alcoholic Beverage Control. During his tenure as Cabinet Secretary, Vance served on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s Task Force to enhance the safety and integrity of horse racing in Kentucky. He also chaired the Governor’s Task Force on the Study of Kentucky’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Laws which led to wide changes in the way in which Kentucky licenses entities that manufacture, distribute, and sell alcohol in the Commonwealth.

In November 2013, the Kentucky Executive Branch Ethics Commission presented Vance the prestigious Livingston Taylor Ethics Award for the 2011-2013 biennium.

He and his wife Judy, have one son, four daughters, and nine grandchildren.