Lt. Governor speaks at Rotary….tours Louisa, visits new Sullivan site…
Louisa, KY — The Louisa Rotary Club had the pleasure of hosting Lt. Governor, Jenean Hampton last week, as their special guest speaker.
Rotary President, Steve Montgomery, opened the meeting, and Economic Development Director, Catrina Vargo, introduced another special guest, Aaron Thompson, Field Representative for the Dept of Local Government of Governor Bevin’s office.
After prayer, a wonderful Easter themed dinner catered by Rebel Barn Catering, was enjoyed, then Lt. Governor Hampton spoke to the group. Hampton, who is originally from Detroit, MI, now lives in Bowling Green, with her husband of 16 years, Doyle. “The question most people ask me is ‘How did you get here?'” She said.
Growing up in Detroit with her divorced mother during the tumultuous 60’s, Hampton and all of her sisters still managed to become 1st generation college graduates. Jenean graduated from Wayne State University with an Industrial Engineering Degree. “I watched my mother make decisions, and learned that the right thing is not always easy, and the easy thing is not always right.” That sent a powerful message to Hampton, who has carried that principle throughout her life.
From her upbringing, Hampton said she also learned how to stretch a dollar. “We didn’t have a car, washing machine, or even a TV for a while, but said “We were never envious of others. My mom focused on what we did have. We had a community garden, I learned to sew, and I loved to read. Reading expanded my universe. It taught me how to learn other people’s perspectives; how others live, think, and feel.” Hampton said the media always wants to focus on race; about the first black woman to do this or that, but she said race has never been a driving factor in her life.
As a kid, she said she always wanted to be an astronaut. “I told everyone, including Matt Bevin, that if NASA ever calls, I have to go.” She said she always asks kids what their big dreams are, and a lot of them don’t seem to have any. She said she felt it was important to have goals and dreams.
Growing up in her Detroit community, she said she was often mocked of her good grades, how she spoke, and even the music she listened to. “Just because I lived in Detroit, didn’t mean that Motown was all I listened to. I often wondered when can I just be Jenean? I read the Constitution, and I knew I had rights as an individual.”
Hampton said she realized she could make her own way in life, and worked her way through college, then joined the Air Force. “Talk about diverse backgrounds–you definitely will find that in the military. There, what’s important is the mission. Nobody cares about your skin color.”
She worked 19 years in a corrugated package factory. “I love manufacturing, which has always been big in Detroit.” She started on the floor, then became plant manager, worked her way into sales, and eventually earned an MBA from the University of Rochester, NY.
In 2011, Jenean Hampton gave her life to Christ. By this time she was campaigning and working to get people involved in local government. “I prayed that God would help me know where I need to stand. The next day, my job was eliminated, and I just smiled because I knew something else was going to happen.”
She met Matt Bevin through the Tea Party in a canvassing pool. She was running for a House seat, Bevin for Senate seat. “I was impressed with who he is. A great father, husband, and entrepreneur.” Both of them lost that election. We went from 80 miles an hour to nothing” she said.
Hampton was going to support James Comer in the Governor’s race, but Matt Bevin called her to be his running mate. “I thought, what does a Lt. Governor do?”
She visited Lt. Governor Crit Luallen’s page, found that they sit on a lot of boards and commissions, and she read the Constitution again. “It’s up to the Governor and Lt. Governor to decide what to work on” she said.
Hampton emphasized three things: Entrepreneurship–“I would like to see entrepreneur skills taught in K-12. We have got things that can attract business in Kentucky.” she said.
Education–Both formal and vocational education is important in her opinion. “I will be 58 in May, and I am still learning new things. We need to have the mindset of being a life long learner.”
Be a good example to others–“I want to let others know they are not stuck in their situation. That’s why I share my story.”
“The most rewarding, is to be in this position to help the Governor turn KY around,”
Hampton said. “We need to become a Right to Work state and we need to get jobs here.”
She said there are parallels of Detroit and the road KY is going down now.
“Detroit never addressed their issues correctly. About half of the people there were illiterate, they were moving out, and there was no workforce development. Taxes were raised on the ones who were left.”
Lt. Governor Hampton is excited to be working in her new position and looks forward to the opportunity to get KY moving in the right direction. She thanked the Rotary Club for having her. She was presented with a gift basket filled with local food and crafts. The meeting was adjourned.
While in Louisa, she also visited Trinity Christian School, Mayor Harold Slone and County Judge Executive John Osborne’s offices, the Fred M. Vinson Museum, and the new Sullivan University Louisa Learning Center.