2012 Kentucky Summit on Philanthropy

Mike Hammons

Mike Hammons

Kentucky Philanthropy Initiative – Executive Director

Mike Hammons is executive director of the Kentucky Philanthropy Initiative. He is chair of the Endow Kentucky Commission and was chief staffer for the Kentucky Commission on Philanthropy.

From 1996-2008 was founding president of Forward Quest (later Vision 2015), a non-profit that developed regional strategic plans to build local economic vitality and quality of life to improve education, the economy, local governance, the urban core, quality of life, civic engagement in Northern Kentucky. The organization supported and leveraged hundreds of volunteers and partnerships and founded the Northern Kentucky Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.

He was director of Boards and Commissions for the administration of Gov. Brereton Jones and served on the Kentucky Health Policy Board, directing the state agency responsible for implementing Kentucky’s 1994 comprehensive health care reform. He has served on numerous non-profit boards, had leadership positions with the Kentucky Bar Association and others, and has received numerous awards and honors for community service.

He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a B.A. in History and a Juris Doctor. He practiced law in Covington for 14 years. As chair of the board of the Thomas D. Clark Foundation of University Press of Kentucky he led in the publication of the Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky in 2009.

A native Kentuckian, he lives in Park Hills with his wife Kit. They have three children and four grandchildren.