“I’m honored and deeply grateful to Governor Beshear and our board for selecting me to serve as the next President and CEO of the Kentucky Lottery,” said Mary Harville,  “I’m so proud to be part of the great team already in place, which is proven by our record-breaking fiscal year for both sales and return to our state. As a life-long Kentuckian and graduate of a Kentucky university, I am also proud to lead the organization that funds KEES scholarships for Kentucky college students, and my goal is to ensure we continue to provide this much-needed funding.”

Governor Andy Beshear has appointed Mary Harville as president and CEO of the Kentucky Lottery Corporation. Harville was confirmed by the lottery’s board of directors at a special meeting earlier today.

Since 2004, Harville has served as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for the Lottery. She joined the organization 16 years ago after leaving the Louisville law firm of Reed Weitkamp Schell and Vice, where she was a member and practiced for 16 years.  Harville received her undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky in 1984, and her Juris Doctor from UK in 1988. She has practiced law since 1988 in Louisville and Jefferson County. Prior to her work at the Lottery, Harville gained extensive experience in a variety of commercial litigation matters, and successfully represented clients in contract disputes, copyright and trademark disputes, antitrust litigation, and employment matters. She argued cases before the Kentucky Supreme Court and the Kentucky Court of Appeals, and was lead counsel on cases before the United States Court of Appeals and the United States District Courts.

“I’m honored and deeply grateful to Governor Beshear and our board for selecting me to serve as the next President and CEO of the Kentucky Lottery,” said Harville. “I’m so proud to be part of the great team already in place, which is proven by our record-breaking fiscal year for both sales and return to our state. As a life-long Kentuckian and graduate of a Kentucky university, I am also proud to lead the organization that funds KEES scholarships for Kentucky college students, and my goal is to ensure we continue to provide this much-needed funding.” 

“Based upon her many years of senior leadership with the Kentucky Lottery, as Board Chair I can confidently assert that Mary’s selection as CEO is a wonderful step in keeping the Kentucky Lottery moving forward to new and bigger heights,” said Kentucky Lottery Board Chairman Mark Sommer. “We at the Kentucky Lottery are most appreciative of Governor Beshear’s continued support of our education funding mission and of his appointment of Mary, who will be the first woman CEO in Kentucky Lottery  history and one of only a handful of women lottery directors across the United States. We look forward to great things under Mary’s leadership.”

Harville becomes the sixth president and CEO of the Kentucky Lottery. She replaces Tom Delacenserie, who retired in March after three years at the helm.

Chip Polston | Sr VP of Communications, PR and Social Responsibility
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