(Frankfort, KY) – Gov. Matt Bevin appointed Derrick Ramsey as secretary of the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, responsible for educating, preparing and training Kentucky’s current and future workforce.

Ramsey has decades of experience working in Kentucky’s higher education system. He began his career as a community relations officer at the University of Kentucky before becoming athletic director at Kentucky State University, where he developed the Student Athlete Excellence in Academics program.  

Most recently, Ramsey served as the secretary of the Labor Cabinet under Bevin, where he was responsible for administering worker compensation and workplace standard laws for 1.9 million Kentucky workers and employers. Ramsey also served as deputy secretary of Commerce under former Gov. Ernie Fletcher, where he managed a $50 million budget and oversaw human resources for the agency.

“Derrick has worked tirelessly for the past 30 months as Labor Cabinet secretary on behalf of Kentucky’s working men and women,” said Bevin. “He has devoted himself to ensuring that Kentucky is the best place in the country to work, and he understands the unique challenges that are before us as we educate and prepare our next generation of workers.”

As Labor secretary, Ramsey emphasized workplace safety education and helped to streamline and modernize the state’s litigation management system for workers’ claims. Ramsey also revived Kentucky’s Registered Apprenticeship Program to better recruit and train the next generation of workers. More than 1,000 Kentucky employers have joined the program, which offers paid on-the-job training for participants.

“I am extremely thankful that Gov. Bevin has faith in my ability,” said Ramsey. “I am very passionate about education and workforce development and, more importantly, the opportunity to help shape education and workforce development programs for generations to come. I look forward to this endeavor.”

Bevin also appointed Mike Nemes as acting secretary for the Labor Cabinet.  Nemes is currently the deputy secretary for the cabinet and is a former state lawmaker. As the representative for Kentucky’s 38th House District, Nemes was co-chair of the Labor and Industry Committee and a member of the Judiciary and License & Occupation committees. He spent decades in the business sector, working for 17 years as a soft drink bottler before purchasing a successful bakery distributorship.