Kentucky Life Fellow William G. Francis
May 10, 2009, Fellows in the news, Appalachian News-Express
LEXINGTON, KY - William G. Francis of Prestonsburg, partner in the law offices of Francis, Kendrick and Francis, has been elected to the Kentucky Humanities Council board of directors. As a member of the 23-person volunteer board, Francis will help set council policies, award project grants to community organizations and participate in fund-raising to help the council meet the growing demand for its programs. He will serve a three-year term, with a second three-year term optional. Based in Lexington, the council and its community partners invest more than $1 million a year in support of public humanities programs throughout the state. After earning an associate of arts degree from Prestonsburg Community College, a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Kentucky and a master of public administration degree from Eastern Kentucky University, Francis received his juris doctor from the UK College of Law in 1973. Francis has served in a number of professional roles. In addition to being a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, Francis has served as chairperson for the Kentucky Bar Association's House of Delegates, as well as a member of its board of governors and Task Force on Lawyer Discipline. He spent 12 years on the board of directors for the Kentucky Defense Council, one of those as president of the organization. He is also a member of the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys of America. Francis served as Prestonsburg city attorney from 1978 to 1980, and Floyd County School Board attorney from 1987 to 1991.
Much of Francis' community involvement has encompassed the arts and education. Francis is a member of the University of Kentucky Alumni Association, serving as national president in 1984. He is a UK Fellow and serves as a member of the Development Council for the university and its law school. He has also served as a library associate and a member of the Arts and Science Dean's Advisory Committee, of which he was chair from 2001 to 2006. Francis is a member of the Kentucky Advocates for Higher Education Inc. board of directors and a member of the Alice Lloyd College board of trustees. He served as a trustee for the Kentucky Education Foundation for three years, and the Big Sandy College Education Foundation, Inc. for seventeen years, performing duties as secretary and president. Francis is also involved with Asheville School, being a member of the alumni association and having served on the school's board of visitors, board of advisors and board of trustees. Francis was a member of the Kentucky Arts Council for 13 years, serving as chairperson and vice chairperson. He has been a trustee of Jenny Wiley Theatre since 1977, and served three times as president of the organization. He is a past member of the Southern Arts Federation and the National Association of State Arts Agencies. Francis was a graduate of the Leadership Kentucky class of 1987, and served on Leadership Kentucky's board of directors for three years. He was a member of the Prestonsburg Tourism Commission for five years, and served on the matching funds committee of the Kentucky Tourism Cabinet for nine.
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