Gov. Beshear announces senior advisor transition

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KBSI) — Gov. Andy Beshear announced changes to his administration Monday, with Senior Advisor Rocky Adkins stepping down after serving in the role since 2019.

Adkins’ final day with the administration was Friday, July 10. Beshear thanked him for helping lead Kentucky through the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple natural disasters and a period of record economic growth.

“Rocky has been an invaluable part of Team Kentucky and our success, and I am grateful to him for his leadership and his friendship,” Beshear said in a statement.

Adkins said it was an honor to serve alongside the governor and credited the administration with helping secure historic economic investments and job growth across the commonwealth.

According to the governor’s office, Adkins helped the administration attract more than 1,300 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling more than $50 billion in announced investments, creating more than 70,000 jobs.

Before joining the Beshear administration, Adkins served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1987 to 2019, including terms as House majority leader and minority floor leader.

Ray Perry, who has served as deputy secretary of the Executive Cabinet since April, will succeed Adkins as the governor’s senior advisor. Perry previously served as secretary of the Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet beginning in 2021.