Adam Edelen

Adam Edelen
Auditor of Kentucky
In office January 2, 2012 – January 4, 2016
Governor	Steve Beshear Matt Bevin
Preceded by	Crit Luallen
Succeeded by	Mike Harmon
Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kentucky
In office July 2008 – September 15, 2010
Governor	Steve Beshear
Preceded by	Jim Cauley
Succeeded by	Mike Haydon
Personal details
Born	(1974-11-26) November 26, 1974 Flaherty, Kentucky, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Kentucky
Website	Official website

Adam Edelen (born November 26, 1974, in Meade County, Kentucky) was the Auditor of Public Accounts for the Commonwealth of Kentucky from January 2, 2012 to January 4, 2016. Prior to that, he was the Chief of Staff for Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear^[1] from July 2008 until September 15, 2010, when he resigned to work as a business consultant, before deciding to run for the Auditor of Public Accounts for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.^[2][3][4][5]

Early years and career

Edelen was born to a farm family in Meade County, Kentucky. His mother was two months shy of her 17th birthday when he was born. Edelen's parents divorced when he was young and his time as a child was divided between his mother's home in Louisville and his father's farm in rural Meade County.^[6]

Edelen is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta social fraternity.

At 21, he began his public service career as one of the youngest aides ever to serve a Kentucky governor (Paul Patton). He went on to gain experience in the private sector as a senior executive with both the Greater Lexington Chamber of Commerce (Commerce Lexington) and Thomas & King, Inc.

In 2008, he returned to the public sector, serving as Director of the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security^[7] and then as Chief of Staff to Governor Steve Beshear.^[8]

Kentucky Auditor

Within days of being sworn in, Edelen announced a special examination into the former administration of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.^[9] This examination was conducted at the request of the Republican Agriculture Commissioner, James Comer. The examination found rampant spending abuses and a culture of entitlement.^[10] Former commissioner and UK basketball star Richie Farmer was sentenced to 27 months in prison on federal charges and a year in prison on a state charge based on issues identified in Edelen's report.^[11]

Edelen also led an effort to reform special districts, which represent a $2.7 billion layer of government. The effort resulted in a report and a database that allowed the public to see basic financial information about roughly 1,200 entities such as libraries, fire districts and health departments.^[12] In 2013, Edelen helped shepherd a measure through the legislature to bring more accountability and transparency to the entities.^[13] House Bill 1 – as dubbed by the Speaker of the House – passed with broad, bipartisan support.^[14] The National State Auditors Association selected the initiative as one of its Excellence in Accountability Award recipients.^[15] The initiative was called the "biggest good government initiative we have had since the 1990s" by the leadership of Common Cause KY.^[16][17]

When private, multibillion-dollar insurance companies took over the state's Medicaid system, Edelen made recommendations that the state and managed care organizations (MCOs) could implement immediately to solve problems associated with implementation. The Auditor's office found the managed care companies were not efficiently processing claims to health care providers despite receiving more than 700 million taxpayer dollars. Edelen created a new Medicaid Accountability and Transparency Unit in the Auditor's office to provide real-time oversight over the second-largest expenditure in state government.^[18]

In 2012, Edelen began examining spending practices in public schools. Special examinations in 15 public school districts found wasteful spending, lack of oversight of superintendent contracts by school boards and other abuses.^[19] One exam led to criminal conviction of a former superintendent^[20] and more than $500,000 returned to the community.^[21] Based on Edelen's recommendations,^[22] the Kentucky Department of Education now requires school districts to submit superintendent contracts for posting on a publicly accessible website.^[23]

In 2014, Edelen proposed legislation to strengthen Kentucky's cyber security protections and require state and local government to notify citizens if their data is compromised in a data breach.^[23] Kentucky was one of four states that lacked security breach notification laws. House Bill 5 passed the House 99–1 and the Senate unanimously.^[24]

In 2016, Edelen's efforts to expose the practice of special districts was the focus of a segment on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.^[25]

Awards

Edelen was one of Government Technology magazine's 2014 Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers, an award bestowed on innovators in the public sector across the country.^[26] In 2008, Edelen was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce. This award is arguably the oldest and most prestigious service award in the nation and previous honorees include presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton.^[27]

Other honors include:

• The NewDEAL leader
• New Leaders Council 40 Under 40 Leadership Award recipient^[28]
• Kentucky Jr. Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Young Kentuckian
• Aspen Institute Rodel fellow^[29]
• Lexington Young Professionals Association Rising Star
• American-Swiss Foundation Young Leader^[30]
• United States Marshall Fund Fellow

Community service

As a two-term gubernatorial appointee to the board of Kentucky Educational Television, Chairman Edelen was the driving force behind the "Be Well Kentucky" initiative—an acclaimed effort which addresses Kentucky's public health crisis. While vice-president of the Commerce Lexington, Edelen was responsible for the nationally recognized New Century Lexington Reports on Community Livability, which used a broad range of metrics for measuring Lexington's quality of life. Edelen has also chaired the United Way of the Bluegrass Annual Campaign and the Lexington Fayette County Urban League. He has also served as a member of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.

Personal life

Edelen is married to Melissa (Narramore) and he has twin sons. The Edelens make their home on a small farm in Lexington, Kentucky. He is a member of Lexington's First Presbyterian Church. He is an avid sportsman, reader of history, and University of Kentucky basketball fan.

References

External links

• Campaign website