Jacqueline Coleman

Jacqueline Layne Coleman is an American educator and politician serving as the 58th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she has been a prominent advocate for public education and recently announced her candidacy for Governor of Kentucky in 2027.

Coleman was born in Danville, Kentucky, and raised on a family farm in Burgin, Mercer County. She is the daughter of former Kentucky State Representative Jack Coleman, who served from 1991 to 2004. A lifelong Kentuckian, she worked as a high school teacher, basketball coach, and administrator before entering politics. Coleman founded and leads Lead Kentucky, a nonprofit promoting education policy reform and encouraging women in leadership. She is married to Chris Coleman and is a mother to four children: Evelynne, adopted daughter Emma, and bonus sons Will and Nate. The family resides in Frankfort. As Lieutenant Governor under Governor Andy Beshear, she briefly served as Secretary of Education and Workforce Development until October 2021. She revived the Kentucky Commission on Women and has championed initiatives like expanding GED access, benefiting over 8,100 Kentuckians. Coleman is known for her opposition to Amendment 2 in 2024, which sought to fund private and charter schools.

Education

• Doctorate in Educational Leadership, University of Kentucky
• Master of Arts in Political Science, University of Louisville
• Bachelor of Arts in History, Centre College

Political Experience

• Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky ; reelected in 2023 alongside Andy Beshear
• Candidate for Governor of Kentucky
• Candidate, Kentucky House of Representatives District 55
• Secretary of Education and Workforce Development, Kentucky