Record Staff Report
Jerry Abramson, the former mayor of Louisville and lieutenant governor of Kentucky, has been named “Executive in Residence” at Spalding University.
The appointment was announced April 17 by Spalding’s president Dr. Tori Murden McClure.
Abramson, who also served as the deputy assistant to the president and director of intergovernmental affairs at the White House during the Obama administration, will teach undergraduate and graduate classes at Spalding. He is also expected to play a role in the development of Spalding’s academic programs focused on juvenile criminal justice reform and restorative practices, according to a news release from the school.
He will be available to teach and guest lecture in courses on comparative leaders, public finance and innovation in all levels of government, according to the release.
He will begin the position at Spalding June 1. He currently serves as executive in residence and teaches at Bellarmine University. He’s departing Bellarmine at the end of the current semester due to the elimination of the position, the release said.
“I’m excited for the opportunity at Spalding to continue working with and teaching young people in Louisville, focusing on the importance of civil engagement,” Abramson said in the release.
McClure said Abramson’s “experience and expertise” will be “invaluable” to students and faculty. McClure once served as a policy assistant in Abramson’s mayoral administration.
“He is one of the most respected leaders in Louisville, and Spalding will be a better place for having him in our classrooms and representing us in the community,” McClure said in the release.
Abramson’s most recent position in government was as deputy assistant to the president from November 2014 to January 2017. As director of intergovernmental Affairs, he oversaw the Obama administration’s domestic agenda with state, city, county and tribal elected officials across the country.
From 2011-14, he served as Kentucky’s Lieutenant Governor alongside Gov. Steve Beshear. He served three terms as mayor of the old City of Louisville (1986-1999) and two terms as mayor of the merged Louisville Metro Government (2003-10)
Abramson received his bachelor’s degree in business economics and public policy at Indiana University. He earned his juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center.
