Former Congressman Ben Chandler currently serves as president and chief executive officer of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky (FHKY). The nonpartisan, nonprofit policy advocacy organization works to address the unmet health needs of Kentuckians.
Chandler’s leadership of the Foundation has come full circle; while serving as Kentucky Attorney General, he won a $45 million settlement which was used to create FHKY in 2001.
In addition to his work at the Foundation, Chandler serves as publisher of the Woodford Sun and Midway Messenger newspapers. The Sun has been in the Chandler family for 80 years. Chandler is also chair of the Kentucky State Board of Elections, on the University of Kentucky College of Law Visiting Committee, University of Kentucky College of Public Health Advisory Committee, and Council on Foundations’ Policy Commitee. He currently serves on boards of directors for the James Graham Brown Foundation, Kentucky Historical Society, and New Vista Behavioral Health.
Chandler was elected Kentucky State Auditor in 1992 and served two terms as Attorney General from 1995 – 2003. During that time, he helped create KASPER, a national model for battling prescription drug abuse. He also established a public corruption unit, strengthened consumer protection and victims’ rights laws. In 2003, Chandler received the Democratic nomination for Governor.
In February 2004, Chandler was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District. During his decade in Congress, he served on several committees including Appropriations, Intelligence, Transportation, Foreign Relations, Homeland Security, Ethics, Agriculture, and Science and Technology.
Chandler practiced at several law firms before and after serving in public office. In 2013, he was named executive director of the Kentucky Humanities Council. Chandler joined the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky in 2016.
An eighth-generation Kentuckian, Chandler earned a B.A. in history, graduating with distinction, from the University of Kentucky, and a J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law. He also studied at the University of London and Trinity College in Dublin, including an internship in the British Parliament. Chandler is a member of both the University of Kentucky Arts and Sciences and Law School Halls of Fame.
Chandler is an avid reader and baseball fan. He has traveled widely, having visited more than 65 countries and all seven continents. Chandler and his wife, Jennifer, live in Woodford County, Kentucky, where they raised their three children on the family farm.