KyAEA needs you, our members, to vote for the next President Elect of our organization! Voting is open thru June 15th, so please use the following link to access the voting site. You WILL need your membership ID. Thank you for your votes!

Click HERE to vote!

Meet our candidates:

Jennifer Sims

Mrs. Sims is a 1987 graduate of Hart County High School. She attended Western Kentucky University receiving a BA and a Master’s degree in Art Education.In 2007 she earned her National Board Certification in Art for Early Childhood through Adolescents and renewed that certification in 2017. Mrs. Sims has been teaching Art in Hart County for the past twenty one years. Prior to this year at Hart County High School she has taught K-8 art at three of the five K-8 schools in her district. Mrs. Sims has been an Adjunct Professor of Art for Western Kentucky University for the past 8 years. In education she was honored as "Elementary Art Teacher of the Year for 2003-2004", "Middle School Art Teacher of the Year for 2010-2011", “Special Needs Art Educator 2015-2016” and “Kentucky Art Educator of the Year 2016-2017” by the Kentucky Art Educators Association. She was also awarded "Teacher of the Year" by the Hart County Chamber of Commerce in 2008. She is the 4-H Team America Rocket Challenge and Student Launch Initiative mentor that works with NASA. As well as being a member of KyAEA/NAEA, she is a member of KEA and the World's Greatest Studio Tour of Bowling Green. She has presented workshops locally, at the state and national levels on various topics about art and technology in the classroom. She is on the board of directors for KyAEA where she serves as Regional Director for the association. She has served as a Regional Chair for Caveland Region and as Communications Chair in the past. She has attended the Southeast Regional Leadership Conference for the past three years where she has gained many skills and ideas to strengthen KyAEA. Along with being a teacher she is a working artist with her artwork in galleries in Bowling Green and Louisville. Her work has been a part of many art shows and exhibits throughout Kentucky and National shows in Maryland and Texas. Mrs. Sims continues to work toward bringing art and artists to her community and county. Mrs. Sims also co-owns Sims Studios and Art Shop with her husband, Jesse Sims who also is an artist. She has one son, Draven.

If elected president-elect, my goal is to build KyAEA through greater membership, resources and communication. As Regional Director I have tried to begin moving our organization in a positive direction to bring art educators together to encourage growth through opportunities and resources. It is important during these times, as well as, always to help teachers across the state to feel connected and that they are not alone. Many of us feel like we are islands by ourselves in our schools, districts and even in our regions. I want to unify each region by searching out art educators who might not know the value and resource that KyAEA and NAEA has to offer to us through membership. I want to bring communication to the forefront for our members with a quarterly newsletters that are sent out digitally. I want to offer regional PD sessions and online PD’s and meetings through Zoom and other technologies where members have access regardless of where they are located. This will allow for their membership to KyAEA to have more value. I want to strengthen YAM in our state to be more than just a flag contest. YAM should highlight and advocate for art in education throughout the year and not just in March. We need to be visible to promote the arts and I feel that a strong KyAEA can help us achieve this goal. We can promote our programs and spread advocacy through our digital newsletter and showcase YAM activities that are happening all year around. I hope that you consider giving me the opportunity to be your President-Elect for KyAEA.

Kim Lee Hamilton

As a passionate elementary art educator in Richmond, Kentucky – I have dedicated the past ten years of my life focusing on artistic development of young artist. At the early age of seven, I knew that I wanted to be an art educator more than anything else on earth. With limited artistic availability in eastern Kentucky, I found my artistic outlet journaling, sketching and creating at home as much as possible. When entering Eastern Kentucky University as a nursing major, I slowly began picking up drawing classes as electives. After one year in the nursing program, I made the decision to switch to my true passion – Art Education. Under the guidance of Dr. Julie Bucknam, I finally felt that I was where I needed to be. After graduating Eastern Kentucky University with a bachelor’s degree in Art Education in 2009 – I then completed my master’s degree in Art Education from Eastern Kentucky University in 2013. Upon completion of my master’s degree, I earned my Rank 1 degree in Supervisor of Instruction as well as entered the doctorate program at the University of the Cumberlands with an emphasis in Educational Leadership – I plan to complete this program in the Spring of 2020.

As a college student, I joined the Kentucky Art Education Association in 2006. I have participated in the Kentucky Art Education Association at some capacity since – serving on the board since 2016 as the Bluegrass Regional Coordinator. In 2009, I began my career as an art educator in Richmond, Kentucky.. Recently, I worked diligently to organize the Madison County Art Teachers cadre- which meets several times during the school year.

If elected as the KyAEA president, I promise to be dedicated to increasing membership, communicating throughout Kentucky and surrounding areas , and mostly – advocating for the arts at the state and national level. Art education plays such a vital role in the development of young adults, as well as acts as a creative outlet for adolescents. It would be an honor to be the voice for such an important group of individuals. If elected as the KyAEA president, I would reach out through social media, mail, radio and billboards to promote our organization throughout the state. I will visit schools throughout the state to also help with promotion of our organization – especially in counties that have low membership rates. I take pride in our state as well as our art organization – it would be a great honor to serve on the KyAEA board as the president.

Thank you,

Kimberly Hamilton, Art Teacher Kirksville Elementary