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Martha
Layne Collins
Chairwoman
Kentucky
World
Trade Center
 Governor
Martha Layne Collins grew up in Shelby County,
Kentucky, graduated from The University of Kentucky
and was a schoolteacher until 1970. She then
assumed a role as Coordinator of Women’s
Activities in a number of political campaigns,
leading her into public office. Collins served
as Clerk of the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth
of Kentucky from 1975 to 1979, where she guided
the office through the most far-reaching changes
in the history of the state’s judicial
system.
Having been elected to a term as Lieutenant
Governor from 1979 to 1983, Collins sat as president
of the State Senate and as both Vice-Chair and
Chair of the National Conference of Lieutenant
Governors. As Lieutenant Governor, Collins gained
critical experience in leadership serving as
acting Governor 25% of her term. She was then
elected as the first (and only) female Governor
of the Commonwealth in 1983.
During her tenure as Governor (1983-1987) she
is noted for establishing education reform
and economic development as critical priorities
and for achieving success on both fronts. Passage
of a $300 million education reform package
and creation of record jobs and investment
were highlights of the Collins administration.
She was also instrumental in bringing Toyota
Motor Manufacturing to Kentucky and continues
to serve as the Honorary Consul for Japan.
After leaving the Governor’s office, Martha
Layne Collins served as president of St. Catharine
College for six years, as the Executive-in-Residence
at the University of Louisville’s School
of Business, and as the Director of the International
Business and Management Center at the University
of Kentucky’s Carol Martin Gatton College
of Business and Economics. Governor Collins was
a Harvard University Fellow in the John F. Kennedy
School of Government at the Institute of Politics
in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1998, Governor
Collins became Executive Scholar in Residence
at Georgetown College, Georgetown, Kentucky,
where she developed the Center for Commerce,
Language and Culture.
In 2003, Governor Collins
was the recipient of the First Annual World
Trade Centers Association (WTCA) World Trade
Day Book of Honor Award for the state of Kentucky.
This award is presented to a company or individual
in recognition of exemplary contribution to
advancing peace and stability through trade.
2004 marked a new direction for Governor Collins
when she was invited to join the staff of the
Kentucky World Trade Center as the new Chair & CEO.
She stepped into this role officially in January
2005.
Governor Collins also serves
on the Board of Directors for Eastman Kodak
Company, Rochester, NY; Regional Technology
Strategies, Incorporated, Chapel Hill, NC;
Spencer County Industrial Development Authority,
Taylorsville, KY; and, Advisory Board Member
of BB&T, Louisville, KY; Women Leading
Kentucky, Lexington, KY; and, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue
Shield, Louisville, KY. She also is a member
of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence,
Kentucky Derby Festival Committee, and the Board
of Visitors of the University of Kentucky Martin
School of Public Policy and Administration.
Governor Collins, who is married to Dr. Bill
L. Collins, enjoys the company of her five grandchildren.
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