Jon Draud

Jon Draud
Kenton County Commissioner
from the 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2011
Preceded bySara Voelker
4th Kentucky Commissioner of Education
In office
December 3, 2007 – January 31, 2009
Preceded byGene Wilhoit
Succeeded byElaine Farris (interim)
Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
from the 63rd district
In office
January 1, 1999 – December 2, 2007
Preceded byRichard Murgatroyd
Succeeded byAlecia Webb-Edgington
Personal details
Born (1939-09-18) September 18, 1939
Covington, Kentucky
PartyDemocratic (before 1990s)
Republican (after 1990s)
Children3
EducationEastern Kentucky University (BA, MA)
Xavier University (MA)
University of Cincinnati (EdD)
OccupationEducator (retired)

Jon Edward Draud (born September 18, 1938) is an American educator and politician from Kentucky who has served as a member of the Kenton County Commission since 2011.

He previously served as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007, representing Kentucky's 63rd House district. He also served as the Kentucky Commissioner of Education from 2007 to 2009.

Early life and education

Draud was born on September 18, 1938, in Covington, Kentucky. Raised in Kenton County, he graduated from Ludlow High School in 1956, and went on to attend Eastern Kentucky State College (now Eastern Kentucky University) on a football and baseball scholarship.[1] He played four seasons for the Eastern Maroons baseball team under coach Turkey Hughes, and was the teams's co-captain during his senior year.[2][3]

After graduating from Eastern in 1960 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in history and physical education, Draud spent one year as a teacher for Covington Public Schools before returning to Eastern as a graduate assistant baseball coach for the 1962 season. Afterwards, he returned to Covington Public Schools where he taught American government and was a baseball coach at Covington Holmes High School, leading them to their win at the 1963 Kentucky state high school baseball championship.[2][3][4]

He also received a Master of Arts degree in school administration from Eastern, a Master of Arts degree in political science from Xavier University, and a Doctor of Educational Leadership degree with a minor in public policy from the University of Cincinnati in 1978.[2][5]

Career

In 1966, Draud left Holmes High School to be principle of Covington's Third District School.[6] During this time, he served on the Crestview Hills city council for five years.[4] From 1978 to 1997, he served as superintendent of the Ludlow Independent Schools district.[6]

Instead of seeking reelection in 1998, incumbent Richard Murgatroyd of Kentucky's 63rd House district chose to run for Judge/Executive of Kenton County.[7] Draud won the 1998 Republican primary with 1,546 votes (45.36%) against John Clyde Middleton, the son of state senator Clyde Middleton, and John Link, the mayor of Edgewood.[8] Draud went on to win the 1998 Kentucky House of Representatives election unopposed.[9] During his tenure, Draud served as vice chair of the House Education committee.[10] In 1999, Republican leaders attempted to recruit Draud to challenge incumbent Representative Ken Lucas of Kentucky's 4th Congressional District. However, he declined, citing his short tenure and desire to remain in the state legislature.[11]

Following the resignation of Commissioner Gene Wilhoit to become the executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Kentucky Board of Education initially selected Illinois educator Barbara Erwin as the next Kentucky commissioner of education.[12] However, Erwin resigned from the position before she assumed office following questions about her leadership in previous districts and errors in her resume. Governor-elect Steve Beshear requested the board to conduct a new national search but the board declined, instead unanimously choosing Draud to be the next commissioner out of the remaining four finalists.[13][14] He resigned from the Kentucky House on December 2, 2007, and assumed the office of commissioner on the next day under a four-year contract.[2]

In September 2008, Draud suffered a mild stroke which affected his mobility, and only allowed him to work three days a week. Subsequently, Draud resigned as commissioner on January 31, 2009, for health reasons.[15]

In 2010, Draud was elected as a member of the Kenton County Commission, representing the county's 2nd district.[16] In January 2026, he announced that he would not be seeking reelection.[17]

Personal life and honors

Draud and his wife reside in Edgewood.[4]

The Dr. Jon E. Draud Administrative Building of Ludlow Independent Schools is named after him. In 2000, Draud was chosen by Eastern Kentucky University as that year's recipient of their Most Outstanding Alumnus Award. In 2009, he was Eastern's spring commencement speaker, and was awarded an honorary doctor of humanities degree.[3][18] In 2024, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Northern Kentucky Education Council.[4]

References

  1. ^ Scalf, Amy. "Two compete for Kenton District 2 seat". The Enquirer. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Ismail, Raviya (December 2, 2007). "ACHIEVEMENT: Chief Draud Takes Charge of State Education System". Lexington Herald-leader. pp. B1.
  3. ^ a b c "Jon Draud (2016) - Hall of Fame". Eastern Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d Clabes, Judy (April 13, 2024). "NKY Education Council to honor Jon Draud for 'lifetime achievement' at its celebration April 23". NKyTribune. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  5. ^ Day, Richard (November 12, 2007). "Kentucky School News and Commentary: Why Jon Draud deserves our respect - and strong consideration as Kentucky's next Education Commissioner". Kentucky School News and Commentary. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Hansel, Mark (August 25, 2016). "Kenton County's Jon Draud to be inducted into Eastern Kentucky University Hall of Fame". NKyTribune. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  7. ^ "Protestors don't want county jail in Elsmere". The Lexington Herald-Leader. November 27, 1999. p. C1. ... who lost a race against current Kenton Judge-Executive Richard Murgatroyd in 1998.
  8. ^ "Commonwealth of Kentucky 1998 Official Primary Election results" (PDF). Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  9. ^ "Commonwealth of Kentucky November 3, 1998 Official General Election results". Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  10. ^ Howlett, Rick (August 7, 2008). "Draud Undergoing Performance Review". Louisville Public Media. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  11. ^ "GOP short on candidates to challenge Lucas". Lexington Herald-Leader. April 18, 1999. pp. C3.
  12. ^ Hoff, David J.; McNeil, Michele (September 8, 2006). "Kentucky Commissioner Wilhoit to Lead Council of Chief State School Officers". Education Week. ISSN 0277-4232. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  13. ^ Staff, Mountain Eagle (November 21, 2007). "State board ignores Beshear's request - The Mountain Eagle". The Mountain Eagle -. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  14. ^ Warren, Jim (December 20, 2008). "Education chief Draud resigns". Lexington Herald-Leader.
  15. ^ WKMS (December 19, 2008). "Jon Draud Resigns". WKMS. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  16. ^ Hornbeck, Kenton (May 16, 2022). "Draud faces challenge from Schmiade in GOP Kenton County Commissioner primary". LINK nky. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  17. ^ Clabes, Judy (January 9, 2026). "Jon Draud likes 'helping people' and proved it throughout his long career; at 87, he isn't seeking re-election". NKyTribune. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  18. ^ "Honorary Degrees". Eastern Kentucky University. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
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