Kentucky
From home economist to VP, University of Kentucky alum leads GE Appliances kitchen cleanup enterprise
University of Kentucky alum Cynthia “Cinthy” Fanning, is the current vice president of kitchen clean up products at GE Appliances. At the company’s Appliance Park global headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, the $450 million installation of two new dishwasher manufacturing lines has created approximately 1,000 jobs in the Commonwealth.
Fanning recalls what this moment meant for the company.
“Becoming the number one dishwasher manufacturer in the country was a huge achievement,” Fanning said. “When you work at a company like GE Appliances, there are so many different and exciting opportunities.”
Fanning has spent more than three decades managing products, leading teams and building strategic growth plans at GE Appliances. Some of her responsibilities include new product development, manufacturing, merchandising, sales and more, working with suppliers like Lowe’s and Home Depot.
For Fanning, pursuing a graduate degree in the Merchandising, Apparel and Textiles (MAT) program at the UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment was one of the best decisions she made.
“The University of Kentucky has a great reputation, and I love textile science, apparel and merchandising,” Fanning said. “I knew there was a good opportunity to get real– world experience, which was really important to me and valuable for my career. I got to do meaningful projects that led me to GE Appliances.”
UK Textiles Testing Lab and home economics co-op
As a graduate student in 1991, Fanning was a teaching assistant in the Textiles Testing Lab, housed in the Department of Retailing and Tourism Management at Martin-Gatton CAFE.
Under the direction of Elizabeth Easter, UK professor and consultant for textiles and textile care, the lab is a hub for the textile and apparel industry on campus — providing assistance in the development, evaluation and performance of new or existing products.
GE Appliances has utilized the services of the Textile Testing Lab to evaluate detergents, laundry equipment and clothes care since 1993. Recently, GE Appliances donated four washers, two dryers and one water softener to upgrade all consumer laundry equipment in the Textile Testing Lab.
“Over the years, Cinthy and GE Appliances has supported our research and acquiring appliances and kitchen, dishwasher and laundry equipment for the Textile Lab,” Easter said. We remain grateful for Cinthy and GE Appliances for their on-going support of the lab.”
While working with Easter in the lab, Fanning was also able to get a home economics in technology cooperative position with GE Appliances, developing and testing GE branded cooking products. In this co-op experience, Fanning’s work led to an awarded patent for developing algorithms in GE Appliances’ “CleanSensor” dishwasher launch in 1995.
These first-and experiential learning opportunities at UK helped Fanning learn important skills that still shape her personally and professionally as a leader at GE Appliances.
“I came from the lab,” Fanning said. “I loved my experience with Dr. Easter while working on real-life projects that were valuable for GE Appliances, and it was a great way to learn about the industry. I learned determination, having a strong work ethic and the value of mentorship. Mentoring people is something that is very important to me as a leader at GE Appliances.”
UK’s presence at GE Appliances
Today, there are over 220 UK alums that work at Appliance Park, representing a consistent workforce development pipeline. Furthermore, GE Appliances’ commitment to developing their early-career professionals from the ground up is something that Fanning believes is a talent feeder.
“We definitely seek out UK students and know they are going to be great employees at GE Appliances,” said Fanning. “We know that they have great educational backgrounds and experiences, which are certainly valuable to an employer. We believe that lifelong learning is important, and we are committed to that as a company.”
Fanning has hired some of these alums to join her team at GE Appliances, including Rachel O’Bryan, recruiting liaison and Edison Engineering Development Program graduate, and Justin Bovard, executive director, kitchen cleanup product manager and member of the UK MBA Advisory Council at the Gatton College of Business and Economics. O’Bryan and Bovard are both graduates from the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering.
While attending career fairs as a UK undergraduate student, O’Bryan took advantage of three co-op opportunities with GE Appliances. O’Bryan said that her educational and experiential experiences at UK really helped her be successful as an early-career professional at GE Appliances.
“UK has a rigorous program, and my education experience taught me self-discipline,” O’Bryan said. “When I’m working on a project that has really tight deadlines, being organized, getting creative, being resourceful and knowing how to chip away at the problem are all critical to being successful, and are skills I learned while at UK.”
O’Bryan is one of the lead recruiters for GE Appliances and UK, and she offers some recommendations for future graduates to stand out.
“I love going to the career fairs to meet and recruit students,” O’Bryan said. “Beyond being strong academically, I’m looking for well-roundedness, and a curiosity and willingness to learn new things. Being open to investigating a new problem is super critical. I’m inspired when I see passion from students.”
Having worked in various mid-career roles at GE Appliances since 2015, Bovard believes that UK greatly contributed to his success.
“The University of Kentucky challenged me and pulls, pushes you to learn new things,” Bovard said. “UK taught me problem-solving skills and that’s something I use every single day here at GE Appliances.”
For Bovard, working in the “global hub” for GE Appliances offers unique growth and professional opportunities to be exposed to many functions of the business.
“To have manufacturing, sourcing, product and quality management, finance, marketing and sales – everything in one place – it’s enabled me to expand my breath of experience,” Bovard said.
For students seeking long-term professional success, Bovard offers some guidance.
“Find a company that aligns with your personal goals and is committed to supporting your growth,” said Bovard. “Then understand how your specific role fits into the larger company. Once you understand your role, expand and take on additional responsibilities. Doing so will grow your network, expand your expertise and open the door to new opportunities.”
Fanning offers advice for students that want to be future leaders.
“Get your hands dirty and don’t be afraid to fail early,” Fanning said. “Take risks and grow from them. Get a trusted mentor and take advantage of their experiences. And finally, be bold.”
Kentucky’s “bright future”
As a proud alum, Fanning believes that UK students are the key to the future and are important in advancing GE Appliances’ economic impact and investment in Kentucky.
“I know the value of the education that UK provides,” Fanning said. “UK graduates give back to the community. We all take seriously the development of our community and our state. It’s very exciting to see all the investments we are making in Kentucky in workforce development, new jobs and amazing new manufacturing sites that are being built. I see a bright future in front of us in Kentucky.”
To learn more about the Merchandising, Apparel and Textiles program at Martin-Gatton CAFE, visit https://www.mgcafe.uky.edu/academics/programs/bachelors/merchandising-apparel-and-textiles.
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Writer: Christopher Carney, Christopher.Carney@uky.edu
The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, physical or mental disability or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Kentucky
Several people hurt in Western Kentucky Parkway multi-car accident, officials say
MUHLENBERG, Ky. (WFIE) – Kentucky officials says there are multiple people injured in a three-car accident on Western Kentucky Parkway.
According to a post made by the Central City Fire Department, three vehicles were involved in a crash between the 64 and 65 mile markers eastbound of the parkway.
They say both the eastbound and westbound lanes are closed at this time. The closure should last around 3 hours.
Two people were extricated from a vehicle. Four adults and three juveniles are being taken to the hospital. No update has been given on their conditions.
They say a mass casualty incident was declared, and Ohio County Fire and EMS were called to the scene due to the number of patients.
We will update you when we learn more.
Copyright 2025 WFIE. All rights reserved.
Kentucky
2027 top in-state prospect talks about his Kentucky unofficial visit on Tuesday
Kentucky’s recruiting efforts in the 2026 class have hit a current rough patch, but things are looking promising in the 2027 class, as the staff has already casted a very wide net in the class, with a number of top targets in the fold. As they’re continuing to pursue mostly national targets, a local star is now on the staff’s radar.
2027 in-state guard Braxton Keathley, one of the state’s top prospects even regardless of class, took an unofficial visit to Kentucky on Tuesday for the game against NC Central. Keathley is native of Martin County, KY, and has took the state by storm as he has really stuffed the stat sheet. Just recently, he dropped a triple-double of 34 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds last weekend.
The Kentucky staff has certainly seemed to take notice really quickly. He’s also getting plenty of other interest, too, including having frequent contact with Louisville, LSU, Purdue, South Carolina, and Florida State, plus offers from Eastern Kentucky, UT Martin, Ohio, and Bowling Green, among others. Keathley sat down with Kentucky Wildcats on SI to talk about his recent visit to Kentucky. What were his impressions of the staff? He shared a conversation he had with them before Tuesday’s game. He also had some interactions with others, too.
“They really talked about how well I scored it and how they’ve been hearing about me for a long time,” Keathley said of his conversation with the Kentucky staff. “One of the (Kentucky) assistants mentioned he had a coaching friend tell them that they better jump on me quick cause I was really good. I had several fans come up to me and take pictures. Jack Givens welcomed me and talked to me for a little bit and said he’s highly impressed with my game and plans on coming to a game soon. A couple of other UK players came up, they were really nice and said they been keeping up with me.”
As a Kentucky kid, Keathley says he been a fan of the Wildcats since he was little, even getting to train with Tyrese Maxey this summer, and he also had some great things to say about what he saw from fellow Kentucky natives and current Wildcats Trent Noah, Jasper Johnson, and Malachi Moreno. “I looked up to players like Tyler Herro, SGA, Tyrese Maxey, Devin Booker, Malik Monk and Reed Sheppard. I got lucky that I got to train with Maxey for a week in August,” Keathley said. “I saw Trent Noah last night having great energy and keeping a smile on his face during warmups. You could tell he loved every minute wearing that Kentucky uniform. He cares and it shows. I saw Jasper and Moreno warming up hard. The one thing about it, and my dad always told me, it’s a different place. You got to be special to play there and be willing to accept everything that comes with wearing that jersey.”
Interestingly enough, Keathley’s dad coached former Kentucky greats Anthony Epps and Wayne Turner after their time at Kentucky, so Keathley has a family history of being around all that comes with the passion of Kentucky basketball. What did Keathley’s dad learn about the two former Wildcats he got the privilege to coach? “He said they carried a chip on their shoulder and were great leaders always humble but tough. and I have to do the same.” Now, for Keathley, it’s about climbing the ranks nationally. “A couple (recruiting services) don’t have me ranked yet and that’s ok. I’m going to walk in the gym every night and know I outworked you and I’m going to outplay you,” he said. “I’m going to compete like every game is a championship. I’m going to to play with the same passion that the fans have. I’m always all in there’s no going back or in-between.”
Keathley has so much passion for his community in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, and he has plans of doing big things at Martin County. He also shared a message Trent Noah’s dad had for him during their interaction at Tuesday’s Kentucky game. “Something he said that really stuck out. ‘Us mountain people have got to stick together.’ He’s right, Eastern Kentucky has great people and basketball players. Kentucky basketball as whole, we got to stick together through the highs and lows. That’s what we do.”
That’s a great message from a parent of a current Wildcat who was in his shoes before, being a fellow native of that part of the state. The Kentucky staff is certainly going to keep an eye on him as he continues the impressive run he is on so far this season, because he just continues to catch more and more people’s attention with his play.
Kentucky
Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie introduces legislation for U.S. to leave NATO – UPI.com
Dec. 10 (UPI) — U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican serving a House district in Kentucky, introduced legislation for the United States to pull out of NATO.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida, posted on X that she would be a co-sponsor of the Not a Trusted Organization Act, or NATO Act. Utah Republican Mike Lee introduced the same legislation in the Senate earlier this year.
“NATO is a Cold War relic,” Massie said in a statement Tuesday. “We should withdraw from NATO and use that money to defend our own country, not socialist countries.
“NATO was created to counter the Soviet Union, which collapsed over 30 years ago. Since then, U.S. participation has cost taxpayers trillions of dollars and continues to risk U.S. involvement in foreign wars.”
He added: “Our Constitution did not authorize permanent foreign entanglements, something our Founding Fathers explicitly warned us against. America should not be the world’s security blanket – especially when wealthy countries refuse to pay for their own defense.”
NATO was founded in 1949 by 12 members as a military alliance involving European nations, as well as the U.S. and Canada in North America. There are now 32 members, with Finland joining in 2023 and Sweden in 2024.
The NATO Act would prevent the use of U.S. taxpayer funds for NATO’s common budgets, including its civil budget, military budget and the Security Investment Program.
Article 13 of the North Atlantic Treaty allows nations to opt out.
“After the Treaty has been in force for 20 years, any Party may cease to be a Party one year after its notice of denunciation has been given to the Government of the United States of America, which will inform the Governments of the other Parties of the deposit of each notice of denunciation,” the treaty reads.
During the last NATO summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, President Donald Trump told reporters he agrees with NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense treaty.
“I stand with it. That’s why I’m here,” Trump said. “If I didn’t stand with it, I wouldn’t be here.”
Article 5 was invoked for the first time after the 9/11 attacks in the United States, leading to NATO’s involvement in Afghanistan.
The Kentucky Republican, who calls himself a “fiscal hawk” and a “constitutional conservative,” has been at odds with Trump on several issues, including fiscal spending, foreign policy/war powers, government surveillance and transparency.
Trump has also been critical of NATO.
During his 2016 election campaign, Trump called the alliance “obsolete.”
He urged nations to spend at least 3.5% of gross domestic product on core defense needs by 2035.
In June, NATO allies agreed to a new defense spending guideline to invest 5% of GDP annually in defense and security by 2035.
Five nations were above 3% in 2024: Poland at 4.12%, Estonia at 3.43%, U.S. at 3.38%, Latvia at 3.15% and Greece at 3.08%. In last is Spain with 1.28% though Iceland has no armed forces and Sweden wasn’t listed.
Some Republican senators want stronger involvement in the alliance, including Joni Ernst of Iowa and Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi. Wicker is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
For passage, a House majority is needed, but 60 of 100 votes in the Senate to break the filibuster and then a majority vote. Trump could also veto the bill.
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