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Honorary
Chair
Nick Nicholson, Keeneland President and Chief Executive
Officer
Nick
Nicholson became Keeneland's sixth president in January of 2000.
Prior to joining Keeneland, Nicholson was the executive vice
president and executive director of The Jockey Club, which
maintains the official pedigree of all North American
Thoroughbreds. During his tenure at The Jockey Club, several
innovations were implemented, including the introduction of The
Jockey Club Interactive, the world's first interactive
Thoroughbred registration system. While at The Jockey Club, he
took a leave of absence to help form the National Thoroughbred
Racing Association and served as its first chief operating
officer.
Before
joining The Jockey Club in 1989, he was executive vice president
of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association/Kentucky Thoroughbred
Owners and Breeders and was instrumental in the drafting and
passage of the bill that allows intertrack wagering. Earlier in
his career, Nicholson served as executive assistant to Kentucky
Senator Wendell Ford in Washington, D.C. He previously served as
administrative assistant to Kentucky's Commissioner of Parks.
"There's
a pride and a loyalty among Keeneland's employees that
transcends from the top to the bottom. It is my honor to serve
with a team of individuals that continually go the "extra
mile" in all they do," Nicholson said. "From a
simple smile and greeting to our guests to handling complicated
situations, the dedication of the Keeneland staff is
tremendous."
Nicholson
is the current chairman of Equibase and serves on the board of
several other major industry organizations, including the
American Horse Council, NTRA, the Thoroughbred Racing
Association, and the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau. He
is a past president of the Thoroughbred Club of America and also
served as vice chairman of the International Catalog Standards
Committee.
For
his many contributions to the industry, Nicholson received the
Lifetime Service Award from the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders
Association, as well as The Jockey Club Gold Medal. In 2004, he
was elected a member of The Jockey Club.
Nicholson's
community involvement includes serving on the board of the Urban
League, Commerce Lexington Inc., KET Commonwealth Fund,
Transylvania University, Shakertown and Central Bank.
Nick
and his wife Susan have two children. Trish is a graduate of the
University of Kentucky and Nick III is a graduate of Wake Forest
University and the University of Kentucky College of
Law.
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