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Justice and Public Safety Cabinet
Appel Promoted to Justice Cabinet’s Director of Personnel
Stephanie Appel has been promoted to Director of Personnel for the Justice & Public Safety Cabinet. Appel’s promotion was effective May 16th.
In her new role, Appel will help the Justice Cabinet manage union relations, furloughs, KHRIS (Kentucky Human Resource Information System), and uniform personnel policies. She will oversee all of the Cabinet’s departmental personnel managers.
“Stephanie Appel has been directly involved in the KHRIS project since its inception and has done an excellent job,” said Corrections Commissioner LaDonna Thompson. “This move to the Cabinet level is a natural progression with the work she has done.”
Appel began her career in 1995 in the Finance and Administration Cabinet where she worked until coming to the Department of Corrections, Division of Personnel in June 2000. She has held such positions as Personnel Management Specialist III, Personnel Administrator, Personnel Branch Manager, Assistant Director and Director of Personnel.
During her 11 years with the Department of Corrections, Appel has overseen the implementation of new personnel systems; assisted with opening of Little Sandy Correctional Complex; has helped streamline personnel processes; and has regionalized the personnel services in Oldham and Shelby Counties. Her accomplishments have helped gain the respect of agency personnel throughout the Commonwealth for herself as well as the Cabinet as a whole.
Appel serves as the Justice & Public Safety Cabinet representative at the Human Resources Consortium Meetings with the Personnel Cabinet Secretary as well as being a long time member of Personnel Council.
A long-time member of the International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR), Appel has held many elected offices, both in Kentucky as well as for the Southern Region of IPMA-HR, to include President of the Kentucky Chapter and Treasurer of the Southern Region. In 2009, Appel was elected as the Southern Region’s President-Elect for IPMA-HR. This is a six year commitment, as she will serve two years each as President-Elect, President, and Immediate Past President. She obtained the IPMA-CP designation, declaring her a ‘Certified Professional’ in Human Resources and Public Management. After her 2009 recertification, she remained the only active Kentucky State Government employee to earn this designation. Appel is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the American Correctional Association (ACA). She attended Midway College and the University of Kentucky and holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration.
Two other key DOC Division of Personnel staff have also been promoted: Amanda Coulter has been promoted to Executive Staff Advisor and Bobbie Underwood has been promoted to Human Resources Branch Manager for the Department.
“Amanda Coulter and Bobbie Underwood are excellent employees who played key roles for us during the KHRIS conversion. These are well deserved promotions,” said Thompson.
Coulter worked in the private sector in the human resources field for approximately eight years before coming to work for state government. She initially worked for the Transportation Cabinet before joining the Department of Corrections Division of Personnel Services six years ago. Underwood began her career with the Department of Corrections in 2005 at Blackburn Correctional Complex in the Human Resources Office. Ten months later she joined the Department’s Personnel Services Division.
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