John Y. Brown III was born into a family dedicated to serving Kentucky in many ways, including the arena of public service. John’s grandfather served in U. S. Congress under FDR and as Kentucky’s Speaker of the House. His father served as Governor of Kentucky from 1979-1983. So it almost seemed inevitable that John would serve the Commonwealth: in 1995 he was elected as Kentucky’s Secretary of State at the age of 32. Re-elected without opposition, he served a second term ending in 2003.
His accomplishments as secretary of state include:
- “Best Practice” by the National Governor’s Association for a program that helped new businesses.
- Two terms as Chair of National Association of Secretaries of State Election’s Committee.
- Led National Election Reform Task Force that prompted the Help America Vote Act ($3.9 billion in state funding)
- Co-Chair of the Governor’s Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in 2002-03.
- Saved taxpayers $850,000 through efficiency and cost-cutting management measures.
Before entering politics, John headed up franchising for Roaster’s Inc., developing fast food venues in 37 states and several foreign countries. More recently, John served as vice-president of ResCare, working in government relations for the Louisville based human services company with over 40,000 employees in over 40 states and several foreign countries. He loves sharing his enthusiasm for business and law and served as an adjunct professor at Bellarmine University in Louisville. In 2007, John ran unsuccessfully as the lieutenant governor running mate on a ticket with gubernatorial candidate Jody Richards (Kentucky’s Speaker of the House) in a spirited seven slate Democratic primary.
This combination of business, government, legal and academic experience prepared John perfectly for the birth of the JYB3 Group, a firm dedicated to bringing the best of commerce and government together for the common wealth of all Kentuckians.
John also serves as “Of Counsel” for the law firm Miller Wells PLLC where he heads the firm’s government relations practice.
John graduated magna cum laude from Bellarmine University (history major/philosophy minor), earned a law degree (with distinction) from University of Kentucky, and then went back to Bellarmine for his M.B.A. in 2003.
