Kim TaylorHonorary Membership (2022) It is an honor and a privilege and recognize Kim Taylor for TACRAO Honorary Membership. Kim began her career at East Texas State University in 1979, when she was hired as a clerk typist by Fred Russell to work in the vault and file the paper records. Throughout her 23-year career at ETSU, Kim held every job in the Registrar’s Office, including assistant registrar and associate registrar before becoming the university registrar. Kim indicated that her time at ETSU provided the foundation for her career and that her mentors Fred Russell and John Edwards taught her the importance of integrity, commitment and loyalty. Kim said that “Fred and John saw something in me that I didn’t have enough confidence to even see in myself. They invested in me as a person and taught me this profession that I have loved and invested my life in.” Kim left Texas A&M University-Commerce in 2001 and became the University Registrar at Northern Kentucky University in 2002, where she spent ten years. While at NKU, she was part of a team that implemented a new student administrative system and later became an associate director of information technology. In 2012, Kim had the opportunity to return to the Great State of Texas, where she became an associate registrar at The University of Texas at Austin, where she had responsibility for student records, grading, transcripts, veterans’ certification, degree audit and athletic eligibility and certification. In 2017, Kim returned to Kentucky where she became the University Registrar at the University of Kentucky. Throughout her career, Kim has been active in KACRAO, TACRAO and SACRAO, including serving as the current SACRAO Past-President. Previous roles include KACRAO President, KACRAO Vice-President for Records and Registration, SACRAO Vice-President for Topics in Higher Education, committee member and chair on numerous committees, Local Arrangements Committee member, SACRAO Nominations & Elections Committee Chair and 2012 SACRAO Local Arrangements Committee Chair and 2016 TACRAO Local Arrangements Committee Co-Chair. Kim was active in TACRAO throughout her career in Texas, serving as a committee chair, newsletter editor and presenter. Kim currently resides in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband Paul Taylor and their two Cairn Terriers, Tex and Jack. She enjoys spending time with her seven grandchildren from age 2 to 21, cooking, gardening, traveling, football, tailgating and beach trips in the summer with the entire family. Kim’s fondest memories of TACRAO are when she first got involved many years ago and was mentored by Fred Russell and John Edwards. She remembers how exciting it was when first being introduced to professional development through their eyes. In terms of the future, Kim is not sure what the future holds -- Likely retirement, but not too soon as she is still enjoying the daily grind of the Registrar’s Office at the University of Kentucky. Please join me in welcoming and congratulating Kim Taylor as TACRAO’s newest honorary member.  |