June 10, 2026. Louisville, KY. – President of Omega Consulting, LLC, Bill Fisher, Jr., will Chair the 2027 Kentucky Derby Festival. Fisher, who has served on the Festival’s Board for 18 years, was elected by the Board of Directors at their annual meeting this afternoon. Fisher is a seasoned global operations executive with more than 35 years of leadership experience in manufacturing, supply chain, and business. He retired from DuPont after a 27-year career leading large-scale global operations. He follows the leadership of Louisville attorney Louis I. Waterman, who will continue serving as Immediate Past Chair of the Derby Festival.
“When I first joined the Kentucky Derby Festival Board in 2004, I simply wanted a fun way to give back to the Louisville community,” said Bill Fisher. “What I could never have imagined was the privilege of working alongside so many dedicated directors, staff members, volunteers, sponsors and community leaders who make the Festival possible year after year.”
Fisher is a graduate of Prairie View A&M University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He serves on the boards of Teckrez and Norplex-Micarta and is an Executive Partner with Hidden Harbor Capital Partners. He has served multiple terms on the Festival’s Board since first being elected in 2004, including nine years on the Executive Board. As a Festival Board Member, Fisher has supported numerous Festival events and programs, including Thunder Over Louisville, Republic Bank BourbonVille, Commonwealth Credit Union WineFest, They’re Off! Luncheon Presented by BAE Systems, and the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation. He and his wife, Cheryl, live in Louisville and enjoy sharing Festival memories with their sons, Will and Jordan.
Matt Gibson serves as President & CEO of the Derby Festival. Les Fugate, VP Director, Public Affairs, U.S. State & Local, Canada & Latin America for Brown-Forman Corporation was elected Chair-Elect; Rebecca Wood, Chief Growth Officer of East & Westbrook Construction was elected Secretary; and Mike Gandolfo, Owner & Principal Broker of RE Solutions, was named Treasurer.
Joining the 68-member Board as newly elected directors are: Patrick Armstrong (President/CEO, Kentucky Derby Museum); Shari Broecker, who is the 2027 President of The Fillies, Inc.; Andre’ Douglas, (Department for Veteran Affairs); Jeff Durbin, (DriView); Kendra Flanigan, (Humana); Eric Fow, (Summit Media); Doris Sims, (Danny Wimmer Presents); and Michael Sutt, Anchorage Middletown Fire & EMS.
Dates for some of the Festival’s signature events are already set for 2027 and can be found on the Festival’s website at KDF.org.
About Kentucky Derby Festival
2027 marks the 72nd year for the Kentucky Derby Festival, a month-long celebration packed with 70+ events leading up to the first Saturday in May. As an independent community organization, it’s supported by 4,000 volunteers, more than 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people every spring and has a local economic impact of more than $200 million. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single-attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
