April 9, 2022. Louisville, KY. – With the traditional spin of a wheel Nancy Ngo of Louisville, was named the 2022 Kentucky Derby Festival Queen tonight during the 63rd annual Fillies Derby Ball at The Galt House Hotel. Nancy, 23-years-old, is a 2nd-year graduate student at the University of Louisville studying Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy. She is the current Director of Professional Development in the Graduate Student Council, a Trustee’s Scholar, and has earned Departmental Honors in the Psychology Department for successful defense of her thesis.
This year’s Derby Festival Princesses excitedly awaited the traditional spin-of-the-wheel, performed by Fillies President Paula Bishop. The other members of the Court include: Jimi Porter of Louisville, a senior at the University of Louisville majoring in both Computer Information Systems and Marketing; Sarah Rhodes of Louisville, a junior at Northern Kentucky University majoring in Nursing; Molly Sullivan of Campbellsville, KY, a senior at the University of Kentucky majoring in agricultural economics, marketing and management; and Haven Wolfe of Butler, KY, a sophomore at Northern Kentucky University with a triple major in Communication Studies, Journalism and Electronic Media and Broadcasting.
Chosen each year as ambassadors for the Kentucky Derby Festival, the Royal Court is made up of outstanding young women from around the state. Selected from a pool of nearly 100 applicants, the newly crowned Queen and the Court will reign through 2022 and attend nearly all events during this year’s Festival. They’ll help share the Derby Festival spirit, as well as the importance of academics, volunteerism and community involvement, as they represent the community at a variety of functions.
Criteria for selection included knowledge of the Derby Festival, poise, intelligence, personality and campus/community involvement. Each woman receives two $1,000 scholarships (one from the Fillies, Inc., and one from the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation) and an official wardrobe.
The Fillies, Inc. was established to support the Kentucky Derby Festival. Their mission is to organize the traditional Fillies Derby Ball as a fundraiser for the Derby Festival’s Foundation, coordinate the “Royal Court Program,” and produce the “Children’s Tea” event.
Past Derby Festival Queens include Martha Layne Collins – Kentucky’s first woman Governor, the late Gail Gorski – the first female pilot for United Airlines and a number of other community leaders. Many say their Derby Festival experience helped them prepare for their future careers.
The Fillies Derby Ball is produced by The Fillies, Inc. Dillard’s and Total Wine & More are the Presenting Sponsors of this year’s ball. Media Sponsor is TOPS Louisville.
About Kentucky Derby Festival
2022 marks the 67th year for the Kentucky Derby Festival. The Festival is an independent community organization 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 $127 million. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
