Mary Harville, CEO and President of the Kentucky Lottery, has announced that she will retire next year.
Announcing that she will step down from the role in February 2026, Harville thanked Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear for voting trust in her and making her the first woman and the second Kentucky native to serve in the role in more than 30 years.
She stated: “As a native Kentuckian, it has been my honor and privilege to serve as the face of the Kentucky Lottery and connect with fellow Kentuckians throughout the Commonwealth, including our multi-faceted stakeholder groups: players and supporters, retailers, Kentucky colleges and universities, legislators and other government officials, communities, and our ultimate beneficiaries who are counting on us – Kentucky college students and their families.”
Appointed as the Kentucky Lottery CEO in September 2020, during her five-year tenure Harville oversaw a total of $1.9bn transfers to the State – almost 25% of the State’s total transfers since the lottery’s inception. Furthermore, she managed to reduce operating expenses as a percentage of sales to a record low of 1.9%.
The lottery also won the “Best place to work in Kentucky” award by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce for five consecutive years under Harville’s supervision.
Commercial-wise, Harville’s leadership resulted in a significant expansion of the lottery’s online segment thanks to the implementation of a number of sales growth strategies that led to a Compounded Annual Growth Rate of 79% for the company’s digital channel.
The outgoing CEO also oversaw the state-wide roll out of new retail terminals and other equipment upgrades across 3,500 retail locations.
Governor Beshear also commented on her departure: “Mary’s leadership has led the Kentucky Lottery to years of success, helping students and families across our commonwealth access a quality education they deserve for a bright future.
“I am grateful to Mary for her commitment to our commonwealth and our people, and I wish her the best of luck in this next chapter.”
Current Kentucky Lottery Executive Vice President Maggie Garrison will take over Harville’s duties of CEO and Lottery President when the transition is finalised in February next year.