2026 Alumni & Friends Reception
This event is open to all current and former students of the Martin School and our current Board of Visitors, but seating is limited and will be available on a first-come-first-served basis.
You are invited to join the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration for our annual Alumni and Friends Banquet on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, from 5:30–7:30 pm. Light refreshments will be provided. We will present our newest Distinguished Alumnus award to David Duttlinger, P.E., MPA (2002) and induct Sally Hamilton, Ph.D. into the Kentucky Public Service Hall of Fame.
Event Location: Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center, 141 E. Main St., Lexington, KY 40507
Date/Time: Tuesday, April 21 from 5:30-7:30pm
- Networking and Refreshments: 5:30-6:30pm
- Ceremony: 6:30-7:30pm
Parking: Paid parking is available in the Helix and Public Library garages. Metered street parking may also be available.
Full agenda coming soon.
Sally Hamilton, Ph.D.
Sally Hamilton began her career in state government in 1975 at the Kentucky Department of Local Government, after she had just received her PhD in German studies and was struggling to find a teaching job. Never did she expect to have a 50 plus year career in public service, but she continued with positions in the Finance Cabinet, at Kentucky Educational Television and in the Kentucky Department of Education. She retired very briefly but returned to work for former state Auditor Crit Luallen. Her last and hopefully final career move has been to Lexington-Fayette Urban where she began as Commissioner of General Services in the fall of 2011.
For the last 13 years, she has served as the Chief Administrative Officer, which has provided her the opportunity to oversee all aspects of city government and work closely with two mayors and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council. Public service has given her so much. She has been a part of many initiatives that have improved people’s lives. Public service has taught her to listen and appreciate the struggles and differences that affect our residents, and she has enjoyed every minute of it. She is especially proud of the renovation of Lexington's Old Courthouse, the relocation of the Civil War statues to the Lexington Cemetery, as well as the building of the Senior Center on Life Lane and the soon-to-be-completed Senior and Therapeutic Recreation Center at Shilito Park.
David Duttliner, P.E., MPA
David Hans Duttlinger, P.E., MPA, has served as Executive Director of the Bluegrass Area Development District (Bluegrass ADD) since 2013. Bluegrass ADD is Central Kentucky’s regional council of government, providing planning, economic development, grant administration, workforce development, infrastructure planning, hazard mitigation, and aging services to a 17-county region. Under his leadership, the organization connects federal and state resources to local governments to strengthen communities and improve quality of life across the Bluegrass region.
Mr. Duttlinger joined Bluegrass ADD in 2007 as Director of Community and Economic Development, where he combined public finance and civil engineering expertise to structure complex infrastructure and utility projects. His work included developing capitalization strategies, negotiating public financing, and designing water and infrastructure investment plans. These efforts helped expand access to public water in Central Kentucky from approximately 70 percent to more than 99 percent.
Prior to public service, Mr. Duttlinger spent ten years as a project manager with a Lexington-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in water and wastewater systems. He managed projects from conception through construction and provided technical and management consulting services including engineering reports, facility plans, rate studies, and infrastructure rehabilitation strategies.
A native of Berea, Kentucky, Mr. Duttlinger earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Vanderbilt University through a Navy ROTC scholarship. He also holds a Master of Science from Stanford University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Kentucky. He served 33 years in the United States Navy, retiring in 2025 as a Rear Admiral after senior leadership roles with Naval Facilities Engineering Command and the Naval Construction Forces.
