UK HealthCare welcomes new Director of Community Communications

Lexington, Ky. (Dec. 3, 2025) — UK HealthCare has named Crystal Staley as the new director of community communications, supporting UK St. Claire, UK King’s Daughters and UK HealthCare clinics across Eastern Kentucky.
 

In this role, Staley will lead communication strategy, manage media and crisis communication and strengthen digital engagement and brand visibility for the communities we serve. She will also deepen community partnerships, highlight employee accomplishments and work with leaders across the system to support UK HealthCare’s communication goals.
 

Staley will additionally support communication related to the university’s efforts to better connect UK HealthCare, UK St. Claire and UK King’s Daughters through aligned systems and shared services. This work will make it easier for team members to collaborate and care for patients across the Commonwealth.
 

“We are pleased to welcome Crystal to UK St. Claire and UK HealthCare,” said Don Lloyd II, president and CEO of UK St. Claire. “She understands the importance of strong local hospitals and the power of connection across our region. Her experience and her commitment to serving Kentucky will help us advance high-quality care close to home.”
 

Staley said she is grateful to join an organization deeply committed to its people and communities. She looks forward to partnering with teams across the system to support clear communication and help advance UK HealthCare’s mission of Advancing Kentucky.
 

Before joining UK HealthCare, Staley most recently served as communications director for Governor Andy Beshear, helping guide statewide messaging during the pandemic, natural disasters and major public-health and economic initiatives. She also served in senior communication roles in the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, supporting public messaging during major legal and regulatory matters. Earlier in her career, she led communication efforts for statewide workforce programs that benefited state employees and health plan members across Kentucky.
 

Staley is a graduate of Morehead State University and holds a master’s degree from the University of Kentucky’s Martin School of Public Policy and Administration.

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UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborn and the region’s only Level 1 trauma center.

As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the health care landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.