Transylvania University trustee Palmer “Gene” Vance II ’87 has provided decades of consistent leadership and generous support to strengthen student success.
“Gene has been one of Transy’s most dedicated volunteers and supporters since his graduation,” said Vice President for Advancement Kara Little Covert ’90. “Out of a true love for our alma mater, he does everything he can to help current and future Pioneers.”
Vance is a member of Stoll Keenon Ogden’s Lexington office, where he has practiced law since 1995.
In addition to his strong support of The Annual Fund, he has contributed to numerous projects at Transylvania. In 2017, he established the Palmer and Peggy Vance Scholarship Fund for first-generation Pioneers with financial need. Priority is given to students from Floyd, Johnson, Magoffin, Martin and Morgan counties, and potentially elsewhere in Eastern Kentucky.
Most recently, Vance was a strong backer of the Don Dugi Endowed Professorship. He also named the Campus Center’s Student Engagement Conference Room and the second-floor hallway of the Carpenter Academic Center.
“Supporting Transylvania financially allows me to express gratitude for how much Transy has meant to me over the years,” Vance said. “It is essential that alumni support projects like the Dugi Professorship to ensure that current and future students have the same opportunity to succeed that we did.”
In the legal field, Vance focuses on business and commercial litigation, product liability, toxic torts, intellectual property, insurance coverage and more. He was recognized by his peers as the 2019 Products Liability-Defense Lawyer of the Year in Lexington by Best Lawyers in America, where he is listed. And he has been honored as a Kentucky Super Lawyer and in the International Who’s Who of Commercial Litigators.
Additionally, Vance has held major leadership roles in the profession, serving as chair of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, the second-ranking officer in the ABA. He has also chaired the ABA Section of Litigation, served as president of the Fayette County Bar Association and has been active with the Kentucky Bar Association, including as a member of its Board of Governors.
“We are proud of all he continues to accomplish and incredibly grateful for his generosity,” Covert said. “Having known him since college, I can attest that this is simply who he is — a terrific example of someone who always focuses on helping others.”