In 2007, Shelley Gilreath of Whitley City served as a deputy to the 111^th Annual Diocesan Convention for the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, where she was an outspoken ambassador for St. Patrick’s.

          A natural competitor, Shelley has excelled in both academics and sports. She is considered by many to be one of the premiere female tennis player to come out of Kentucky, and, in her early teens, nearly played professional tennis as a living. At 14, she was chosen as Miss Kentucky Perfect Teen, and presently works as a model, image and pageant consultant, and banquet server for the Kentucky State Parks. Shelley was a 2007 contender for the Miss Kentucky USA title and an interview award winner in that event. She is a student in criminal justice and plans to attend law school to become a juvenile advocate.

          As a published writer and poet, Shelley has been called “the voice of her generation” and “the next great Southern writer.“ She also wrote and directed the student short-film, Birmingham, tackling such issues as domestic violence, alcoholism, and suicide.

          In her spare time, Shelley enjoys art, movies, karaoke, politics, history, and going to the gym. She counts eating and “pretending to cook” among her passions, and has, to her credit, downed 24 pieces of pizza and 6 cheeseburgers in one sitting; her personal record.  She was once asked to leave an "all you can eat" buffet.

          Born into an entreprenuerial family, Shane is a Louisvillian by birth.  He moved to McCreary County, from whence both his parents hailed, when he was three, and has lived in Whitley City ever since.  An alumnus of both Somerset Community College and the University of the Cumberlands, where he studied History as a major (and art as a minor), emphasizing British (Monarchical) history and the history of the American South. The House of Tudor and ante-bellum culture were considered his particular “expertise.” Obviously someone who appreciates change in his work, Shane has  done a lot both before and since graduating from college, including teaching a history course at McCreary Central High School, working in local television sales and advertising, television and radio news reporting, local government, and interpretive history and guest services for the Kentucky State Parks.  Shane is a  creative person and writer by nature. Aside from having a few projects in the works, he authored the booklet “The History of Kentucky through the Parks,” wrote a column as part of his work with the state parks, and has written both for the McCreary County Record and as a self-syndicate. He also writes an on-line blog.

          Shane calls himself a traditionalist and a "sports-aholic," and lists politics and cultures as a particular interests, and has worked in various capacities on bi-partisan political campaigns across the South: principally, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Louisiana.  Presently, he sits as the vice-president of the board of directors for the McCreary Fest Organization.