Our Staff
Mason Dyer
President
mason.dyer@aikcu.org
Mason Dyer was named AIKCU president in February 2023 after briefly serving as interim president.
He has extensive experience in AIKCU operations, having served in several roles since joining the nonprofit in 2005. He most recently was vice president of Public Affairs, where he oversaw marketing/communications and research efforts, worked alongside the president in the areas of policy and government relations, and coordinated collaborative meetings and activities for many of AIKCU's member groups.
Mason previously worked for Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass. He holds degrees from two AIKCU member institutions: a bachelor’s degree from Centre College, where he double majored in English and history, and a master’s degree in Business Communication from Spalding University. As an AmeriCorps alumnus prior to entering the nonprofit world, he completed additional graduate work in English and taught first-year composition.
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He represents Kentucky's independent colleges with his involvement on these state and national boards and committees.
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State Boards & Committees
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Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority/Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation Board of Directors
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Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
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Kentucky Nonprofit Network Board of Directors
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Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program Board of Directors
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Commonwealth Education Continuum
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State Advisory Council for Gifted and Talented Education
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Council on Postsecondary Education Healthcare Workforce Investment Fund Steering Committee
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National Committees
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National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities State Executives Committee
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NAICU Committee on Policy Analysis and Public Relations
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Council of Independent Colleges State Council Advisory Committee
Mason lives in Lexington with his wife, a public-school educator. They have three children, two of whom currently attend independent colleges and the other who is planning to after finishing high school.
CONTACT FOR AIKCU GROUPS: Presidents, Chief Academic Officers, Diversity Officers (with Carol Juett), Legislative Liaisons
Krista Hudson, Ph.D.
Vice President of Finance and Administration
krista.hudson@aikcu.org
Krista Hudson, Ph.D., joined AIKCU in 2012. As vice president of finance and administration, she manages all business and finance operations, including major collaborative efforts such as the AIKCU Benefit Alliance. From her prior work consulting and directing nonprofits, Krista brings critical experience in management and programs and a background in political science and public administration.
Krista is also passionate about changing the circumstances of the disadvantaged. She is a co-founder of the Wanda Joyce Robinson Foundation, which serves children of the incarcerated and seeks to break the generational cycle of crime and incarceration. For her doctoral dissertation, she studied the transformation of prisoners through participation in postsecondary education programs while incarcerated.
She holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Kentucky State University and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from the University of the Cumberlands.
CONTACT FOR AIKCU GROUPS: Advancement Officers. Business Officers, Human Resources Officers, Information Technology Officers & IE/IR Registrars, Librarians, Student Affairs Officers
Carol Juett
Assistant Vice President for Member and External Relations
carol.juett@aikcu.org
Carol Juett came to AIKCU in 2020 to serve as assistant vice president for Member and External Relations. She coordinates membership activities and works with a variety of external constituencies.
She has more than 25 years of experience with state governments and nonprofit associations. She previously served as director of development and corporate relations at The Council of State Governments. While there she created business community partnerships to support CSG’s educational efforts across a wide range of issues and was instrumental in the success of the CSG Henry Toll Fellowship program, the nation’s premier leadership development program for state government officials from all three branches of government. She has also been on staff for two Kentucky Senate presidents.
Carol majored in English at Georgetown College, an AIKCU member institution located in her hometown.
CONTACT FOR AIKCU GROUPS: Admissions Officers, Campus Safety Officers, Career Services Officers, Diversity Officers (with President Dyer), Facilities Officers, Financial Aid Officers, Marketing/Communications Officers (with Leigh Anne Hiatt)
Leigh Anne Hiatt
Communications Specialist
leighanne.hiatt@aikcu.org
Leigh Anne Hiatt joined AIKCU as communications specialist in 2023 to assist with marketing and communications projects. She has extensive experience heading communications programs in state government, a private college, a statewide association, and health care.
She previously held positions at the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts, Georgetown College, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, UnitedHealthcare, and two Kentucky hospitals.
She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Georgetown College, an AIKCU member institution, and a master’s degree in journalism from Indiana University Bloomington.