By Lindsey Piercy and Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 20, 2026) — The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky inducted four alumni and one emeritus faculty member into its Hall of Fame on Friday, April 17.

The honor recognizes UK Arts and Sciences alumni and faculty who exemplify the foundational importance of an arts and sciences education and who have contributed significantly to their professions, their communities and the university.

This year, inductees were honored in three award categories: Distinguished Alumni Award, Bright Futures Leadership Award and Emeriti Faculty Award.

“Our Hall of Fame honorees reflect the very best of Arts and Sciences,” Ana Franco-Watkins, dean of Arts and Sciences, said. “They have built meaningful careers, led with purpose, and made a lasting difference in their professions and communities.”

Distinguished Alumni Award

Janet M. Norton, B.A. Topical ’78, J.D. ’81

Norton, of Louisville, serves as chief legal and regulatory affairs officer, vice president and corporate secretary of Baptist Healthcare System Inc. — the largest health care system in Kentucky. In this role, she leads a wide range of functions, including legal services, cybersecurity, government relations, compliance and risk management.

Baptist Health operates nine hospitals and more than 400 locations, with a workforce of more than 26,000 employees.

Norton’s 30-year career also includes serving as interim co-CEO for Baptist Health, as well as prior roles at Humana Inc., the Kentucky Court of Appeals and the Commonwealth of Kentucky Development Cabinet.

In addition to advising more than 30 Baptist Health entity boards, Norton serves as a director of a captive insurance company and the Kentucky Institute of Patient Safety and Quality and sits on the advisory board of St. Joseph’s Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor.

Norton earned her bachelor’s degree with high distinction from UK and her law degree with distinction from the UK J. David Rosenberg College of Law.

“My Arts and Sciences education helped me see the value and joy of a purposeful life and a love of learning,” she said. “My seven years at UK, as an undergraduate and through law school, helped me mature and — along with family and friends — gave me a good foundation to appreciate the blessings I’ve received in my personal and family life and in my career.”

William F. Schweri II, B.A. Anthropology ’69, M.A. Anthropology ’78

Schweri was UK’s first director of federal relations in the Office of the Vice President for Research — a role he held until his retirement in 2015. In Washington, D.C., he served as a registered lobbyist and helped secure more than $200 million in direct federal appropriations for the university.

Over a 42-year career at UK and 37 years in research administration, Schweri also served as director of the Office of Sponsored Program Development. Earlier in his career, he worked as a research associate at the Center for Developmental Change and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala.

Schweri has been a member of the Society of Research Administrators International since 1978, where he served as president and earned numerous honors, including the Excellence Award and the Herbert B. Chermside Award for Distinguished Contribution to Research Administration.

Schweri continues to support the college through service on the Arts and Sciences Leadership Advisory Board.

“As an Arts and Sciences undergraduate, I learned to think critically,” he said. “In graduate school, my anthropology mentors taught me to be an objective participant observer — skills that were critical to my career in research management and federal relations.”

William Barry Lee, B.S. Biology ’94, M.D. ’98

Lee is a physician partner at Eye Consultants of Atlanta and Piedmont Healthcare, where he has practiced ophthalmology for more than two decades. He specializes in corneal transplantation, complex cataract surgery and LASIK vision correction.

A native of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Lee earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from UK before completing a cornea fellowship at the University of California, Davis. He has performed and taught advanced surgical techniques worldwide and has trained more than 20 surgical fellows.

Lee has served as president of both the Georgia Society of Ophthalmology and the Cornea Society — an international organization representing surgeons from more than 50 countries. He also serves as medical director of the Georgia Eye Bank.

Lee’s numerous honors include the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Senior Achievement Award and the Eye Bank Association of America’s R. Townley Paton Award.

“I’ve been fortunate to accomplish many things over my 53 years, but I am most proud to say I graduated from the University of Kentucky and to share my pride in this university and this college within it.” he said. “This university shaped me into who I am today. Without UK I would not have the successful career I have built or be blessed with the amazing family I have.”

Bright Futures Leadership Award

Hannah Haksgaard, B.A. Political Science ’09, B.A. ’09

Haksgaard is a professor at the University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law, where she teaches property and family law. Her scholarship also focuses on the rural lawyer shortage, including her forthcoming book, “The Rural Lawyer: How to Incentivize Rural Law Practice and Help Small Communities Thrive.”

She earned her bachelor’s degrees from UK before receiving her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She later clerked for federal judges in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Although she now lives in South Dakota, Haksgaard maintains deep Kentucky roots, with family ties to Leslie County dating back to the late 1700s.

“Arts and Sciences gave me the opportunity to obtain a broad liberal arts education,” she continued. “Those opportunities exposed me to different worldviews and equipped me with critical thinking skills.”

Emeriti Faculty Award

Steven W. Yates, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry

Yates is professor emeritus of chemistry at UK, where he taught and conducted research for nearly five decades. He joined the UK faculty in 1975 and served in a range of leadership roles, including director of the UK Accelerator Laboratory and chair of the Department of Chemistry.

A leading scholar in nuclear structure and spectroscopy, Yates conducted pioneering experiments that advanced understanding of inelastic neutron scattering and collective excitations in nuclei. His research later expanded into key areas of neutrino and particle physics. He has authored or co-authored more than 300 publications and mentored generations of scientists.

Yates’ contributions to teaching, research and service have been recognized with numerous honors, including the American Chemical Society’s Glenn T. Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry. He is a fellow of both the American Chemical Society and the American Physical Society.

In addition to his research and teaching, Yates played an active role in university service, holding multiple leadership positions within the college and helping strengthen alumni engagement in the department. He retired in 2023.

“I found everyday of research stimulating," Yates said. "The work that I did at the university, the research and teaching, made me whole."