YOUNG CENTRE ASSOCIATE OF THE YEAR FOR 2011
ROBERT M. (ROB) DUNCAN, JR.
In his professional life, engagement in civic affairs, and service to alma mater, our Young Centre Associate of the Year for 2011 has already compiled a record of achievement that epitomizes the ideals set forth in the College’s mission statement, which speaks of preparing students for lives of learning, leadership, and service.
A member of the Centre College Class of 2000, Robert M. (Rob) Duncan, Jr., was a leader in campus life, especially as a varsity athlete and an officer of his fraternity, during his years as a student. As a varsity athlete, he was a member of the men’s basketball team from 1996 to 1998, and a student assistant coach during the 2000 season. He also served as vice president and philanthropy chair of the Kentucky Kappa Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity from 1998 to 2000. In recognition of his role in these positions and his achievements in the classroom, he was inducted into the membership of the Order of Omega, a Greek-life honorary and leadership society.
Upon graduating from Centre, he enrolled at the University of Kentucky College of Law, and received the degree Juris Doctor in 2003. He then began his career in law as a clerk for Senior United States District Judge Henry R. Wilhoit, Jr., in Ashland, Kentucky. In January 2005, he joined the United States Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Lexington, Kentucky, Office of the United States Attorney. During his career as a federal prosecutor, he has handled a wide variety of cases, including ones involving violent crime, gun crime, gang crime, narcotics trafficking, public corruption, and white collar offenses. He also has been a leader within his office, where he currently coordinates efforts to reduce gun and gang crime in central and eastern Kentucky. He has received several performance-based awards for his work as a prosecutor, and in April 2006 he was awarded the United States Attorney’s Office Victim’s Rights Award for his commitment to crime victims’ issues.
Active in both civic affairs and professional organizations, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Lexington Humane Society, is president of the Kentucky Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and is a member of the Board of Trustees for Alice Lloyd College and the June Buchanan School in Pippa Passes, Kentucky. He also is actively involved with the Centre College Alumni Association and recently served as Class Gift Chair for the Class of 2000.
He and his wife, Valerie, whom he met while participating in Centre’s study abroad program in London, and their daughter, Taylor, live in Lexington. His mother, Joanne Kirk Duncan, is both an alumna and a trustee of Centre College.
In grateful recognition of his record of achievement in learning, leadership, and service, we are pleased to recognize Robert M. (Rob) Duncan, Jr., as Young Centre Associate of the Year for 2011.
