From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)

Chantel Bingham is a community leader and public servant from Versailles, Kentucky. She is the daughter of Geraldine Collins Brown and the late Charles E. Brown, Jr. Throughout her career, Bingham has been a trailblazer in public service, becoming the first African American to serve as Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Versailles. She is currently serving her second term on the Versailles City Council.

Bingham has held numerous leadership roles, including serving on the Midway-Woodford County-Versailles Planning Commission, chairing the Human Rights Commission, and contributing to the Woodford County Hall of Fame Committee. She is also active in politics as Vice-President of the Executive Committee of the Democratic Party. In 2024, she made history as the first African American woman to run for State House Representative in Kentucky’s District 56, winning the primary election.

Her achievements date back to her youth—she was the first African American homecoming queen at Woodford County High School in 1986 and later prom queen in 1987, following in her mother’s footsteps. She also earned titles such as Ms. Black U of L (1988–89) and Woodford County Fair Queen (2000) and 2^nd Runner-up in the Mrs. Kentucky America Pageant.

Professionally, Bingham broke barriers as the first African American hired to the executive staff of the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources in 2004. While there, Bingham received the Diversity Award at the 2006 Southeastern Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies’ Conference and was the recipient of the 2005 Employee Support Award from Kentucky State University’s Office of Career Counseling and Placement for employee and student recruitment efforts. 

In addition to her public service, Bingham has been deeply involved in youth development, dance, and pageantry. She founded the Woodford County High School Dance Team and coached from 1994 through 2002; she worked as a model and instructor with Images Modeling and Talent Agency since the age of 15, and has contributed the Woodford County Fair Board and to local pageants as a choreographer and emcee since 1999. She has also been the dance/cheer coach for Woodford County Parks and Recreation for over 12 years.

Her community work includes facilitating and organizing the Versailles Juneteenth Festival, leading charitable initiatives like a suitcase drive for foster children and supporting at-risk youth through nonprofit leadership as the Chief Financial Officer for the Professional Administrators of America, Inc., the first African American non-profit 501(c)3 organization in Woodford County from 2002-2005. Chantel Bingham and her husband, Vincent Bingham, are foster-to-adopt parents who have cared for multiple children and adopted siblings.

Chantel Bingham holds a communications degree from the University of Kentucky and a master’s degree in public administration from Kentucky State University, graduating with a 4.0 GPA.

*This entry was updated by Chantel R. Brown Bingham.