The Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Gov. Ernie Fletcher's apparent choice to run the Kentucky Office of Women's Physical and Mental Health lacks a medical or science background, which has angered some lawmakers and women's activists.

Joyce King Jennings said she will start May 3 at the three-person office. Jennings is a party planner and public relations coordinator in Louisville and a longtime friend of Commerce Secretary Jim Host.

A spokesman for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which oversees the office, said Wednesday that the job had not yet been filled.

Host said he recommended that Jennings be hired by the state in some capacity. He said he did not suggest any particular job.

"She is absolutely outstanding," Host told the Lexington Herald-Leader. "She is certainly one of the best hires this administration could make. Now, I don't know anything about this position she's been hired for."

The job was previously held by Gwendolyn Mayes, who earned degrees in biology and medical science. Before that, she held jobs with the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General and the National Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

Mayes was appointed in 2000 by then-Gov. Paul Patton. She left state government March 31 to practice law in Louisville.

In another state agency devoted to women's issues, Fletcher on Thursday named Glenda Woods as executive director for the Kentucky Commission on Women, making good on a promise he made in March.

Several female legislators and members of women's groups said Wednesday that Fletcher's administration had shown indifference to women's health by selecting Jennings.

"Gwen brought to that important job exactly the qualifications that it needs," said Rep. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington.

"I certainly don't want to prejudge (Jennings). I'm sure she's a fine woman. But I'm deeply troubled. Women's lives are not about 'events planning.' "

Through a spokesman, Dr. James Holsinger, the secretary of health and family services, declined to comment on Jennings. The cabinet has not officially hired anyone for the job, pending final interviews and background checks, spokesman Gil Lawson said.

Holsinger denies any suggestion that he is indifferent to women's health issues, Lawson said.

Jennings acknowledged that she has no medical training. But she said her communication skills will be useful as she tours the state to discuss women's health problems on the local level.

She could boost the office's profile, she said. "I've always been into meet-and-greet and public relations, that sort of thing," she said.

The Legislature created the Office of Women's Physical and Mental Health in 1998, to collect data and periodically issue reports and policy recommendations to the cabinet secretary and governor.

Most recently, in January, the office issued an 80-page report about domestic violence. Among other things, that report indicated a majority of public-health nurses in Kentucky say they lack the necessary training to assist battered women

Mayes said she was disappointed to hear from friends last week that Fletcher replaced her with a medical novice. Jennings will be at a serious disadvantage as she studies data and speaks on health trends, she said.

"This job, it's not just a matter of pulling a book off the shelf," Mayes said. "You have to be able to synthesize data. You have to know what you're looking for."

Fletcher named Woods, an administrator and admissions counselor at Morehead State University, to lead the Kentucky Commission on Women. Woods is to begin on May 1. Fletcher made the promise to appoint a director to the commission in March, after a protest from some women upset with his handling of the agency. Fletcher also announced the commission office will be located on the second floor of the Capital Plaza Tower.