From Kentucky Bourbon to Cancer Advocacy: This Renaissance Woman Does It All
Whether uplifting women facing cancer or helping launch a new bourbon rooted in Kentucky history, Vickie Booth brings passion to every chapter. Meet this inspiring FACE of the South! Image: Vickie Booth
Vickie Booth thrives on opportunity — recognizing it, seizing it, and using it to serve others. “Life is about opportunities,” she says, “[and] that’s what’s led me to this life that I’ve had.” Her path has taken her from early computer systems in the 1980s to co-founding a boutique for women undergoing cancer treatment to launching what would eventually become Kentucky CancerLink. And even in her retirement years, Vickie shows no signs of slowing down. Most recently, she stepped into the world of whiskey as managing member of William Berkele Distillery, part of the executive team behind Burnt Tavern Bourbon.
From Ledgers to Lifelines
Vickie got married and had children in the 1970s, then returned to school in the 1980s to study business and data processing before taking a job digitizing journals. “I had the opportunity … to work for a company and take their [physical] journals and put them on computers,” she explains. “Back in the day, bookkeeping was done in journals. … I took their journaling that was all paper, and converted it onto different platforms.”
During off-hours, she was a runner. And when one of her running group friends got diagnosed with breast cancer, Vickie couldn’t help but notice the struggles her friend was facing trying to find wigs and hats around town — she was making constant trips from Lexington to Louisville or Cincinnati to find what she needed. Vickie realized that other local women must be experiencing the same challenges, so she and a few friends decided to take action.
“Three of us got together [and] opened a boutique,” she says. “We did mastectomy products, wigs, hats, turbans — all of those things that women need when they’re diagnosed with any type of cancer, losing their hair.”
Building on Success
That was Vickie’s first step into entrepreneurship, and it gave her the confidence to run a successful business. In fact, the boutique did so well that in 2004, a local medical equipment company offered to buy them out. Vickie and her friends sold the business, but she stayed on for two years to support the transition.
“During that time,” she recalls, “I worked a lot with [the] American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen, and all the local nonprofit organizations across our state.”
Those connections opened Vickie’s eyes to new grant opportunities, and she realized there was another way to help Kentucky women access the cancer support they needed. She traveled to New York to train under Dr. Harold P. Freeman, the renowned surgeon and public health pioneer who developed the concept of “patient navigation,” a model that helps underserved patients overcome the barriers that can prevent them from accessing timely cancer screenings, diagnoses, and treatment.
Upon returning to Lexington, Vickie applied what she’d learned to write a successful grant, and in 2008, she used those funds to establish a nonprofit organization now known as Kentucky CancerLink. Since then, the organization has expanded from offering breast cancer resources to providing screenings and support for colon, cervical, and lung cancer.
Retirement Reimagined
Vickie passed the Kentucky CancerLink baton to the next leader in 2022 but showed no signs of slowing down in retirement. “I had always wanted to finish my college degree,” she says, “so I did that — graduated from the University of Kentucky at the age of 69.”
Vickie even got her real estate license and began selling houses with her daughter. Most recently, she started working with her son on Burnt Tavern Bourbon, Kentucky’s newest bourbon brand.
“My son asked me to help,” Vickie says. “I love a challenge and saw another opportunity.”
She did a deep dive into everything from how to launch a brand to how to find a brand designer and trademark attorneys. And by 2021, she and the team (her son and co-managing member Royce Blevins, president Bennett Clark, graphic designer Tara Labonovich, and master distiller Chip Tate) created their LLC, launching the brand in September 2025. “It was well received,” Vickie says. “We’ve already won awards, and we’re just so excited!”
Now only just a few months old, there’s a lot more growth coming for Burnt Tavern Bourbon — and for Vickie. For anyone looking to launch their own business, nonprofit or otherwise, Vickie has two words: dream big. “The nonprofit was a dream … from the moment I was in those fitting rooms,” she says, “and being an entrepreneur was a dream, too, because I worked for so many people that I … really realized I can do this.”
Hustle Meets Home
Though Vickie’s role as managing member of William Berkele Distillery (part of the executive team behind Burnt Tavern Bourbon) keeps her busy most days, she makes sure to find time to relax and enjoy the fruits of her many decades of labor.
“I love to watch sports, and I love a good book,” she says, adding that quality time with family is her favorite way to spend off-the-clock hours. “I’ve got nine grandkids, and they’re my whole universe. Family first.”
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Lennie Omalza
Originally from Hawaii, Lennie Omalza is a Louisville-based freelance writer of over 18 years. Lennie is a yoga-loving foodie who travels as often as she can and enjoys writing about food, homes, and weddings. You can find more of Lennie's work at Eater, Hawaii Home & Remodeling, and The Louisville Courier-Journal.