Jason L. McGinnis is the director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, the operations arm of the Kentucky court system. He began serving as director Sept. 9, 2026, after being appointed by Chief Justice of the Commonwealth Debra Hembree Lambert.
McGinnis joined the AOC in 2013 as director of human resources after 15 years in HR leadership in the private sector. His passion for working with employees and elected officials, coupled with his keen interest in the judicial system, led to his promotion in 2018 to deputy director. In that role, he worked closely with AOC departments, court officials and employees statewide to support the operations of Kentucky's unified court system.
A native of Flemingsburg, McGinnis began his professional journey after earning a Bachelor of Business Administration in management with a focus on HR management from Eastern Kentucky University in 1996.
His career in HR started at Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, a leading tier-one automotive parts manufacturer in Berea. Over 15 years, Jason advanced from an entry-level HR position to HR director, overseeing HR operations for more than 1,200 employees across two manufacturing facilities specializing in suspension and braking systems.
The AOC is the operations arm of the state court system and supports the activities of nearly 3,300 employees and 412 elected justices, judges and circuit court clerks. The AOC also executes the Judicial Branch budget.