Faculty Profile

Bob Swisher graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Notre Dame and with a law degree from the University of Kentucky. From 1979 through 1990 he practiced in Versailles, Kentucky in a general practice firm. From 1991 through 2009 he practiced in Lexington in a firm with emphasis on civil litigation, workers’ compensation, and probate law. On January 1, 2010 he was appointed as an Administrative Law Judge in the Kentucky Department of Workers’ Claims by Governor Steve Beshear. He was appointed Chief Administrative Law Judge in 2014. In 2017, Bob was appointed Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Workers’ Claims by Governor Matt Bevin. During his tenure as Commissioner, Bob led the agency through implementation of its first online filing and case management system and promulgated numerous regulations including the adoption of workers’ compensation medical treatment guidelines and a pharmacy formulary. In 2021, he joined KEMI as Director of Claims-legal, and in that capacity, he oversees KEMI’s in-house legal manager, the Special Investigations Unit, the Medical Bill audit unit, and KEMI’s vendor relations analyst. He is a member of the Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators (Adjudication Committee) and was selected as a Fellow in the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. Bob was a finalist for the 2019 CompLaude award as a national industry leader. He is often asked to speak at state and national conferences on workers’ compensation topics.