Former JCPS communications chief joins PR firm 2 days after school board awards it district contract

Carolyn Callahan left JCPS on June 30. That same day, the school board approved a contract with C2 Strategic Communications. Two days later, C2 announced her as its new vice president.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The Jefferson County Board of Education approved a public relations contract on the same day its top communications official left the district. Two days later, she was announced as a new vice president at the firm awarded the deal.

June 30 was Carolyn Callahan's last day as chief communications officer after her position was eliminated. That same day, the board approved a contract with C2 Strategic Communications for public relations services at $190 an hour, not to exceed $50,000, running from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2026.

C2 announced Callahan as its new vice president July 2.

According to the firm's contract with the district, the summer of 2026 will be a major transition for JCPS and that staffing changes, including in the communications office, could create a need for additional communications support.

Contract records also show the agreement was already underway before Callahan left the district. AC2 Executive Vice President Angela Blank signed the agreement on June 12, 18 days before Callahan's departure from JCPS.

Callahan's name appears in the contract under the heading "Cabinet Member."

The district awarded the contract through a noncompetitive procurement process. CPS documents show C2 was selected because it currently works with the district and could meet all requirements within budget and time frames.

The district has a longstanding relationship with C2 Strategic Communications, with contracts dating back to at least 2015 and more than $500,000 spent with the company since 2024.

The procurement form shows requests were sent to three firms. C2 quoted $190 an hour for all-inclusive services. Fleur de Lis quoted $180 an hour but would have had to subcontract graphic design and media buying. PriceWeber quoted $222 an hour.

C2's proposal is dated May 2026. That's more than a month before Callahan left the district.

When asked about the timeline, board member Taylor Everett said he was unaware of it until contacted by WDRB. He then reached out to Superintendent Brian Yearwood.

"All he said was thanks for bringing this to my attention, we will make sure we did everything correctly," Everett said.

Yearwood later told Everett everything appeared to be "by the books."

Everett said Callahan, her communications team, the finance department and legal staff were all likely involved in the vendor selection process.

JCPS vendor contracts include a conflict-of-interest section — Article VII. It states contractors can't violate the district's ethics policies or knowingly help, participate in or benefit from a district employee doing so.

Neither C2 nor Yearwood responded to questions about whether the hiring and contract timeline presented a potential conflict of interest. Everett said such a scenario would be serious, but he does not believe that's what occurred.

"Now if Carolyn knew she was gonna go there and awarded the contract and she told them she was gonna get the contract, that would totally be not okay," Everett said "But from everything I've seen and the documentation in place, that's not what happened here."

Still, Everett said the district needs the extra communications help. He believes the district's internal department is down to three or five people.

"At the end of the day, do I wish we could do it internally? Absolutely," he said. "Do I think we have PR professionals who know exactly what to do when a crisis happen? not that I know of."