Ken Boutwell was born in Newton, Mississippi on his parents’ dairy farm. The eldest child to Kenneth and Elizabeth, Ken grew up milking cows with his two younger brothers. Ken says he inherited his work ethic from his father and his concern for others from his mother.
At 15, he met his future wife, Jean, even remarking to his friend on the school bus that he was going to marry her. Three years later, they started dating and the rest is history. Ken studied agricultural economics at Mississippi State University with the intention of taking over the dairy farm but his new wife Jean let it be known she didn’t find being a being a farmer’s wife appealing. Ken then pursued a Ph.D. in economics at NC State University.
Upon graduation, he received two offers – one in Florida and one in Michigan. Jean said she wasn’t too keen on living where it snowed so they moved to Gainesville, FL where Ken was budget director at the University of Florida before moving to Tallahassee to become the Vice Chancellor for Administration. Jean would periodically joke that “If it weren’t for me, you’d be out there milking the cows this morning!”
Ken and Jean raised three beautiful children in Tallahassee – Jennifer, Jeff, and Julie. Jean had a successful real estate career, and they were both invested in volunteer work. Jean passed away unexpectedly in 2020, and Ken continues to honor her life and legacy by promoting the values he and Jean shared and instilled in their children – dignity, love, respect, and equality for everyone.
In 2023, Ken received the Holocaust Education Resource Council’s Humanitarian Award. He became involved with HERC through Jean, who took a course on the Holocaust at Temple Israel. Ken and Jean were concerned about the rise in anti-Semitic acts across the country.
Ken possesses a gentle nature, yet he doesn’t turn away from conflict nor is he reluctant when challenging the status quo. Growing up in the Deep South, Ken challenged himself to reflect on his own role in racial segregation and integration. Years later, he would challenge his former beliefs about the LGBT community asking himself, “Do my actions hurt or help another person?”
Ken has written two books on these subjects sharing how his faith helped him embrace compassion in the face of racism and bigotry. His most recent book, Let Justice & Mercy Flow challenges the reader to reject the culture of oppression and persecution for one “dedicated to loving and supporting each other.”
Ken, in partnership with the publisher of his book, David Tullock, co-founded of LASEONOW – Love and Support Each Other network which boasts 300,000 members and continues to grow. The network is based upon the teachings of Jesus to love your neighbor as yourself and do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Ken helped found Choose Tallahassee to promote our city as a retirement destination. He also helped found Capital Health Plan and serves as chair of its board where encourages the Plan to provide the best healthcare at the lowest cost. CHP spends 97.4% of its premium revenue on medical care, compared to a national average of about 86%.
Ken now works with his son who founded Vineyard Capital Partners LLC, a national private-equity firm that keeps them both busy. Ken enjoys being “Poppy” to nine grandchildren and a hobby of his own Tallahassee citrus grove which includes a fairy trail for his two youngest granddaughters.
