Lianna Nguyen, a Democrat, announced her candidacy for the Boone County Fiscal Court.
According to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, Nguyen is running for Boone County’s 2nd district commissioner seat, currently held by Hand. The fiscal court is comprised of three Republicans: Chet Hand, Jesse Brewer, and Cathy Flaig, along with Judge/Executive Gary Moore.
Nguyen will face off against the now-retired state senator John Schickel, a Republican, who announced his candidacy for the fiscal court earlier this month.
Hand is challenging incumbent Moore in the May 2026 GOP primary for the judge/executive position.
Nguyen, who’s lived in Northern Kentucky since 2012, owns Florence-based Lianna’s Nail Academy, the first state-certified nail-only trade school in Northern Kentucky. Since opening in 2022, the academy has trained students for licensure and contributed to increasing local employment in the nail industry.
In her campaign announcement, Nguyen said she’s advocated for changes to state licensing rules in 2023, testifying before lawmakers about the barriers faced by beauty industry workers. Her efforts were part of the push that led to Senate Bill 14 in 2024, which expanded multilingual testing options, strengthened due-process protections, and added board seats for nail technicians and estheticians.
Later in 2024, Nguyen was appointed to the Kentucky State Board of Cosmetology as a representative for private beauty schools and became vice chair in 2025. Her duties include reviewing regulations, advising on new licensing categories and handling complaints across the state’s beauty industry.