Marcheta Sparrow will retire at the end of this month as the Secretary of Tourism, Arts and Heritage. Sparrow was named secretary in 2007 and was one of the original members of Gov. Steve Beshear's cabinet. In a statement, Beshear praised Sparrow for the recent growth in tourism, which was up 4.4 percent last year. The secretary oversees many departments in addition to tourism, including parks, fish and wildlife and others related to the humanities. Beshear says he will name a new secretary soon.
