Laura Kelly is the Democratic Governor of Kansas, serving statewide since 2019 after being elected as the state's 48th governor in 2018 and reelected in 2022. Born on January 24, 1950, in New York City to a military family, she grew up learning values of integrity, accountability, and resilience. She resides in Topeka with her husband, Ted, and has two grown daughters, Kathleen and Molly. Prior to politics, she worked in mental health services, recreation therapy for disadvantaged adolescents, and served as executive director of the Kansas Recreation and Park Association from 1988 to 2004, advocating for public parks and healthier communities.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Earned a B.S. in psychology from Bradley University and an M.S. in therapeutic recreation from Indiana University.
• Political Experience: Served in the Kansas State Senate from 2005 to 2019, holding leadership roles such as Minority Whip and Assistant Minority Leader; focused on state budget, public schools, early childhood programs, health care, and financial institutions.

Notable Achievements

Kelly is recognized as a moderate bipartisan leader who balanced Kansas' budget after years of deficits, fully funded schools, eliminated the grocery tax, and drove economic growth with over $8.6 billion in new business investments and 41,000 jobs created or retained. Under her leadership, Kansas earned CNBC's "Comeback State of 2019," the "Golden Shovel" award in 2021 for economic development, and Site Selection Magazine's "Governor’s Cup" for topping per capita economic growth. She guided the state through the COVID-19 pandemic with science-based responses and has championed infrastructure rebuilding, tax cuts, consumer protection, and anti-trafficking efforts.