Lynn Rogers (politician)

Lynn Wayne Rogers (born September 11, 1958) is an American politician and businessman serving as the Kansas State Treasurer since 2021. He previously served as the 51st Lieutenant governor of Kansas from 2019 to 2021. A Democrat, he had previously served on the Board of Wichita Public Schools from 2001 to 2017,[3] and in the Kansas Senate representing the 25th district in west Wichita from 2017 to 2019.[4]

Lynn Rogers
41st Treasurer of Kansas
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2, 2021
Governor	Laura Kelly
Preceded by	Jake LaTurner
51st Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
In office January 14, 2019 – January 2, 2021
Governor	Laura Kelly
Preceded by	Tracey Mann
Succeeded by	David Toland
Member of the Kansas Senate from the 25th district
In office January 9, 2017 – January 14, 2019
Preceded by	Michael O'Donnell
Succeeded by	Mary Ware[1][2]
Personal details
Born	Lynn Wayne Rogers September 11, 1958 Fremont, Nebraska, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Kris
Children	3
Education	University of Nebraska–Lincoln (BA)
Website	Government website

Early life and career

Rogers was born on September 11, 1958 in Fremont, Nebraska. Raised by Republican parents, he grew up on a large hog farm in rural Nebraska. His grandfather was a county commissioner, and his father served on a local school board.[5]

Rogers earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1980.[6]

Career

After graduating from college, Rogers began working as a marketing specialist for Citibank Savings.[6] After working for Citibank in Chicago, he moved with his wife to Wichita, Kansas[5] in 1985,[6] where he accepted a marketing position with the Farm Credit Bank of Wichita.[5][7][8] In 1993, Rogers became a vice president with CoBank Farm Credit Leasing, where he would remain until his election to the Kansas Senate in 2016.[6][9]

School district politics

In the 1990s, as a parent of a public school student, Rogers was active in a Wichita-area Parent-teacher organization (PTO), and aided fundraising for the Wichita Public Schools, including the district's bond drive in 2000.[5] Rogers' first elected office was as a member of the Wichita School Board, where he served from 2001 to 2018.[9][5]

During his tenure on the school board, Rogers switched his affiliation from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party, citing frustration with Republicans in attempts to get support for the public schools.[5]

Kansas Senate

In 2016, he was elected to the Kansas Senate's 25th district, replacing outgoing Republican Senator Michael O'Donnell, who vacated the seat to run for Sedgwick County Commissioner. In his time as a senator, Rogers worked to "reverse the Brownback-Colyer tax experiment and invest more in our schools."[9] Rogers focused primarily on education, agricultural and banking issues.[5]

In the Kansas Senate, senator Laura Kelly sat at the desk next to his, and became his mentor.[5][9]

Lieutenant Governor

On May 24, 2018, Senator Kelly announced that she had selected Rogers as her running mate in the 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election.[9] On November 6, 2018, Kelly and Rogers defeated the Republican gubernatorial ticket of Kris Kobach and Wink Hartman, as well as the independent ticket of Greg Orman and John Doll.[9][10] Rogers became the first lieutenant governor from Wichita since fellow Democrat Thomas Docking served in the 1980s.[5]

In addition to representing Kansas in official visits to other states, Rogers has spent much of his tenure traveling extensively throughout the state, engaging in political outreach, and visiting over half of the state's 105 counties.[5]

Kansas Treasurer

In December 2020, Governor Laura Kelly announced that she had selected Rogers to replace Jake LaTurner as Kansas State Treasurer after LaTurner was elected to the United States House of Representatives. Rogers assumed office on January 2, 2021, with David Toland succeeding him as Lieutenant Governor.[11][12][13][14]

Personal life

Rogers is married to Kris Rogers. They have grown children, including a son who serves as a staff attorney for the Oklahoma Supreme Court. They have a daughter who teaches in the Kansas City area, and another son "involved in [Wichita's] arts community."[5]

References

1. "Democrats choose Mary Ware to replace Lt. Gov.-elect Lynn Rogers in Senate". www.kwch.com.
2. "Senator Mary Ware". Kansas Legislature.
3. Bryan Lowry (August 4, 2015). "Wichita school board member Lynn Rogers to challenge Michael O'Donnell for Senate seat". Kansas.com. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
4. Rachel Sommerfeld (October 17, 2016). "Lynn Rogers (D-Kansas Senate District 25)". Ksn.com. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
5. Rogers, Lynn, interviewed by Victor Hogstrom: "One on One with Victor Hogstrom: Lynn Rogers," aired July 2, 2020, KPTS-TV, retrieved from KPTS.org website July 3, 2020.
6. "Lynn Rogers' Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
7. Smith, Barbara S. and Patricia J. Rettig, "Guide to the Federal Land Bank of Wichita Collection," 2002/2013, Colorado State University Water Resources Archive, and the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute, retrieved July 3, 2020
8. Colorado Water Resources Research Institute, Colorado State University. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
9. Jonathan Shorman (May 24, 2018). "Kelly picks fellow state senator from Wichita as running mate". Wichita Eagle. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
10. Suzanne Perez Tobias (November 26, 2018). "As lieutenant governor, Rogers says he'll fight for education and rural communities". Wichita Eagle. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
11. "Kansas lieutenant governor gets new job". KSN-TV. 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
12. Bahl, Andrew. "Kelly to appoint Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers to fill state treasurer spot". Dodge City Daily Globe - Dodge City, KS. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
13. Broyles, Jared. "David Toland announced as new Lieutenant Governor". www.wibw.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
14. "Governor Laura Kelly Announces Intention to Appoint Commerce Secretary David Toland to Become Lieutenant Governor". Governor of the State of Kansas. 2020-12-14. Retrieved 2021-01-13.

External links

• Government website

• Profile at Vote Smart