Lana Gordon (Kansas politician) explained

Lana Gordon
Office:Kansas Secretary of Labor
Governor:Sam Brownback
Jeff Colyer
Predecessor:Karin Brownlee
Successor:Delia Garcia
Term Start:September 21, 2012
Term End:January 14, 2019
Office2:Member of the Kansas House of Representatives
from the 52nd district
Predecessor2:Lynn Jenkins
Successor2:Shanti Gandhi
Term Start2:January 8, 2001
Term End2:September 21, 2012
Birth Date:20 August 1950
Birth Place:Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Party:Republican
Spouse:Arnold Gordon
Children:3
Occupation:Teacher, Politician
Alma Mater:University of Kansas (B.S.)

Lana Gordon (born August 20, 1950) is an American politician who served as the Kansas Secretary of Labor under the administrations of Governors Sam Brownback and Jeff Colyer. A member of the Republican Party, Gordon previously served as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 52nd district from 2001 to 2012.

Early life and career

Lana Gordon was born on August 20, 1950, to Myron and Hariette Goodman in Kansas City, Missouri.[1] Growing up, Gordon worked for her family's local hardware store in Kansas City before graduating from Shawnee Mission East High School in 1968.[1] [2] She graduated from the University of Kansas with her Bachelor of Science in elementary education in 1971.

From 1971 to 1972, Gordon worked as a substitute teacher before working as a full-time third grade teacher at Lee's Summit Elementary School in Missouri from 1972 to 1973.[3] She then worked as a test administrator for the Kansas Department of Education from 1978 to 1980. Gordon was the secretary of the Topeka Unified School District 501 Citizens Advisory Council from 1982 to 1985, where she later served as a board member of the Topeka Unified School District from 1994 to 1997.[4] From 1997 to 2001, she worked as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Cardinal Building Service Solutions before being elected to the Kansas House of Representatives.[5] She worked as an Account Representative for BG Service Solutions/ISS from 2005 to 2012. Gordon was also a small business owner, previously owning four gift shops in the Topeka area.[6]

She is a member of the Topeka Chamber of Commerce and United Way. Gordon and her husband, Arnold, have three children and five grandchildren.

Kansas House of Representatives

Tenure

Gordon was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2000 and was sworn in on January 8, 2001. She was elected to a total of six two-year terms, winning with more than 60% of the vote in every election. The Kansas Policy Institute gave her a 75% evaluation on its Freedom Index and the Kansas Chapter of Americans for Prosperity gave her an evaluation of 90 on conservative issues.

Committee assignments

Kansas Secretary of Labor

On September 21, 2012, Governor Sam Brownback nominated Gordon to serve as Kansas Secretary of Labor.[7]

References

  1. Web site: Kansas Secretary of Labor has local ties . Beth Lipoff . kcjc.com . April 4, 2013.
  2. Web site: 2011 Legislative Summit National Conference of State Legislatures . . ncsl.org . August 10, 2011.
  3. Web site: Lana G. Gordon's Biography . . votesmart.org.
  4. Web site: Biographical Profile for Lana Gordon . vote-ks.org . July 28, 2013.
  5. Web site: Lana Gordon . . midwestdemocracy.com.
  6. Web site: Kansas Department of Labor . . kslegislature.org . January 30, 2013.
  7. Web site: Meet the Secretary . KDOL . 17 July 2018.

External links