Phyllis Gilmore Explained

Phyllis Gilmore
State House:Kansas
District:27th
Term Start:1995
Term End:1999
Predecessor:Nancy Brown
Successor:Raymond Merrick
Birth Date:4 February 1945[1]
Birth Place:St. Louis, Missouri[2]
Death Date:January 24, 2021
Death Place:Olathe, Kansas
Party:Republican
Spouse:Kenneth Gilmore
Children:2
Residence:Olathe, Kansas
Alma Mater:Vanderbilt University

Phyllis Lee Gilmore (February 4, 1945 - January 24, 2021) was an American politician. She served as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999, and as head of the Kansas Department for Children and Families from 2012 to 2017.

Gilmore was born in St. Louis, Missouri and attended Vanderbilt University. She married and moved to Johnson County, Kansas in 1972, where she worked as a social worker.[2] In 1994, she won election to the Kansas House, where she was re-elected in 1996 and 1998.[1] During her time there, she worked on bills that would affect the adoption system.[2]

In 2012, Governor Sam Brownback named her to be Secretary of the Department of Children and families. During her tenure as secretary, she faced criticism about the department's implementation of policy on assistance to the poor, and on their mishandling of the cases of children in foster care. She stepped down in December of 2017, when Brownback left the governorship and incoming governor Jeff Colyer targeted Gilmore in a staff shakeup.[3] [4] After her tenure as secretary, she retired, dying in 2021 in Olathe, Kansas.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kansas Legislators, Past and Present - Gilmore, Phyllis . . kslib.info . State Library of Kansas . December 23, 2022.
  2. Web site: Phyllis Gilmore Obituary . . January 24, 2021 . Penwell-Gabel . December 23, 2022.
  3. Web site: DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore, Kansas' head of welfare programs, to retire . Carpenter, Tim . November 3, 2017 . cjonline.com . . December 23, 2022.
  4. Web site: Kansas DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore to retire . Dulle, Brian . November 3, 2017 . ksnt.com . KSNT News . December 23, 2022.