For other people named Richard Carlson, see Richard Carlson (disambiguation).
| Richard Carlson | |
| Office1: | Kansas Secretary of Transportation |
| Term Start1: | July 18, 2016 |
| Term End1: | January 13, 2019 |
| Governor1: | Sam Brownback Jeff Colyer |
| Preceded1: | Mike King |
| Succeeded1: | Julie Lorenz |
| State House2: | Kansas |
| State2: | Kansas |
| District2: | 61st |
| Term Start2: | January 10, 2005 |
| Term End2: | January 12, 2015 |
| Preceded2: | Verlyn Osborne |
| Succeeded2: | Becky Hutchins |
| Party: | Republican |
| Birth Date: | 17 June 1944 |
| Spouse: | Cheryl |
| Alma Mater: | Kansas State University |
Richard Carlson (June 17, 1944) is the current Kansas Secretary of Transportation, a position in which he has served since 2016. Previously, between 2005 and 2015, he was a Republican member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 61st district. He was given a 100% evaluation by the American Conservative Union
Carlson is a native of St. Marys, Kansas. He studied business and economics at Kansas State University and later served in the Kansas Army National Guard. Before Carlson was elected to the legislature, he served as the Pottawatomie County Commissioner between 1993 and 2005. He also served on the board of the Flint Hills Regional Leadership Program.
After leaving the legislature, Carlson worked as a legislative liaison and tax policy advisor for the Kansas Department of Revenue.
After Mike King resigned to pursue a career in the private sector, Governor Sam Brownback appointed Carlson to serve as interim Kansas Secretary of Transportation on July 18, 2016. On October 24, 2016, Brownback announced that he would nominate Carlson for the official cabinet role. He was confirmed for the position by the Kansas State Senate in July 2017.