Lana Gordon (Kansas politician)

Lana Gordon
Secretary of the Kansas Department of Labor
Assumed office
September 21, 2012
Preceded by Karin Brownlee
Member of the Kansas House of Representatives
from the 52nd district
In office
January 8, 2001  September 21, 2012
Succeeded by Shanti Gandhi
Personal details
Born (1950-08-20) August 20, 1950
Kansas City, Missouri
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Arnold Gordon
Alma mater University of Kansas (B.S.)
Occupation Teacher, Politician
Religion Judaism

Lana Gordon (born August 20, 1950) is an American politician who has served as the Kansas Secretary of Labor under the administration of Governor Sam Brownback since 2012. A member of the Republican Party, Gordon 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 to parents 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 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 Topeka-based Cardinal/Building Service Solutions before being elected to the Kansas House.[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]

Gordon is a member of Kansas, Incorporated, the Topeka Chamber of Commerce, and United Way Volunteer Center of Topeka.

Kansas House of Representatives

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 six terms to the Kansas House, winning with more than 60% of the vote in every election.

Committee membership

Major donors

The top 5 donors to Gordon's 2008 campaign were mainly professional organizations:[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Beth Lipoff (April 4, 2013). "Kansas Secretary of Labor has local ties". kcjc.com.
  2. National Conference of State Legislatures (August 10, 2011). "2011 Legislative Summit National Conference of State Legislatures" (PDF). ncsl.org.
  3. Project Vote Smart. "Lana G. Gordon's Biography". votesmart.org.
  4. "Biographical Profile for Lana Gordon". vote-ks.org. July 28, 2013.
  5. Kansas City Star. "Lana Gordon". midwestdemocracy.com.
  6. Kansas State Legislature (January 30, 2013). "Kansas Department of Labor" (PDF). kslegislature.org.
  7. Follow the Money - 2008 Campaign Contributions

External links

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