Douglas named KU director of state relations

LAWRENCE – The University of Kansas has selected Lindsey Douglas, who currently leads the Kansas Department of Transportation’s legislative efforts, to serve as KU’s director of state relations.

Douglas will report to Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Timothy Caboni, who announced the hiring today.

“Lindsey’s experience in state government, her advocacy work and legal training will make an outstanding addition to the public affairs team at the University of Kansas. I look forward to working with her as we continue to reorient our state relations effort and reconceptualize how we engage with opinion leaders and elected officials across the state,” said Caboni.

Douglas has served as chief of policy and legislative affairs at KDOT since August 2010 and joined the agency in 2009. She played an integral role in the passage of T-WORKS, the 10-year, $8 billion statewide transportation construction program.

Prior to joining KDOT, Douglas was at the Kansas Department of Agriculture and at the Hein Law Firm. Overall, she’s worked with policymakers over the course of eight legislative sessions.

“I am very excited to work with the KU team to promote and represent our state’s flagship institution with the Kansas Legislature,” said Douglas.

Douglas will be state policymakers’ primary point of contact at the university and will also work closely with university stakeholders, including alumni, to advocate on behalf of KU’s state priorities. In 2014, those priorities are restoration of $13.53 million in budget cuts and securing state support for increasing the number of physicians the university educates in Kansas City and Wichita.

Douglas holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Washburn University and a master’s degree in environmental law from Vermont Law School. She is a Kansas native who currently resides in Topeka with her husband, Jonathan, and their son, Porter.