Barbara W. Ballard (born November 14, 1944) is a Democratic member of the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...

, representing the 44th district. Born in

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

, she has served since 1993. Prior to her election to the House, Ballard served on the Lawrence School Board from 1985 to 1993. Ballard is treasurer of the

Kansas African American Legislative Caucus The Kansas African American Legislative Caucus, ''formerly known as the Kansas Black Legislative Caucus'', is an American political and educational organization. The Caucus is composed of seven African Americans elected to the Kansas Legislature. H ...

. Ballard earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from

Webster College Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs ...

in 1967, a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

in 1976 and a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

in 1980, both from

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

. She worked as an elementary school teacher, and from 1980 until 2004 was dean of students at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

as well as director of the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center. She is now associate director of Civic Engagement & Outreach for the

Dole Institute of Politics The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, often shortened to the Dole Institute, is a nonpartisan political institution located at the University of Kansas and founded by the former U.S. Senator from Kansas and 1996 Republican presidential cand ...

. Ballard is the chairwoman of the House Democratic Caucus.

Committee membership

During the Legislative Sessions of 2013–2014, Rep. Ballard served on the following legislative committees: *Appropriations *Calendar and Printing (Ranking minority member) *Robert G. (Bob) Bethell Joint Committee on Home and community Based Services and KanCare Oversight *Social Services Budget (Ranking minority member) During the Legislative Sessions of 2021–2022, Rep. Ballard served on the following legislative committees: * Social Services Budget (Ranking minority member) * Robert G. (Bob) Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare Oversight * 2022 Special Committee on Intellectual and Developmental Disability Waiver Modernization * Redistricting * Transportation * Interstate Cooperation * 2020 Special Committee on Kansas Mental Health Modernization and Reform * Appropriations * 2021 Special Committee on Kansas Mental Health Modernization and Reform * 2021 Special Committee on Home and Community Based Services Intellectual and Developmental Disability Waiver

References

External links

Dole Institute WebsiteKansas Legislature - Barbara BallardProject Vote Smart profileKansas Votes profileState Surge - Legislative and voting track record
*Follow the Money campaign contributions:
19982002200420062008
Democratic Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives Living people Women state legislators in Kansas Kansas State University alumni Webster University alumni 1944 births African-American state legislators in Kansas African-American women in politics Educators from Kansas American women educators Politicians from Petersburg, Virginia 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians {{Kansas-politician-stub