Board Member: Honorary
On January 31, 2018, Jeff Colyer, M.D. was sworn in as the 47th Governor of Kansas. Dr. Colyer is a fifth generation Kansan from Hays who is dedicated to making a difference in people’s lives on the personal, state, national and international level.
Dr. Colyer and his wife, Ruth, have been married since 1991 and have three daughters Alexandra, Serena and Dominique.
Over the last 25 years, Dr. Colyer has volunteered, as a surgeon, in dangerous war zones such as Afghanistan, Iraq, the Balkans, Libya, and Africa. He was an International Medical Corps volunteer and the only surgeon in southern Rwanda during the genocide that killed 800,000 people.
Dr. Colyer also served as a White House Fellow under President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush in international affairs.
Dr. Colyer led the Kansas Medicaid transformation, which has saved Kansans $2 billion since 2013, while increasing services. This was done without reducing provider payments and has actually increased the number of Kansans covered by the new KanCare managed care program.
Dr. Colyer FamilyDr. Colyer earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Georgetown University, a master’s degree in international relations from Cambridge University, and a medical doctorate from University of Kansas, School of Medicine.
At home in Kansas, Dr. Colyer is driven to serve his community. As a craniofacial/plastic surgeon he is passionate about reconstructing complex skull and facial deformities in children. Elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2006 and the Kansas Senate in 2008, Dr. Colyer has been a leader on fiscally responsible budgeting, healthcare policy, and protecting the sanctity of life.