Submitted

On Thursday, July 23, Governor Laura Kelly announced the retirement of Kansas Water Office (KWO) Director Connie Owen, who has served as director since Jan. 21, 2021. Her last day in the role will be Aug. 1.

“I want to thank Connie for her commitment to ensuring Kansas has a sustainable, long-term plan to secure water quality and quantity for our future generations,” Governor Kelly said. “During her tenure at the Water Office, Connie oversaw the first update of the Kansas Water Plan since 2009 and the first full funding of the Water Plan Fund since 2008. These milestone accomplishments were critical to revitalizing our state’s efforts to ensure the Kansas we know today exists for our grandchildren.”

Owen graduated from Emporia State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and teacher certification and earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law. Owen’s 40-year legal career in Kansas, beginning as a staff attorney for the Kansas Court of Appeals, has focused primarily on Kansas water law, including service as Legal Counsel for the Division of Water Resources at the Kansas Department of Agriculture and Administrative Hearing Officer for that same agency. In 2019, Owen was appointed Chair of the Kansas Water Authority, followed by appointment as Director of KWO.

In 2022, Owen oversaw the first update to the Water Plan since 2009 and the first full funding of the Water Plan Fund since 2008. In addition, Owen led the development of the Governor’s Conferences on the Future of Water in Kansas, bringing together multidisciplinary stakeholders for meaningful conversations to address critical water challenges. Under Owen’s leadership, the KWO partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to see the Tuttle Creek Water Injection Dredging (WID) demonstration project become a reality, marking the first time this technology has been utilized in inland water anywhere in the world.

Former State Senator Carolyn McGinn, who currently serves as the Governor’s Special Advisor on Water, will serve as KWO director upon Owen’s retirement. McGinn served in the Kansas Senate for 20 years and chaired the Natural Resources Committee in the Senate before becoming chair of the Ways and Means Committee. In addition, she is the co-owner of a family farm and was on the board of directors of the Andale Farmers Cooperative and Sedgwick County Farm Bureau. In her role as director, McGinn will continue working closely with the legislature to address water issues facing Kansas both now and in the future.