Executive Leadership

Mark Parkinson became Kansas' 45th Governor on April 28, 2009.

A successful businessman and former legislator, Governor Parkinson is a native Kansan with roots in Scott City, where the Parkinsons still own the family farm.

Under Governor Parkinson's leadership, wind farms have tripled in Kansas; our state is the future home to the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility; and Kansas is working to leverage resources from the American Recovery Act to create jobs, rebuild our infrastructure and continue our investment in public schools.

Born in Wichita, Governor Parkinson attended Wichita Public Schools and graduated from Heights High School, before going on to graduate summa cum laude from Wichita State University in 1980. He graduated first in his class from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1984.

Governor Parkinson then entered private practice, forming his own law firm in 1986, and served as president of the Johnson County Bar Foundation.

Governor Parkinson was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1990. Two years later he was elected to the Kansas Senate. While in the Legislature, the Governor was known as someone who bridged party lines. He worked to strengthen Kansas schools and enhance local control.

In 1996, Governor Parkinson's career path focused on a new passion: helping enhance older Kansans' quality of life through first-class elder-care retirement facilities. His company's assisted living facilities have received national recognition for their design, and the business has been named as an outstanding business in Northeast Johnson County.

Governor Parkinson served as chairman of the Shawnee Area Chamber of Commerce board in 2004, and in 2005 was the "Chair of the Chairs" of the six chambers of commerce in Johnson County. In 2006, he joined Governor Kathleen Sebelius as her Lt. Governor.

Bill Thornton was appointed Secretary of Commerce on Oct. 30, 2009, by Governor Mark Parkinson. As Secretary, Thornton heads the state’s lead economic development organization in its mission to empower individuals, businesses and communities to realize prosperity in Kansas. Thornton oversees the state's efforts to create jobs through business recruitment and expansion, agriculture marketing, workforce development, community development, international trade and travel and tourism.

Prior to joining Commerce, Thornton served on the Kansas Chamber of Commerce for eight years as Chairman and a member of its Executive Committee and Board of Directors. Thornton has previously served in leadership roles at MGP Ingredients, Hallmark Cards and as an attorney with Duncan-Senecal Law Offices in Atchison.

Additionally, Thornton currently serves as the Atchison Hospital Association’s Board Chair, on the University of Kansas’ Multicultural Scholars National Board of Advisors, as the Vice President of Citizens for Community Action of Atchison, as a Board Member and District Leader for the Midori Yama Budokai Martial Arts Association and as President of the Trustee Board for Shiloh Baptist Church.

Thornton was appointed to the Kansas Board of Regents by former Governor Kathleen Sebelius in 2007, as well as the Kansas Mentor’s Leadership Council and the Kansas Health Care Information Exchange Commission. He was appointed to the Advisory Committee of the Kansas Long Range Transportation Plan by Secretary of Transportation Deb Miller.

Thornton received a bachelor’s degree from Benedictine College and a Juris Doctor from Washburn University’s School of Law. He and his wife, Rozetta, reside in Atchison. In his free time, Thornton enjoys horseback riding, karate, reading, and exercising.

Steve Kelly plays a dual role for the Department of Commerce, serving as both the Deputy Secretary for Business Development and the Director of the Business Development Division.

Since joining the Department in 1990, Steve has served as a finance and venture capital specialist and field office supervisor, among other responsibilities. As Director of Business Development, a position which he has held for the past 11 years, Steve has had the opportunity to lead teams and participate in the successful expansion or attraction of a number of major economic development projects, including the Kansas Speedway, Fairfax General Motors facility, York/Evcon, Abbott Labs/Hospira and more recently, CapitalOne Homeloans, Applebee's, Quintiles and the BRAC expansion at Fort Riley.

Prior to joining Commerce, Steve was the marketing and operations manager for a software firm.