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Head of Kansas Labor Department steps down, governor selects acting Secretary

Following the departure of Kansas’ acting labor secretary this week, Gov. Laura Kelly announced a temporary replacement to fill the role as the state searches for a permanent candidate. Deputy Secretary of Labor, Brett Flachsbarth, has been appointed as acting secretary.

Governor Laura Kelly has appointed a new Acting Secretary of Labor for the state.

Image courtesy Kansas Office of the Governor

Governor Laura Kelly says on Tuesday she appointed Deputy Secretary of the Kansas Department of Labor, Brett Flachsbarth, as the Acting Secretary of Labor. She said Flachsbarth will serve until he announces the permanent Secretary.

“Brett is a Department of Labor veteran, and he knows the ins-and-outs of the issues KDOL faces,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “I’m confident he will be able to continue the progress made and ensure Kansas families receive the relief they need.”

According to Gov. Kelly, Flachsbarth joined KDOL in 2005 as a member of its legal team. She said he was appointed as Deputy Secretary of Labor in 2019 and as worked in a variety of roles, including Director of Unemployment insurance, Chief of Appeals, Counsel to the Employment Security Board of Review and Counsel to the Public Employee Relations Board.

Gov. Kelly said Flachsbarth is a current member and former Chair of the Steering Committee for the Information and Technology Support Center, which is a national collaboration between state agencies and the U.S. Department of Labor to better and more effectively use technology within the unemployment insurance system. She said he is a graduate of the University of Kansas and Washburn School of Law.

“I want to thank Ryan Wright for his service as Acting Secretary,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Taking over this department was no easy task. There is still a lot of work to be done — but under his leadership, KDOL has made immense progress and has largely been stabilized.”