Jeff Colye sworn in as 47th governor of the state of Kansas

Gov. Jeff Colyer, M.D. was sworn in as the 47th governor of Kansas at 3 p.m. today in the Capitol rotunda in Topeka, accompanied by First Lady Ruth Colyer and their daughters, Serena and Dominique. Colyer attended mass in Hays this morning with his classmates from Thomas More Prep-Marian High School. He then visited West Side Alternative School, which is also in Hays.

Colyer said, “This public school is a unique partnership with the High Plains Mental Health Center that ensures special needs kids have the same opportunities for success as any other Kansan.”

When asked about his inauguration, Colyer said, “Throughout my life I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to serve in a variety of ways including as a doctor, humanitarian and lieutenant governor. I’m excited to begin serving Kansans in an even greater way today as the governor of this beautiful state.” 

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. 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.

Colyer also served as a White House Fellow under President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush in international affairs.