KAAAC's Background
The Kansas African American Affairs Commission (KAAAC) is a seven member body with
members appointed by the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Senate Minority
Leader, the Speaker of the House and the House Minority Leader.
KAAAC was created by the passing of House Bill 2444 during the 1997 legislative
session. Governor Bill Graves signed the bill into law stating, “This advisory commission
has been a long time coming, and it is due to the continued vigilance and perseverance
of its supporters.”
In 2004 Governor Kathleen Sebelius signed the substitute for House Bill 2435, which
moved the KAAAC from the Department of Human resources to the Office of the Governor.
This change allows the commission to serve officially as the Governor’s liaison
to the African American communities throughout the state.
The Executive Director
Mildred Edwards, Ph.D.
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Dr. Mildred Edwards is a passionate community leader, mobilizer and advocate. A
community psychologist, her research interests involve the prevention and reduction
of disparity among at-risk or underserved populations including, disparity in health
status and resource access, social inequity and justice, economic status, and/or
cultural bias. Her professional and volunteer experiences include public policy
and advocacy activities, community mobilization, coalition building, capacity building,
program evaluation, and non-profit administration and board development. A lifelong
student of the art and science of leadership, Mildred’s special skills entail her
ability to think strategically and provide direction based on national trends and
local data.
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Contribute to the KAAAC
KAAAC is a unit of state government (K.S.A. 74-9901 et seq.) and is authorized to
accept contributions in furtherance of its mission. Contributions for public purposes
are deductible from gross income for federal income tax purpose (Section 170c (1)
IRC 26 U.S. CODE 170). KAAAC is not a 501c (3) organization, but is eligible to
receive charitable donations, and the net value of any donation to KAAAC will be
tax deductible.
Please Contact Us to make a contribution.
The KAAAC Commissioners
Curtis Whitten
Hariett Johnson
James Barfield
Deborah Dandridge
Jerome Williams
Latoria Chinn