Governor Laura Kelly appointed Dr. Tyler Smith, Lenexa, to the Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund.
“The wellbeing of children and their families is incredibly important to my administration. We want all young Kansans to have the opportunities they need to grow and thrive,” Kelly said. “I know Dr. Smith’s experience as a pediatrician will allow her to give me insight into how we can best advocate for children and families in our state. We are thrilled to have her join our team.”
The Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund works with the governor to assist children and families in Kansas by developing and implementing a service delivery system, identifying barriers to service due to strict definitions of boundaries between departments and agencies, facilitating interagency cooperation, identifying methodologies for combining funds across departments and encouraging joint planning and coordination between public and private sectors.
Tyler Smith, Lenexa, currently serves as the general academic pediatrics fellowship director for Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. She is also an assistant professor of pediatrics for the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. Previously, she worked as a pediatric clinician for Mercy Medical Center and Family Health Centers of Baltimore. Smith received a medical doctorate from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Hampton University.
The cabinet has 15 members, five of whom are appointed by the governor. The governor’s appointments are not subject to Senate confirmation.