District 3
Kathryn Focke, Member
Term of Office: Term expires January 2025
Kathryn Focke (Democrat) is currently serving her first term as County Commissioner. She was elected in November of 2020.
Commissioner Kathryn Focke is a third and fourth generation Kansan and longtime Riley County resident. Her great-grandparents and grandparents were German immigrants who homesteaded in Rawlins County in the late 1800s. Her great-grandmother was one of a few women to file a homestead application in her own name in Kansas.
After graduating from high school in Atwood, KS, she was the first in her family to attend and graduate from college, and is a proud KSU alumna. Ms. Focke’s substantial community service contributions include serving as a co-founder and current board member of Common Table, and helps with meal preparation and distribution at the community meals. She helped to establish the FIT Closet and has worked with the KSU Food Recovery Team.
Kathryn is an active member of the First Lutheran Church in Manhattan.
Commissioner Focke has 35 years of design/construction experience, specializing in kitchen and bath design. Ms. Focke established a showroom in downtown Manhattan in 2004, and served on the Downtown Manhattan Business Advisory Board and the Downtown Business Association. She taught as an adjunct professor in Kansas State’s nationally-ranked Department of Interior Design. Currently, she consults on kitchen and bath design projects and interior space planning.
As one of the earlier women to enter the world of residential construction and professional kitchen and bathroom designers, Kathryn earned the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s certifications as a Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD), Certified Bath Designer (CBD) and the industry’s highest certification, the Certified Master Kitchen and Bathroom Designer (CMKBD).
She also holds certificates in AC/DC Electrical, Architectural Drafting, Universal Design, Healthy Living, and Project Management.
Commissioner Focke served for thirteen years as the Riley County Democratic Party chair. She has worked on numerous local and state campaigns, including Governors Kathleen Sebelius and Laura Kelly. She served as the Kansas Democratic Party’s Vice Chair and Interim State Chair from 2015-2017, has received awards for exemplary leadership and has been a delegate to two presidential conventions.
County Commissioner Kathryn Focke is committed to open communication and accountability in government – at all levels. She values and encourages citizen participation in our local government, and is committed to working alongside her neighbors to ensure that Riley County is a great place to live for all of us.