Greg Smith
Greg won the Senate seat for Kansas Senate District 21 on November 6, 2012. He needs your help to change the culture of the Kansas Senate. He has served in the Kansas House and is a proven leader. Greg serves as Chairman of the Senate Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee, Vice Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice Chairman of the Joint Committee on Kansas Security, and was Co-chairman of the PEW Juvenile Justice Workgroup that met all off session working on juvenile justice reform for Kansas. Additionally, he serves on the Senate Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Utilities Committee. Senator Smith also serves on a diverse mix of joint committees, special committees and subcommittees:Telecommunications Study Committee, Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight, Special Committee on Taxation, Education Subcommittee - Ways & Means, and the Transportation & Public Safety Subcommittee - Ways & Means.
Greg is a sixth generation native Kansan. He was born in Emporia and grew up in Overland Park where he attended school in the Shawnee Mission School District, graduating from Shawnee Mission West in 1978. He attended Johnson County Community College until he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1980.
The eighties found Greg in a number of duty stations while he served in the United States Navy Submarine Service. During this time, while serving as a navy recruiter in Des Moines, IA, he met and married his wife, Missey. Greg was Honorably Discharged in November of 1989.
After leaving the Navy, he began his law enforcement career in 1990 which continued until 2008. Greg served as a deputy sheriff in Berkeley County, South Carolina where he was a decorated officer and rose to the rank of lieutenant. He worked extensively in high crime areas, and developed both training materials and policies for the sheriff’s office. In 1995, the incumbent sheriff did not win re-election and Greg and his family moved home to Kansas. Since that time he served as a police officer in several communities, including Kansas City, MO, Olathe, KS and the Johnson County Community College Campus Police. He is a strong voice for the victims of crime, and champions issues concerning public safety.
In 2002, Greg returned to college, while working full time and in 2006 earned a Bachelor’s Degree (cum laude) in History from Avila University. He continued his education and earned his Kansas Teaching Certification in Social Studies in 2007. He finished his Master's Degree in Education on June 28, 2010. Greg's teaching experience is an asset he uses to advocate for local control of public schools in Kansas.
2007 was also a year of tragedy for Greg and his family. his daughter, Kelsey Smith, was abducted from an Overland Park department store and murdered. A four day search was conducted by federal, state and local law enforcement. A massive community effort, spearheaded by Kelsey’s family, friends, classmates and concerned citizens, in conjunction with the stellar law enforcement response resulted in Kelsey’s body being recovered and the successful apprehension of her murderer. Her murderer has since pled guilty and is serving life in prison.
Since Kelsey’s murder, Missey and Greg, as well as the entire family have worked tirelessly to advocate on behalf of victim’s rights. The Kelsey Smith Act was passed in Kansas in 2009. This landmark legislation sponsored by Rep. Rob Olson allows law enforcement to quickly utilize cell phone locate information to locate a person in danger of serious bodily harm or death. 21 states now have this law. Greg advocated and lobbied for broader use of the grand jury in Kansas, supporting HB 2226, sponsored by Rep. Lance Kinzer. This legislation eventually was passed in 2011, sponsored by Greg, carried on the floor of the House by Greg, and signed into law by Gov. Brownback. Additionally, Missey and Greg started the Kelsey Smith Foundation® which provides education in safety awareness and victim’s rights, as well as informing the general public on violent crime issues. Greg conducts training at high schools, colleges, businesses and churches throughout the United States and is frequently asked to speak on the issues of violent crime, missing persons and cell phone issues.
In addition to his duties as Executive Director for the Kelsey Smith Foundation®, he is a high school social studies teacher in the Shawnee Mission School District. His passion as a teacher is to educate our next generation in American & Kansas history and government so they can be responsible and productive citizens.
In November of 2010 the people of House District 22 elected Greg to serve as their Republican representative in the Kansas House of Representatives. In 2012,he was elected to the Kansas Senate, District 21, which includes about a third of Overland Park and the entire city of Lenexa. Greg loves representing you and allowing your voice to be heard in Topeka.
