Mark Parkinson | |
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45th Governor of Kansas | |
In office April 28, 2009 – January 10, 2011 |
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Lieutenant | Troy Findley |
Preceded by | Kathleen Sebelius |
Succeeded by | Sam Brownback |
47th Lieutenant Governor of Kansas | |
In office January 4, 2007 – April 28, 2009 |
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Governor | Kathleen Sebelius |
Preceded by | John Moore |
Succeeded by | Troy Findley |
Member of the Kansas Senate | |
In office 1993–1997 |
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Member of the Kansas House of Representatives | |
In office 1991–1992 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Wichita, Kansas, U.S. |
June 24, 1957
Political party |
Republican (Before 2006) Democratic (2006–present) |
Spouse(s) | Stacy Abbott |
Children | Alex Sam Kit |
Alma mater |
Wichita State University University of Kansas |
Religion | Methodism |
Website | Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived October 15, 2009) |
Mark V. Parkinson (born June 24, 1957) is the president and chief executive officer of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL). A former Republican, Parkinson is currently a member of the Democratic Party. He was the 45th Governor of Kansas and a member of both the Kansas House of Representatives and the Kansas Senate.
Parkinson was born in Wichita, Kansas, into a family which has its roots in Scott City, where they still own a farm. Parkinson graduated from Wichita Heights High School before graduating summa cum laude from Wichita State University in 1980 and finishing first in his class at the University of Kansas Law School in 1984. Parkinson then entered private practice, forming his own law practice of Parkinson, Foth & Orrick. In 1996, Parkinson left his law practice to develop elder care facilities.
Parkinson entered Kansas politics as a Republican in 1990. He served in the Kansas House of Representatives from 1991 to 1992 and the Kansas Senate from 1993 to 1997. From 1999 to 2003 he was Chairman of the Kansas Republican Party. In 2004 he served as chairman of the Shawnee Area Chamber of Commerce board, and in 2005, served as the "Chair of the Chairs" of the six Chambers of Commerce in Johnson County.
In May 2006, Governor Kathleen Sebelius announced that Parkinson had switched parties and was her running mate for her reelection campaign, succeeding retiring lieutenant governor John E. Moore (also a former Republican who had switched parties shortly before he joined a ticket with Sebelius). Parkinson's business experience and track record of working with both Republicans and Democrats were the reasons Sebelius gave for choosing him.