Wichita educator and lawmaker Melody McCray-Miller dies
Former Sedgwick County commissioner, Kansas state lawmaker, Wichita school board member and barbecue beans entrepreneur Melody McCray-Miller has died at the age of 69 after a long illness.
McCray-Miller was the first Black woman elected to the Sedgwick County Commission, serving from 1996 to 2000, and later represented Wichita’s 89th District in the Kansas House from 2005 to 2013.
More recently, she served as an at-large member of the Wichita Board of Education, but stepped down about five months ago because of health issues. She had also been teaching American government classes as an adjunct professor at Wichita State University.
State Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, a cousin, childhood friend and a former legislative colleague, said she looked up to McCray-Miller, who was a few years her senior.
“She was such a classy lady, and she was always kind, and her intelligence is what I admired the most. It’d just exude from her,” Faust-Goudeau said. “When you encountered her, she was matter-of-fact, she would always articulate her statement in such a way that it was engaging.”
Their families, and shared interest in civic service, are closely intertwined; McCray-Miller’s uncle married Faust-Goudeau’s aunt, and Faust-Goudeau now holds the Senate seat once represented by McCray-Miller’s father, the late Billy Q. McCray, the first African American commissioner in Sedgwick County, who also served multiple terms in the state House and Senate.
McCray-Miller followed closely in her father’s footsteps, becoming the first Black woman elected to the Sedgwick County Commission and later serving in the Kansas House herself.
Faust-Goudeau called her cousin “an inspiration” whose tenacity, perseverance and willingness to be a voice for the people helped shape a generation of leadership at the local and state level by “serving in every capacity to make things better for others.”
“With her small frame, she walked tall, though,” Faust-Goudeau said. “She was just a well-rounded human being, a great loss for the city of Wichita and the state of Kansas.” Born Nov. 18, 1956, McCray-Miller earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Houston and a secondary school teaching certificate from Wichita State University. Before entering Sedgwick County politics, she taught at Mayberry Middle School and Southeast High School from 1989 to 1995, her LinkedIn profile read. She later returned to the classroom as an instructor in 2021, teaching American government at WSU.
McCray-Miller and her late husband, Larry Miller, were co-owners of Miller’s Bar-B-Que. While operating their restaurant, they developed signature recipes for baked beans which are now sold through grocery stores under the brand name Millers Bar-B-Que Famous Baked Beans. McCray-Miller served as CEO of the family business.
During her time at the Kansas Statehouse, she sponsored measures including a bill to stiffen penalties for employers who repeatedly failed to pay wages and another naming the junction of I-70 and U.S. 183 the CW2 Bryan J. Nichols Fallen Veterans Memorial Interchange.
Outside of those elected offices, she also served as CEO of the Urban League of Kansas and as vice chair of the Kansas Democratic Party from 2015 to 2017.
That same mix of discipline and determination was apparent when McCray-Miller joined the Wichita Public Schools Board of Education, colleagues on the board said. Board President Stan Reeser called McCray-Miller “a true public servant” who will be remembered for “her intelligence, her leadership abilities and her independence.”
“She truly believed in getting information, assimilating that information and then contributing to all our board decisions,” Reeser said. “You never had to worry about whether she was speaking on behalf of some ... group — she reached conclusions on her own and was very thoughtful in how she made her decisions.”
At the same time, Reeser said, she was also very personable.
“She had a smile that gave you a glimpse into her true nature,” he said. “It was always very enjoyable to do school visits with her. She had a way of connecting with students where it was very clear that the student knew that Melody felt very strongly for them and really believed in helping them reach their potential.”
But he said he would miss most how McCray-Miller used her confident, measured and deliberate voice, especially on behalf of Wichita’s diverse student population.
“Her favorite phrase was, ‘Do we understand who our students are?’” Reeser said. “I think that’s what the Board of Education will continue to focus on in the future.”
Reeser said the board would soon start a public interview process, followed by a board vote to replace McCray-Miller. He said the board will be looking for someone with the same passion, fierce independence and an open heart for Wichita’s unique student population.
Sedgwick County government posted a tribute to McCray-Miller on Facebook:
“A Wichita native, McCray-Miller loved her community and pushed to make it better every day,” it said. “She led with strong principles, believing everyone should have a voice in their own destiny. Rest in peace Melody, thank you for everything.”
Additional details about services and memorial arrangements were not immediately available Sunday.
This story was originally published February 22, 2026 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Wichita educator and lawmaker Melody McCray-Miller dies."
