These are the highest paid Kansas state employees. One made over $1.2 million in 2024
Your Kansas tax dollars pay for salaries of state employees, from university presidents and judges to psychiatric nurses and accountants. But who makes the most?
In 2024, 4,933 state employees were paid over $100,000 a year, out of approximately 41,700 people on the state payroll.
Governments are required by law to share how much they pay their employees. Kansas publishes salary information on the state’s transparency portal.
Some well-known names are missing from the list — including athletic coaches like Bill Self, Chris Klieman and Lance Leipold. At Kansas State, coaches are paid by K-State Athletics, Inc., which is a separate entity and does not receive taxpayer funding, according to Kenny Lannou, a spokesperson for K-State Athletics. Lannou said that each university funds their athletic programs differently.
Municipal, county and federal officials are also not included. This is because they are paid by city, county or federal budgets.
Kansas state senators and representatives were paid approximately $30,000 a year in 2024 but received at least a $28,000 pay raise at the start of 2025.
Here are how much top Kansas officials were paid in 2024:
David Toland, lieutenant governor and secretary of commerce: $183,557
Marla Luckert, supreme court chief justice: $172,821
Laura Kelly, governor: $110,707
Scott Schwab, secretary of state: $86,003
Some of the highest paid employees were leaders of universities, medicine and science professors, and employees of the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University.
Here are the 10 highest paid Kansas employees in 2024:
Travis C. Goff, athletics director, University of Kansas: $1,238,618
John S. Tomblin, executive vice President for research and industry, Wichita State University: $1,100,285
Gene F. Taylor, director of athletics, Kansas State University: $925,000
Robert D. Simari, executive vice chancellor, University of Kansas Medical Center: $856,940
Richard H. Linton, president, Kansas State University: $815,000
Doug A. Girod, chancellor, University of Kansas: $780,200
Akinlolu O. Ojo, executive dean of the School of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center: $775,309
Richard D. Muma, president, Wichita State University: $770,000
David P. Jones, former executive director of NIAR’s aerospace research division, Wichita State University: $695,750
Waruna P. Seneviratne, NIAR director of research/senior research scientist, Wichita State University: $638,000
Have more questions about where your Kansas tax dollars go? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published February 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
