About Patrick

Patrick Woods currently lives in Topeka with his wife Anna, a public school teacher, and new son Zen. When not spending time with his family, Patrick works as an education advisor on Governor Kathleen Sebelius’ senior staff. Patrick began working in the Governor’s office shortly before the special session in the summer of 2005. Since then Patrick has developed an expert understanding of education policy and worked hard to help secure the largest increase in education funding in Kansas history.

Patrick is committed to securing funding for all day Kindergarten. Patrick believes a focus on early education is the key for Zen, and all Topeka children, to achieve their full potential. Patrick was recently appointed by the Governor to the Taskforce for Healthy and Prepared Schools, which is reviewing ways to ensure kids remain in the best possible condition to learn.

Patrick attended Friends University, where he graduated with a degree in political science and history. Since moving to Topeka, Patrick has become heavily involved in the community. Patrick is a YouthFriend Mentor at Landon Middle School, a member of Topeka District Citizen’s Advisory Council, and Co-Chair of the Parkview-Cambridge Neighborhood Association.

Patrick believes that now is the time to put his education policy and civic experience to work for the people of Topeka. Patrick has worked hard over the past few years to help ensure our schools our properly funded, and now he is ready to work hard for the children of Topeka. Patrick wants to help Topeka find practical ways to maximize their new funding, and he wants to make sure every dollar spent maximizes the classroom benefit for his child and yours.