This article was accepted into the corpus but its outbound wikilinks were never NER-processed — typical at the deepest BFS hop or when the run's entity cap was reached. No expansion funnel to show.
| David Toland | |
|---|---|
| Name | David Toland |
| Birth date | 1972 |
| Birth place | Topeka, Kansas |
| Party | Democratic Party |
| Alma matter | Kansas State University; University of Kansas |
| Occupation | Politician; business executive |
| Office | 51st Lieutenant Governor of Kansas |
| Term start | January 2, 2023 |
| Predecessor | Lynn Rogers |
David Toland
David Toland is an American politician and business executive who serves as the 51st Lieutenant Governor of Kansas. He previously held senior roles in state cabinet agencies and private-sector organizations, and built a public profile through work on workforce, economic development, and administrative modernization. Toland has been associated with policy debates and administrative reforms involving Kansas State Treasurer, Kansas Department of Commerce, Kansas Board of Regents, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services and intergovernmental coordination with United States Department of Labor and United States Department of Education initiatives.
Toland was born in Topeka, Kansas, and raised in the region near Shawnee County, Kansas and Douglas County, Kansas. He attended public schools in the state and pursued higher education at Kansas State University where he studied business-related subjects and later completed graduate-level coursework at the University of Kansas. During his student years he engaged with campus organizations linked to Kansas Legislature internships and local chapters of national organizations such as Young Democrats of America and community development groups connected to Greater Topeka Partnership and Wichita Chamber of Commerce.
After completing his studies Toland entered the private sector, working for firms connected to workforce training and economic development, including consulting engagements with Kansas Department of Commerce contractors and regional employers associated with Spirit AeroSystems, Cessna Aircraft Company, and supply-chain firms servicing Boeing. He held executive roles at nonprofit and quasi-public organizations that coordinated with the Kansas Board of Regents and local development authorities in Topeka Metropolitan Area Planning Organization and Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce. His early political involvement included advisory work for state legislators in the Kansas Senate and Kansas House of Representatives, campaign organizing for local Douglas County, Kansas officials, and policy advising on labor and workforce programs tied to United States Department of Labor grants.
Toland transitioned to a series of appointed public roles in Kansas state government. He served in senior management positions within agencies that interact with the Kansas Legislature and the executive office of Kansas Governor Laura Kelly. His responsibilities included directing initiatives that linked the Kansas Department for Children and Families and workforce programs administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce, coordinating with higher-education institutions such as Wichita State University and University of Kansas Medical Center on workforce pipelines. Throughout this period he engaged in policy work touching on Medicaid-related coordination with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and state-administered employment programs monitored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Sworn in as Lieutenant Governor alongside Governor Laura Kelly in January 2023, Toland’s portfolio included oversight of several executive initiatives and chairing interagency councils that engaged with entities such as the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Department of Transportation, and regional economic authorities including Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and Mid-America Regional Council. In the lieutenant governorship he has represented the state in meetings with federal officials from U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Small Business Administration and participated in regional summits with leaders from Nebraska, Missouri, and Oklahoma on cross-border infrastructure and workforce issues. He has also served as a liaison to the Kansas Turnpike Authority and to boards that include appointees from Kansas Board of Regents institutions.
Toland’s stated priorities emphasize workforce development, business attraction, and administrative modernization. He has supported initiatives that coordinate vocational and technical training between Wichita State University, Kansas State University, and community colleges such as Johnson County Community College to align with employer needs at companies like Textron Aviation and Garmin Ltd.. He has advocated for data-driven performance management in state agencies similar to frameworks used by the Federal Performance Improvement Council and for leveraging federal grant programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Labor. Toland has been involved in efforts to streamline licensing and permitting with regulatory boards including the Kansas Department of Revenue and to expand public–private partnerships with infrastructure stakeholders such as Kansas Department of Transportation and regional utilities.
Toland’s rise to statewide office followed appointment and selection as a running mate on the Laura Kelly gubernatorial ticket for the election cycle culminating in the 2022 general election. The Kelly–Toland ticket competed against nominees from the Republican Party and third-party candidates represented by organizations such as the Libertarian Party of Kansas. The campaign emphasized economic recovery, budgetary management, and preparedness for federal policy shifts from administrations in Washington, D.C.; Toland’s experience in both the public and private sectors was a central theme in campaign messaging and debates before Kansas voters and civic groups such as the Kansas Chamber of Commerce.
Toland resides in the Topeka area and is involved with statewide civic and nonprofit organizations, including boards and advisory councils connected to Kansas Board of Regents, regional chambers like the Topeka Chamber of Commerce, and workforce coalitions linked to Mid-America Regional Council. He is active in community events alongside leaders from Shawnee County, Douglas County, Kansas, and neighboring regions, and participates in policy forums that include representatives from United States Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Commerce, and higher-education institutions.
Category:Lieutenant Governors of Kansas Category:People from Topeka, Kansas Category:Kansas Democrats