Dr. Brandon Whipple was elected as the Mayor of Wichita in the Nov. 5, 2019, election and was sworn in to office on Jan. 13, 2020. Prior to being elected Mayor, Dr. Whipple served District 96 in the Kansas House of Representatives for 7 years and was a professor at Wichita State University.
In December 2019, Mayor Whipple was honored to attend the biennial Seminar on Transition for Newly Elected Mayors at The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School. Mayor Whipple participated in sessions on various topics including leading in times of crisis, supporting youth civic engagement, and effective policing. The seminar was developed in collaboration with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and led by current and former mayors, prominent scholars and policy experts.
Mayor Whipple graduated from Dover High School in Dover, New Hampshire, and also earned his Associate of Arts in liberal studies from Hesser College. He moved to Wichita in 2003 at age 21 in a year-long education-service mission with AmeriCorps. In that program he worked with at-risk youth at Wichita South High School, and ultimately made a decision to call Wichita home.
Mayor Whipple is married to his wife, Chelsea, and they have three young children, Adrian, Tristan and Julian.
When not working, Mayor Whipple enjoys studying history, teaching martial arts and spending time with his family exploring all that Wichita has to offer. He is also a member of Vestry at St. James Episcopal Church.
- League of Kansas Municipalities Governing Body
- Kansas Mayors Association
- Kansas Passenger Rail Coalition
- Exploited and Missing Child Unit Executive Committee
- Chief Elected Officials Board
- Greater Wichita Partnership Executive Board
- Wichita/Sedgwick County Law Enforcement Training Center Board
- Visit Wichita Board of Directors
- Strategic Advisory Team - GWP
- Sedgwick County Association of Cities
- St. James Episcopal Church Vestry
- 4 Wichita Advancement Board
- Vestry member at St. James Episcopal Church
- Teaching martial arts and self-defense seminars
- Member of Southwest Neighborhood Association
- Bachelor of General Studies - Wichita State University
- Master of Arts in Liberal studies with an empasis on cross-cultural studies and public administration - Wichita State University
- Doctor of Arts in Leadership Studies - Franklin Pierce University
- Wichita State University, Bachelor of General Studies
- Wichita State University, Master of Arts in Liberal Studies
- Franklin Pierce University, Doctor of Arts in Leadership Studies
- Seminar on Transition for Newly Elected Mayors, The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School
