MEET KEMP
Hi, I’m Kemp Strickler, and I am proud to represent Lee’s Summit and House District 34 in the Missouri legislature. I serve on many key committees in the legislature, including the Special Committee on Tax Reform (ranking member), Special Committee on Property Tax Reform, Higher Education, Insurance Policy, and the General Administration Appropriations Subcommittee.
As a husband, father, and community servant, I understand the struggles Lee’s Summit families are facing. We are coming out of a pandemic that has impacted us all; economic uncertainty, rising healthcare costs, and a divided government that is often more interested in getting headlines than fixing our problems. In my short time in the legislature, I have successfully fought for budget funding for Lee’s Summit, have supported property tax relief for seniors, and will continue to fight against the threat of a landfill on the borders of our community.
My wife, Kristy, and I have lived in Lee’s Summit for over 35 years. It is where we have put down our roots and raised our daughter, Kara, our greatest pride and joy. We are so proud to call this community home. During our decades in Lee’s Summit we have been active in the school district and volunteered our time with various organizations, clubs, and causes throughout the community. I recently served as Vice Chair of the Lee’s Summit Arts Council and have served on many other committees and organizations over the years. My family and I are long-time members of Lee’s Summit Christian Church, where I served as the moderator for our church leadership team before being elected to the legislature.
I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri and have spent my entire life in the metro area. I went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial engineering and an MBA from the University of Missouri-Columbia. I am a lifetime Tiger and fierce advocate of our state’s wonderful public institutions. I served on both the Industrial Engineering Hall of Fame Board and the Marketing Department Advisory Board at the University of Missouri. I was proud to be inducted into Mizzou’s Industrial Engineering Hall of Fame and received the Citation of Merit award from Mizzou’s Trulaske College of Business.
I enjoyed a challenging but rewarding career at Hallmark, where I worked my way up from an entry level position in analytics to leadership roles responsible for multi-million dollar budgets. After 35 years at Hallmark, I recently retired from my position as a Senior Data Analytics Manager, where I led research teams that provided customer insight to help guide Hallmark’s strategic decisions.
Over the course of my career, I saw the importance of listening to customers and conveying their perspectives throughout the company. As your state representative, I have listened closely to your concerns, and will continue to bring your perspective with me every day to the Missouri legislature.