Candidate for Kansas Senate - District 30

About

Elizabeth Bishop has lived in Kansas for 45 years and in Wichita for more than half of that time.

She was born in Virginia, grew up as a “military brat” traveling with her Air Force father throughout the United States. Elizabeth once counted up that she had attended 14 different schools by the time she graduated from high school. Her family, which included five sisters, actually ended up back in Virginia when her father retired and she began college there.

After moving to Kansas in 1964, Elizabeth spent several years raising her family. She then went back to school in 1975, earning a degree in Sociology from Wichita State University, and completing many hours toward a Masters degree in Public Administration from WSU and the University of Kansas.

In 1995 Elizabeth married Darrel Bishop, an engineer at Spirit AeroSystems. Together they have five children and eleven grandchildren

Elizabeth has spent the bulk of her career in government service. She served as a District Aide to Congressman Dan Glickman, as Assistant Director of the Sedgwick County Department on Aging, and on the staff of a former Wichita City Manager.

In 1996 she left government service to work for three years as the Executive Director of Wichita Independent Neighborhoods, Inc., a non-profit organization. While at WIN, in teamwork with Wichita’s then brand-new community police officers, Elizabeth helped to create 40 new neighborhood associations.

A major part of Elizabeth Bishop’s life has been volunteer activity. For nearly six years, until January, 2008, Elizabeth served on the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (MAPC). In that capacity, she worked to encourage community engagement with urban planning issues, to preserve open space and adequate drainage, to protect sensitive environments including ground and surface water, and preserve options for public parks and pathways.