Secretary of State stepping down effective Feb. 15

TOPEKA – Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh announced Monday that he would be stepping down and taking a job in the private sector.

Thorburgh will leave his position effective Feb. 15. He will be joining Olathe-based NIC as the senior vice president of sales and marketing. The company provides government portals, online services and secure government payment processing programs.

"It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve my fellow Kansans as Secretary of State for the last 15 years. My family and I have been very blessed by this opportunity. The support and friendships we have received from countless Kansans has been invaluable. Thank you to the voters and my staff for making this experience possible. I am very proud of my record and the many accomplishments throughout my years of public service," said Thornburgh in a written statement.

Thornburgh has previously said he did not plan to run for reelection as secretary of state.

Thornburgh was first elected in 1994 and re-elected in 1998, 2002 and 2006. In his last two elections, he received the most votes of any statewide elected candidate. His accomplishments include modernizing the office, improving efficiencies and reducing the size of the staff. On the national level, he served as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State and helped to draft the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002.

Thornburgh was recognized with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2002 Digital Government "Agent of Change" award presented after he led Kansas to national prominence in electronic services. The award recognized Thornburgh as being one of the leading pioneers in e-government. He has worked tirelessly to find ways to make doing business with the Secretary of State's office faster, better and cheaper for customers.

Gov. Mark Parkinson, a Democrat, will appoint a replacement to serve out the remainder of the term; which expires on Monday, January 10, 2011.

Parkinson praised Thornburgh’s service to the state.

"Ron deserves our thanks for his many years of service to Kansas and for the past 15 years as our Secretary of State; I wish him all the best in his future endeavors,” Parkinson said in a written statement. “As I begin the process of finding our new Secretary of State, I am committed to naming a Kansan who can represent the office with honor and distinction while protecting and assisting Kansas voters and businesses."

This story was originally published February 8, 2010 at 9:30 AM with the headline "Secretary of State stepping down effective Feb. 15."