Joy Koesten is running for the Johnson County Community College Board of Trustees because she’s passionate about the community and making sure there’s a robust educational system afforded to the people who live in Johnson County, she says.
Koesten has seen higher education from many perspectives: as an adult student, a faculty member and as a local business owner/employer. If elected on Nov. 2, her top priorities would be, in her words:
- To continue to recruit, recognize and retain what she calls “the best teachers in the region” — she feels JCCC stands out because of having experts in their fields, including both tenure-track and adjunct faculty members
- To ensure that the college works in partnership with the business community to understand what’s happening in real time in today’s workforce, and how to prepare workers with enhanced skill sets and “just-in-time training”
She’s also passionate about ensuring that tuition is affordable for all students.
Koesten, an educator who has lived in Johnson County for 43 years, is no stranger to elected office — she was elected as Kansas state representative for District 28 in November 2016, serving a two-year term. In 2020, she ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for Kansas Senate in District 11 (which includes parts of Leawood and Overland Park).
With an extensive background in higher education, Koesten also is one of four candidates recommended by the JCCC Faculty Association, which stated that the "candidates they have chosen to recommend represent diverse viewpoints, experiences and education; and are passionately committed to students and faculty at JCCC."
Koesten has strong ties to JCCC, having been both a student and instructor at the community college. After raising her children, Koesten went back to school at JCCC to complete her teaching certification, allowing her to return to the workforce as a substitute teacher in the Blue Valley and Olathe school districts. A few years later Koesten returned to JCCC as a trainer and consultant for local businesses through the college’s Business and Industry Institute.
After earning her master’s degree at the University of Kansas, Koesten joined the JCCC faculty as a part-time adjunct faculty member while working on her doctorate in communication studies. After earning her Ph.D. from KU, Koesten taught at Washburn University. She then served as an assistant research professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Kansas and as an assistant dean of the graduate school at the University of Kansas.
Koesten has a vision for the future of Johnson County Community College: “I hope we continue to be the gold standard for what community colleges should be. We’ll do that by being innovative, being creative and by being forward thinking about what we need to do to build the workforce of the future.”
Stewart Stein, a longtime board member and former president of the Johnson County Community College Foundation, has been serving as the Koesten campaign’s treasurer. “Joy has the intellect and practical experience to serve as a Trustee, and most important, to work as a team member with the other Trustees,” Stein says.
In terms of community leadership, Koesten currently serves as an appointed member of the Johnson County Charter Commission and as a board member of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee.
Koesten also is a strong advocate for mental health, having served as trained advocate and educator for the Kansas National Alliance on Mental Illness, and as a trained advocate for neglected and abused children and board member of Jackson County CASA.
Election Details: Advance voting by mail started on Oct. 13 (the deadline to apply for mail-in ballots has passed); in person voting is happening now through Nov. 2, Election Day, at eight polling locations across Johnson County. Voters may select four candidates in this race; sample ballots are available on the Johnson County Election Office website.
