Member, State Board of Education District 7 in Statewide, Kansas

2026 Primary Election

• Ann Zimmerman — Incumbent Member, Salina Public Schools Board of Education in Salina, KS

  Ann Zimmerman is an experienced public education advocate, currently serving on the Salina Public Schools Board of Education until 2028. She brings over 30 years of non-profit experience, specializing in strategic planning and program development. As a Special Projects Consultant for The DeBruce Foundation, she focuses on career exploration and STEM initiatives like STEM Connect-KC. A skilled facilitator, she is passionate about conflict resolution, mediating disagreements, and building consensus. She initially ran for the local school board to ensure strong support for public education, leveraging her University of Kansas Master's degree, and also serves as Vice President of the local League of Women Voters.

• Alana Mcwilliams — Founder & Literacy Advocate in Abilene, KS

  Alana McWilliams is a Republican candidate for the Kansas State Board of Education, District 7. A communications strategist, entrepreneur, and mother of three (two with dyslexia), she founded Designed to Learn, providing structured literacy instruction and advocating for dyslexia awareness. An alumna of Newman University, McWilliams previously interned at the White House. She is running to address Kansas's literacy crisis, noting that 70% of students are not reading at grade level. Her platform emphasizes evidence-based literacy strategies, aligning educator prep with the Science of Reading, and ensuring practical solutions that prioritize students.