Kristen Kuhn

Candidate Bio

Kirsten Kuhn is a 15-year Douglas County resident, originally hailing from Wisconsin. Always a champion against the status quo, she began her activism in high school, where she was the recipient of the NAACP Multicultural Leadership Award. Through a rather winding college path, Kirsten earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Kansas, with a minor in Applied Behavioral Science. Since that time, she has served as the consumer representative on the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center Governing Board for two terms, demonstrating her passion for this important work.

Kirsten has been the Chair of the unaffiliated Douglas County Libertarians for 5 years and has been heavily involved and invested in the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, currently serving on two subcommittees. In the past, she sat on the hiring committee for the Lawrence Municipal Court Judge. Kirsten is also the President and Founder of the Douglas County Community Bail Fund, a direct result of her work with the Vera Institute of Justice’s In Our Backyards program. In 2026, she has had the pleasure of attending the Douglas County Sheriff’s Citizen Academy, an opportunity that has provided her with an in-depth perspective on the operations of the department.

She has also been active in the local organization Justice Matters, where she served as the long-term Co-Chair for the Jail Alternatives Committee, a Team Leader for the Neighborhood Network for five years, and assisted in the Mental Health Committee’s monitoring efforts. In her role with these groups, she has been intimately involved with the cessation of jail expansion efforts, as well as the creation of the Treatment and Recovery Center of Lawrence.

Her focus on criminal justice reform, mental health support and advocacy, and government oversight make her an ideal candidate for those who view our current policies as overreaching and undesirable for the average Douglas County resident. Kirsten hopes to bring her attention to detail, dedication and critical eye to the operations of county government.

Kirsten lives in rural Douglas County with her partner of 14 years, his son, cats, ferrets, backyard poultry, and honeybees. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, reading, and minding her own business.