About

Blake Flanders, PhD, served as president and CEO for the Kansas Board of Regents from 2015 to 2026, the governing board of the state’s six universities and the statewide coordinating board for the state’s 32 public higher education institutions. In this role, Flanders oversaw the implementation of the board’s strategic goals and managed the day-to-day operations of the board office. He directed the implementation of a strategic plan for public higher education in Kansas centered on families, businesses, and prosperity. This plan, Building a Future, led the system to undertake several initiatives to support student success, increase affordability, expand the research enterprise, and address deferred maintenance and facilities at state universities.

Under Flanders’ leadership, Building a Future yielded significant results for Kansas. In the five years since it was adopted, on-time graduation rates at state universities increased by nearly 10 percentage points, state-funded student financial aid nearly quadrupled, enrollment of Pell recipients increased, dual/concurrent enrollment grew by 16 percent, and starting wages for graduates from the Kansas system increased by 29 percent. The board’s facilities renewal initiative leveraged a mix of state support and private fundraising efforts to align state university facilities with institutional mission and needs, resulting in improved data and an increased annual reinvestment in existing facilities, along with a strategic reduction in footprint of nearly 750,000 square feet and $123 million reduction in deferred maintenance backlog.

Prior to serving as president and CEO, Flanders served as the vice president for workforce development for the board of regents and as the liaison between the board and the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Professional Credentials

Flanders is a graduate of Colby Community College and Kansas State University, where he earned a BS in animal science, an MS in animal science, and a PhD in curriculum and instruction. Before joining the board office, he served as vice president of instructional services at Manhattan Area Technical College and as a member of the faculty at Butler Community College. Blake and his wife, Risa, have three children.