Child Care Aware of Kansas Appoints Kami Cohorst as Executive Director 

SALINA, KS —SEPTEMBER 24, 2026— The Board of Directors of Child Care Aware of Kansas is pleased to announce the appointment of Kami Cohorst as the organization’s new Executive Director. Cohorst, who has served as Interim Executive Director and brings over 20 years of sector experience including a highly tenured background with the organization, officially steps into the role to lead the state’s child care resource and referral network.  

With a robust professional background spanning non-profit administration, early childhood systems, public health, and for-profit business development, Cohorst provides strategic and operational leadership to guide Child Care Aware of Kansas into its next chapter. Her leadership focuses on strengthening the entire early childhood ecosystem, expanding child care capacity across all settings, and advancing affordability, access, and quality for Kansas families and providers. Furthermore, under her guidance, the organization places a vital emphasis on child care as a critical economic driver, collaborating directly with Kansas employers and businesses through initiatives like Child Care Connect Works to tackle workforce bottlenecks and support working parents.  

“The Board and I are confident that Kami’s leadership, experience, commitment to children and families, and dedication to strengthening Kansas’s early childhood system will position CCAKS for continued success,” said Lisette T. Jacobson, Ph.D., MPA, M.A., President of the Child Care Aware of Kansas Board of Directors. “Kami has done an exceptional job guiding the organization, and the Board has deeply appreciated her steady leadership, unwavering commitment to our mission, and dedication to this team.”  

Throughout her career in early childhood systems building—including extensive tenured experience within the organization—Cohorst has spearheaded major milestones by executing once-in-a-decade structural shifts and modernization efforts concurrently. These include leading generational digital infrastructure upgrades like a statewide data and referral platform migration and a modernized website, establishing a dedicated business and employer partnerships arm, executing comprehensive financial governance upgrades, and creating streamlined pathways for providers. She has also served on the Kansas Office of Early Childhood (KOEC) transition advisory group, played an instrumental role in bringing the military child care supports to Kansas, and advanced rural child care expansion.  

“I am deeply honored and energized to continue working alongside our dedicated staff, families, state agencies, community partners, and child care providers,” said Cohorst. “Access to quality, affordable child care is the backbone of our economy and the foundation of our children’s future. By partnering closely with Kansas employers and building on our recent momentum to strengthen our entire early childhood ecosystem, I look forward to deepening our collective efforts to build a robust, accessible system that supports working families and fuels our state’s economic growth.” 

About Child Care Aware of Kansas 

Child Care Aware of Kansas is a statewide organization working to strengthen child care and early childhood systems across Kansas. Through its statewide Child Care Resource and Referral Network (CCR&R) and partnerships, the organization connects families, child care providers, businesses and communities with information, resources and solutions that support access to quality child care. 

Media Contact: 

Desiree Donovan

Senior Strategic Communications Manager

Child Care Aware of Kansas 

marketing@ks.childcareaware.org