Emily Bradbury

Emily Bradbury has served as executive director of the Kansas Press Association since July 30, 2018, becoming the first woman to lead the organization. A native of Haysville, a suburb of Wichita, she graduated from Washburn University in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in history.

Bradbury began her career as executive assistant to former Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh, where she became involved with the Kids Voting Kansas program. She was named executive director of Kids Voting Kansas in 2002, a position she held until 2008 and again from 2011 to 2015. In 2008, Bradbury joined the Kansas Press Association as director of member services. She was named assistant director in 2015 before being appointed executive director.

Bradbury’s professional achievements include being named one of Topeka’s 30 Under 30 in 2005 and a Washburn Alumni Fellow in 2023. She serves as co-president of the Kansas Coalition for Open Government, treasurer of the Wellsville Community Library Board, and as a director on the Newspaper Association Managers Board. She also serves on the boards of the Kansas Historical Society Foundation and the Northeast Kansas Library System Foundation. Bradbury is a member of PEO International.

She is a strong advocate for the importance of newspapers in their communities and believes a free and robust press is essential to democracy.

Bradbury and her husband, Ryan, who is superintendent of USD 289, live in Wellsville. They have two children, Kyle and Cassie. In her free time, Bradbury enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and reading newspapers from across the state.