City Council

Mickey's service to the City of Shawnee is long and decorated.  Along with serving Ward IV as a Councilmember, he was also elected as Council President during his time on the City Council.

While he is currently employed by Sandifer Leasing, Inc., he is a servant to the City of Shawnee.

His previous experience with the City government includes time on both the Shawnee Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Shawnee Planning Commission.  He is a Board Member and Volunteer for Old Shawnee Days Society, a past Chair of Visit Shawnee, a past Chair of the Shawnee Convention and Shawnee Visitors Board, a graduate of the Shawnee Tomorrow Leadership Program, and a volunteer for Rebuilding Together Shawnee.  In 2019, he was honored by the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce as its Citizen of the Year.

Additionally, Mickey has served the greater Johnson County and Kansas City communities with his work on the Johnson County Transportation Cooperation Council, the Johnson County Affordable Housing Task Force, and as a Christmas in October volunteer.

Mickey is married to Kathy Lamas, both are long-time members of St. Joseph Catholic Church, where Mickey remains active as a parish council member and usher.

Mickey raised four children with his late wife, Dona, who passed away in 2018.  Her memory lives on in their 15 grandchildren.

Sierra Whitted was sworn in as Ward I Councilmember in December 2023.

Sierra graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Kansas and held several leadership positions both professionally and with a variety of charitable organizations.  Immediately upon graduating from KU, she was a team lead in vaccine manufacturing.  She currently works in a lab researching lung cancer.

Sierra and her husband, Byron, and their son, Rowan, moved to Shawnee in 2020.  As a family, they enjoy the many benefits of calling Shawnee their hometown including the schools, parks, neighborhoods, and events.

Rev. Jeanie Murphy was sworn in as Ward II Councilmember in December 2023.

Rev. Jeanie is a 19-year resident of Shawnee, moving to the city with her husband Dr. Dan Murphy.  She has lived in the greater Kansas City metro area for more than 50 years since arriving at the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) as a freshman.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from the UMKC Conservatory of Music, she spend 30 years as a dancer and wardrobe manager with the Kansas City Ballet.  While there, Rev. Jeanie oversaw a reimagining of the company's annual Nutcracker ballet costumes.

While working with the ballet, she enrolled in and graduated from the St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City and was ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA).  She spent two years as a church pastor before becoming the manager of the Spiritual Care Department at St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City.  She retired from that role at St. Joseph and she remains active as Chair of the Professional Advisory Group for Clinical Pastoral Education at St. Luke's Health.

Rev. Jeanie continues to serve the community in a variety of volunteer roles including Rotating Vice President for Archives with the Kansas City Ballet Guild, Assistant Supervising Judge with Johnson County Elections, a Transition Specialist with Heartland Presbytery Commission on Ministry, and a Genealogy Volunteer at Kansas City Irish Fest.

Dr. Mike Kemmling has served on the City Council since April 2013.

Dr. Kemmling was born in Oklahoma City. His family moved to Seattle while he was still young, and it was there that he grew up. He attended the University of Washington for one year before moving to Kansas City.

At the University of Missouri – Kansas City, Dr. Kemmling studied Chemistry and graduated Summa Cum Laude. He was then accepted into the UMKC School of Dentistry where he spent the next four years. In May 2008, he graduated with a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. He then spent two years working in Wichita before moving back to Shawnee to open his own practice.

Dr. Kemmling met his wife Chris, in high school. They married a few years later in 2002. Chris is a dental hygienist and has been practicing since 2004. Dr. Kemmling and his wife now have five children, one boy and four girls.

Along with spending time with his family and at his dental practice, Dr. Kemmling enjoys being involved with his church. In addition, he also likes barbecuing with his homemade smoker and watching football. 

Kurt Knappen was sworn into office as a Ward III Councilmember in January 2020.

Kurt is a lifelong resident of Johnson County and has lived in Shawnee for more than 26 years. He graduated from Shawnee Mission North High School in 1993 and the University of Kansas with a degree in Communications – Public Relations. Kurt has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over 28 years. He works as an Oncology Territory Manager for Takeda Oncology.

Kurt previously served as Treasurer of the Johnson County Republican Party, served on the Lenexa Parks and Recreation Board, and earned two “keys to the city” for volunteer work in Lenexa, KS.

Kurt was elected Shawnee City Council President in December 2023. He currently serves on the Shawnee Economic Development Council & served 2 years on the Shawnee Employee Benefits Task Force. He is an active member with the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce. Kurt also dedicated time to the Technical Committee for the recently approved Shawnee Comprehensive Plan.

Kurt and his wife Terri met at Shawnee Mission North and recently celebrated 28 years of marriage. Terri works as a para-professional for the USD-232 School District. Kurt and Terri are members of Westside Family Church and both frequently volunteer within the Mill Valley community. Kurt coached more than 30 seasons of youth football, soccer and wrestling in Western Shawnee. He previously served as the Director of the Kid's Hope Mentor Program for the Prairie Ridge area and as a Board Member for the Grey Oaks Homes Association.

Their daughter, Lexi, is a 3rd Grade teacher at Riverview Elementary within USD232. Their son, Cole, recently graduated from Washburn University on a football scholarship with a Business Degree.

In his free time, Kurt loves spending time with his wife, kids and adopted Labrador. He also enjoys kayaking, skeet shooting, and biking the many trails throughout Shawnee.

Angela Stiens was sworn into office in December 2021 as a Ward 3 Councilmember.

Angela is active in our community through a number of school and church projects including Angel Trees, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Boy Scouts and Respect Life. She has held volunteer roles at local Crisis Pregnancy Centers. Angela has also served her church as a lector and Eucharist to people who are homebound.

Angela has earned several degrees and certifications including Associate of Applied Science in Radio Broadcasting, Associate of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy from Penn Valley, Academy of Lymphatic Studies Certification as a Lymphedema Therapist and Bachelor of Arts in Management and Leadership in Healthcare Administration through Mid America Nazarene University. Angela has worked in healthcare for nearly 30 years in therapy rehabilitation.

Angela and her husband have lived in Shawnee for over two decades. They have five children and three grandchildren. The Stiens’ oldest two daughters have careers in healthcare and their oldest son is studying Electrical Engineering at Kansas State University. The youngest two children attend Sacred Heart School.

Angela has been a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus for 23 years. In her free time, Angela enjoys reading, spending time at church, walking local trails and vacationing at the beach.

Laurel Burchfield was sworn in a Ward IV Councilmember in December 2023.

Laurel grew up in Basehor, Kansas, and after graduating with her undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas, she pursued her master's degree at Acadia University in Philadelphia including studying abroad in Hungary with internships in Tanzania and Ethiopia.

Laurel lived and worked in Michigan after completing her master's degree where she served as the Associate Director of the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness.

She returned to Kansas after 15 years away. Laurel and her family chose Shawnee as the place to build their new home.  She is currently the Advocacy Director at Mainstream Civic Engagement.  Additionally, she has volunteered in a variety of capacities with public transportation coalitions, the League of Women Voters, and her daughter's elementary school PTA.