KDOR
TOPEKA—Revenue Secretary Sam Williams announced he has appointed David Harper to replace Director of Vehicles Lisa Kaspar after she retires in September.
Director Harper currently serves as director of property valuation in the Department of Revenue, and will retain that job in addition to his new role as director of vehicles. Combining leadership roles will promote cross-team collaboration and reduce duplication of efforts, Secretary Williams said.
“We are reforming this agency to make it more accessible to Kansans and encourage efficiency in all areas,” Secretary Williams said. “I’m deeply thankful for the terrific job that Lisa has done to grow customer satisfaction within the Division of Vehicles and I know David is going to continue building on that with the broad range of management skills he has brought to our agency.”
Before joining the Department in 2007, Harper worked for 25 years in the appraisal and property tax administration field. He has a proven track record with strategic planning that helps ensure both Kansas law and department policy are followed. He also has a long history of developing positive working relationships with staff, taxpayers, stakeholders, and government officials.
“Anyone who is familiar with the Division of Vehicles knows that Lisa has made incredible improvements in communication and customer service,” Director Harper said. “I look forward to carrying forward that effort to make our services accessible and user-friendly.”
Director Kaspar has served as Director of Vehicles for four years, culminating a 35-year career at the department that spanned multiple roles and leadership positions. She is known across the state as a leader whose style is friendly and cooperative. When she took over the Division of Vehicles, she implemented twice yearly stakeholder meetings that brought together industry officials who have ties with the division in any way, such as law enforcement, transportation leaders, organ donation representatives, and the banking industry, among many others. The meetings facilitated communication into and out of the Division of Vehicles, making a significant impact on the processes of the division and collaboration with partners.
“One of the parts of my work at Revenue that I’m most proud of is the way we made dramatic improvements to customer service and the rate at which we answer phone calls,” Director Kaspar said. “We reorganized, and implemented teamwork with an emphasis on consistency and it’s made a big difference in our service to Kansans.”
Director Harper plans to continue the bi-annual stakeholder meetings. He will take over as director of vehicles on September 9.