Senator Oletha Faust-Goudeau Contact information

Oletha Faust-Goudeau

Born on August 5, 1959, in Wichita, Kansas, Oletha Faust-Goudeau is a prominent figure in the Kansas political landscape. She is a Democratic member of the Kansas Senate, representing the 29th district (central/northeast Wichita) since 2009. She is the first African-American woman in the Kansas Senate and is currently serving as the Senate Assistant Minority Leader.

Faust-Goudeau was one of five children of Oretha Faust, a well-known inner-city Wichita community activist and politician. She pursued pre-law at Wichita State University and later became a photographer and community activist.

Before her tenure in the Senate, Faust-Goudeau served in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2004 to 2009. In 2002, she ran for the seat of retiring Kansas State Representative Jonathan Wells, representing the 84th District (inner-city Wichita), but was defeated by fellow Democrat Donald Betts. However, in 2003, Betts was appointed to fill a state senate vacancy, and Faust-Goudeau was appointed to fill Betts’ vacant seat in the Kansas House of Representatives. In 2004, she was elected to the seat, becoming the first African-American woman elected to represent the district. She was re-elected to the seat in 2006.

In 2008, Faust-Goudeau was elected to the Kansas Senate, representing the 29th District (Wichita). Upon her inauguration in 2009, she became the first African-American woman in the state senate’s history. She was re-elected by wide margins in 2012, 2016 (unopposed), and 2020, when she received 71.1% of the vote.

Her 29th Senate district predominantly includes inner-city central/north-central and northeast Wichita, encompassing most of the minority neighborhoods and the city’s poorest people, along with its richest.

Throughout her political career, Faust-Goudeau has served on various legislative committees, including Ethics and Elections, Federal and State Affairs, Joint Committee on Arts and Cultural Resources, Joint Committee on Children’s Issues, Commerce, Joint Committee on Economic Development, and Local Government.

Faust-Goudeau’s career experience includes working with PCA International and as a member of the KPTS Channel 8 advisory board. She has volunteered with Wichita Habitat for Humanity, POWER CDC, Kansas Legal Services, and the Wichita Children’s Home Advisory board. Faust-Goudeau has also been a member of the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, and the Women’s Democratic Club.