Usha Reddi

Usha Reddi

Member of the Kansas Senate from the 22nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 11, 2023
Preceded by	Tom Hawk

Personal details
Born	Usha Reddi 1965 Rajahmundry, India
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Brian Niehoff^[1]
Children	3
Residence(s)	Manhattan, Kansas, U.S.
Alma mater	Ohio State University; Kansas State University
Profession	Educator (retired)

Usha L. Reddi (born 1965)^[2] is an American politician and educator who is currently serving as a Democratic member of the Kansas Senate for the 22nd district.^[3] She has also served as a city commissioner and mayor for the city of Manhattan, Kansas from 2013 to 2023.

Career

Reddi was a long-time educator in Manhattan-Ogden public schools, where she served a term as President of their National Education Association chapter. In 2012, she ran for Manhattan city commission, coming in second place (after Karen McCulloh) with 17.47% of the vote. ^[4]

In 2020, Reddi unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, seeking to become the first Indian-American Senator from Kansas.^[5] Following Senator Tom Hawk's resignation, Reddi was elected to the Kansas Senate by the Democratic precinct chairs in the district. She was chosen over Riley County Democratic Party Chair Katie Allen by a vote of 23 to 19.^[6]^[7]

Personal life

Reddi holds two bachelor's degrees, one in developmental psychology from the Ohio State University and the other in elementary education from Kansas State University. She also holds a master's degree in educational leadership from Kansas State University. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1973 and moved to Manhattan in 1992.^[8]

Committee membership

Transportation^[9]
Assessment and Taxation
Joint Committee on State Building Construction

References

^ "Senator Usha Reddi". Legislators. 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
^ Staff Writer (2023-01-17). "Triumph of Spirit: Immigrant From Rajahmundry and a Rape Victim Usha Reddi Begins Tenure as Kansas State Senator". American Kahani. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
^ "Usha Reddi: Meet the Indian American who has become senator of Kansas". Hindustan Times. 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
^ "2013 Riley County Election Results". Riley County KS. April 10, 2013. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
^ Carpenter, Tim (2023-01-06). "Manhattan city commissioner selected to complete Senate term of Democrat Tom Hawk". Kansas Reflector. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
^ Seaton, Ned (2022-12-23). "Reddi, Allen to contend for Hawk's Senate seat". The Mercury. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
^ "UPDATED: Reddi wins Senate seat to replace Hawk | Sunflower State Journal". sunflowerstatejournal.com. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
^ "Indian-American Usha Reddi becomes Senator in Kansas state of US". The Economic Times. 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
^ "Senator Usha Reddi | Legislators | Kansas State Legislature". www.kslegislature.org. Retrieved 2023-07-25.