Gwynne Birzer

After Judge Gwynne Birzer graduated from high school in the early 1980s, she was hired as a clerk typist for the Social Security Administration. Working for the federal government was thought of as a stable line of work, but it did not take her long to decide she wanted something more than just a job. She wanted a career.

“Initially, I decided to take classes at KCKCC because it was close, convenient, and I was unable to go anywhere else,” she said. “I contacted the Career Services Office at KCKCC and spoke with a counselor. She asked me questions about what I wanted to do, and I explained my current situation. She listened, and she helped me come up with a plan. That was the first step in changing my life.”

Birzer said it was during that initial phone call that she discovered that KCKCC wasn’t just a “close, convenient and affordable option.” It was part of a plan to a better life. She told the Career Services counselor that she wanted to be a lawyer. Though she could not major in law at the college, she was able to take the necessary pre-requisites, so she could move onto a four-year university. After graduating from KCKCC, she attended Washburn University where she earned a bachelor of arts in criminal justice in 1989, followed by a law degree in 1992. She then practiced law in the public sector in Topeka, Kan. as an assistant public defender, an assistant district attorney and as an assistant attorney general as well as practicing in her own firm.

After leaving Topeka, she worked at the Sedgwick County Public Defender’s Office in Wichita, Kan. and later joined Hite, Fanning & Honeyman, LLP. In 2011, she became a partner in the firm and served in that capacity until her judicial appointment. In 2015, she was appointed as the 6^th United States Magistrate Judge sitting in Wichita. She has served on the Board of Governors on both the Kansas Bar Association and the Wichita Bar Association and is a member of the American Bar Association as well as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. In 2021, she was honored as the Washburn University School of Law 2021 Alumni Fellow.

Birzer said the simple fact of KCKCC being in Wyandotte County changed her life.

“At the time I set out to go there, I was hungry for a better life with more responsibility and professional growth and development. Not only did that one phone call to KCKCC make all the difference, but the person on the other end also listened to me,” she said. “She, and over time, the Career Office, was willing to help me set a goal and keep on track to reach that goal, and I did. I am forever grateful.”

Birzer said she feels like community colleges are key to any community because they contribute to its infrastructure. She said it is important for people to not overlook what is “right in front of them” just because they feel like they want to go away to school.

“Community colleges, in general, are great in preparing you for a four-year institution. I certainly was not ready to take on a four-year institution at the time I contacted KCKCC,” she said. “I did not know that then, but I know it now. After my time there, I was better prepared for the rigors of what was ahead, and it allowed me to mature even more to be able to finish what I started.”