Rochelle Chronister

Rochelle Ruth Chronister ( Beach; August 27, 1939 – April 2, 2023) was an American politician from southwest Kansas who served in the Kansas Legislature, as the 57th Chairwoman of the Kansas Republican Party and as Secretary of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.

Early life Chronister was born in Garden City, Kansas on August 27, 1939. She attended the University of Kansas and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. From 1961 to 1964 she worked for the University of Kansas Medical Center as a Research Virologist. She also worked as Vice President of the joint venture for the Neodesha Lumber Company.

Secretary of Social and Rehabilitation Services

During her tenure she oversaw the privatization of the State's foster care system. She supported the system as it was being implemented in the 1990s and discredited issues with the system as transitional hiccups. Additionally, in 2017 when the system was being reviewed, she continued to stand by her earlier statements and testified in favor of keeping the system private.

As secretary she was a defendant to the lawsuit; Calderon v. Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, where a Mexican American women, Maria Del Carmen Calderon, lost custody of her children, and was asked her citizenship status by a local judge when she appealed. Claiming that this violated her Fourth, Fourteenth and Fifth amendment rights, she sued the entire department of the Kansas state government. The case eventually reached the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Claiming emotional injury and demanding compensation of $8 million, the court was "unable to discern the basis for Ms. Calderon's claims" and dismissed all claims against the judge, Chronister, and the department as a whole on July 6, 1999.

Political advocacy In 1990 she was inducted into the University of Kansas' Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity. She is also a member of the medical center's board of trustees. Additionally during his 2014 re-election campaign Chronister refused to endorse Brownback and instead endorsed his Democratic challenger Paul Davis. Chronister and the Traditional Republicans for Common Sense also denounced senator Pat Roberts during his 2014 re-election bid, endorsing his independent challenger Greg Orman.