Determination and hard work.  Faith and family.  Service to community.

These simple values were instilled in Kevin by his parents, Jim and Julie, while he was growing up in Kansas City. His parents credit these values to his Irish ancestors, who came to Kansas City over 150 years ago with the hope of building a better life for their children.  These same values continue to guide Kevin today as an attorney and active participant in our community.

Kevin is a graduate of Rockhurst High School, a Jesuit school that challenges its students to engage their community and be “men for others.”  At Rockhurst, Kevin was active in sports and graduated as both valedictorian and class president.  While at Rockhurst, he also met his future wife, Alejandra (”Alex”), who was then a student at Notre Dame de Sion High School.

As a student at the University of Notre Dame, Kevin saw first-hand how public service can both strengthen communities and change lives.  Working as an assistant to a city councilman, he helped develop a partnership program between Notre Dame and the surrounding neighborhood that increased the educational opportunities of residents.  During the summer, Kevin worked at Don Bosco Community Center in Kansas City, where he assisted needy families in transitioning from welfare to work.  These experiences reinforced Kevin’s belief that education and jobs are keys to a better life for all Missourians.

Kevin graduated from Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in Government, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.  After graduation, Kevin was selected to participate in Coro Kansas City, an internship program dedicated to developing leaders in public affairs.  He later moved to Washington, D.C. to work as a researcher at The Urban Institute, a nonpartisan, public policy research organization, where he evaluated and advocated for policies that improved the lives of working families.

In 2003, Kevin returned to Missouri to attend law school at Saint Louis University, where he was an 1843 Scholar and served as an editor of the Law Journal.  In law school, Kevin solidified his passion for advocacy as a member of the Public Interest Law Group, which provided free legal services to St. Louis’ neediest citizens.  Kevin is an attorney at the Kansas City law firm of Martin Leigh Laws & Fritzlen, P.C., where he practices in the area of real estate and commercial law.  Previously, Kevin practiced law for three years at Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP in Kansas City.  His legal work has also included pro bono services to help an inner-city neighborhood in its revitalization efforts.

During the 2008 election cycle, he felt compelled to help elect better leadership for our state and took a leave of absence from his law firm to serve as a field representative and legal counsel for the Missouri Democratic Party’s “Campaign for Change.”

Kevin and his wife, Alex, reside in the south Kansas City neighborhood of Verona Hills and are active members of St. Thomas More Catholic Parish.  Kevin is also member of a number of local organizations, including the South Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Grandview Chamber of Commerce, Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Missouri Bar Association, Kansas Bar Association, and Kansas City International Visitor’s Association.

Kevin feels very fortunate to live in Kansas City near his family and in the community that he loves.   He is committed to service and would be honored to represent the people of the 46th District in the Missouri House of Representatives.