KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former Kansas governor Jeff Colyer is joining the Trump administration in a new role.
He was nominated on Monday to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
Colyer's nomination still has to be confirmed by the Senate to make it official, after a vetting process and review by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
He served as the 47th Kansas governor from Jan. 31, 2018 to Jan. 14, 2019.
Jeff Colyer addresses his most recent campaign in an interview with KSHB 41 News anchor Kevin Holmes:
Colyer assumed the office after then-Gov. Sam Brownback took on an ambassadorship in the first Trump administration. Colyer sought a full term as governor, but lost in the 2018 Republican primary.
He announced another gubernatorial bid in 2021 but soon dropped out of the race while battling prostate cancer. Colyer would go on to announce a 2026 gubernatorial campaign but dropped out of the race before the primary election.
A plastic surgeon by trade, Colyer received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Kansas in 1986 and is well-known for his volunteer work in Iraq, Rwanda and Afghanistan. Recently, he spoke to KSHB 41 News after spending a month in Ukraine, working at the Mechnikov Hospital on a mission with International Medical Corps.
