Jeff Pittman: father, businessman and first-term state representative
Born to a military family in 1971 and raised here, Jeff Pittman is proud to be Leavenworth's state representative. After graduating college in Florida, moving on to graduate degrees from MIT and Oxford, and starting his career in business, Jeff returned to Leavenworth. Here he met the love of his life, Holly. Together, they proudly raise their family here while serving in Topeka during Legislative session.
Jeff serves on the following Legislative committees:
- Agriculture
- Government Security and Technology
- Transportation Committee
- Veterans and Military
From Leavenworth, for Leavenworth: Jeff Pittman is your representative.
Jeff is your hometown success story. He grew up in Leavenworth and graduated from Leavenworth High School in 1989. As the son of a combat veteran, Jeff’s family was stationed at Fort Leavenworth several times before calling Leavenworth home in 1984.
Even in high school Jeff was passionate about supporting the Leavenworth community. He volunteered for the American Red Cross at Munson Army Hospital in the physical therapy department helping veterans, worked at a local animal veterinary clinic with dogs, cats and other animals, cashiered at the for a non-profit Thrift Shop, and was a very active member of the Sacred Heart Parish.
Another Kansas Public Education Success Story
Jeff’s passion for politics started his junior year in high school while attending the American Legion Boys State of Kansas at the University of Kansas, Close up Kansas in Topeka and student government. He gathered more of a global perspective participating in the Student Exchange program spending a summer in United Kingdom.
During high school Jeff was active in many sports, JROTC, and the marching band, while also finding time to coach indoor soccer for Under12 youth. Among other achievements, Jeff is a National Merit Scholar finalist, Kansas Honor Scholar, Rensselaer Polytechnic (America's oldest technological university) Scholar, and was a recipient of a four year national ROTC scholarship. Jeff also received the local American Legion School Award Medal--those who receive this medal must exemplify the six qualities that define character: courage, honor, leadership, patriotism, scholarship and service.
More About Jeff's College and Professional Career
Jeff attended undergrad at New College of Florida, an honors college in Sarasota, Florida. He continued to spend his summers in Leavenworth coaching youth baseball and running a self-started business painting houses. Jeff held leadership positions while in his undergrad programs and continued to serve his community in charitable ways including work for Habitat Humanity, donation drives for families in need and tutoring for children needing help.
Jeff has pursued a career in technology, business and supply chain, working in his early career at major firms such as Disney, the Gap and Bank of America. He later went on to work for several software companies that focus on driving efficiencies with working capital and positioning firms for economic growth. Jeff is no stranger to tight budgets, he has specialized in helping businesses succeed through streamlining operations, forward thinking planning, and better processes. Jeff will bring his skill sets into Kansas government to help do more with less.
Jeff later went on to earn a Masters of Engineering at MIT. At MIT Jeff was a semi-finalist in the 50K Entrepreneur Contest for his team’s work in oil well physical integrity testing. Jeff’s focus involved engineering of systems from a total system view: designing and improving from the perspective of management, financial, technical and mathematical.
After MIT, Jeff went to Oxford University in the United Kingdom where he earned his MBA at the Said Business School. Jeff brought his systems engineering background to bear during his MBA work on manufacturing efficiency at a German plant in Saarbruken, working with Labor and Management interests to come up with efficiencies in a politically charged setting. Learning finance as well as other disciplines, developing an appreciation for social entrepreneurship and working with young global leaders all developed skills Jeff brings to the budgeting crisis now facing Kansas. 