JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Kit Crancer, a five-year veteran of the Missouri capitol and one of the most effective young staffers in the building has taken a new position as the State Director of StudentsFirst, a nationwide education reform advocacy group.
Crancer spent last session as legislative director for Senate Pro Tem Tom Dempsey, R-DISTRICT. Prior to his time in Dempsey’s office, Crancer served former state senators Jane Cunningham and Jim Lembke as Chief of Staff. Brad Green, who works for Sen. Gary Romine, R-DISTRICT, will take over as legislative director for Dempsey.
“It has been a true privilege to work with Kit and I wish him the best of luck in his new endeavor,” Green says. “Stepping into Kit’s position in Sen. Dempsey’s office will be a challenge given the legacy he has left behind, but much of what I know I learned from Kit, and that gives me the confidence to fulfill the role as his successor.”
Crancer said he has “every confidence,” that Green will fill his shoes with ease.
“He’s going to do a fantastic job,” Crancer says. “He’s one of my closest friends in the Capitol and he’s very, very effective at what he does. He’ll be an excellent asset for them.”
Crancer said he was interested in his new position because he’s always been fascinated by education policy.
“It’s one of the best things I think state legislatures can focus on, which is how to improve public schools,” Crancer says. “I hope to pass laws and policies that put student’s interests first and ensure that every family has access to a high-quality school regardless of zip code.”
Crancer will continue to work from Jefferson City and began the new job officially after the special session of the legislature adjourned last week. Although he expects to be in the thick of it once session starts and a host of education issues are presented.
“There will certainly be issues to look at, we need to continue looking at educator quality, we need to be looking at the transfer situation and ensure every student is getting a quality education, so we’ll have to see what ideas people bring to the table and what legislation is filed,” Crancer says.
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
