Draft:Helen Van Etten

Dr. Helen Van Etten is an audiologist and Republican political leader from Kansas who previously served as a member of the Kansas Board of Regents and as the Kansas Republican Party's National Committeewoman for three terms.

Family History
Van Etten's great grand uncle from her father’s side was one of a small group of patriots that started the Wuhan Uprising. The uprising and the eventual revolution directly led to the downfall of the Qing dynasty, ending almost three centuries of imperial rule, and the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). Van Etten's maternal grandfather oversaw military forces against warlords, fought against the Axis Powers in World War II, and fought against Chinese communism for over thirty years.

Education
Helen Van Etten holds a Masters Degree in Audiology from Wayne State University and a Doctorate in Audiology from University of Florida.

Career
Since 1985, Van Etten has been an audiologist. She works for the Topeka School District as the chief audiologist. In 1988, Van Etten was on the board of directors for the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and remained on the board until 2006. Between 2004 and 2007, she served on the advisory committee for KAN Be Healthy, a Kansas State Medicaid program for youths and young adults.

Kansas Board of Regents
In 2013, Dr. Van Etten was appointed to the Kansas Board of Regents by Governor Sam Brownback (R) and was re-appointed to a second term in 2017. Van Etten served on several of the board's committees. As a member of the Board of Regents, Van Etten served as chair of the Academic Affairs Standing Committee, as a representative and commissioner to the Midwest Higher Education Compact, a member of the Washburn University Board of Regents, and committee co-chair of the Governor’s Educational Council.

Republican Party Leadership
Van Etten became the founding chairperson of the Shawnee County Pachyderm Club in 2007 with Bob Eckhardt as her treasurer. Bob Meissner replaced Eckhardt as treasurer of the organization in 2014.

In 2008, Van Etten was elected to her first term as National Committeewoman representing the Kansas Republican Party at the Republican National Committee. She was subsequently reelected in 2012 and again in 2016. Van Etten did not seek reelection to her position in the 2020 election.

As a member of the Republican National Committee, Van Etten served on the Budget Committee, the National Convention Site Selection Committee, the Debate Committee, and the RNC's rules committee.

Van Etten was a member of the electoral college for the 2008,  2012, and  2016 presidential elections. She cast her electoral college vote for the Republican Party's candidates for president and vice president in each of those elections.

In 2023, Van Etten attempted to make a political comeback after leaving public and party office in 2021 by running for chairperson of the Kansas Republican Party. In the election, Van Etten ran on a slate of candidates that included Robert Noland for vice chairperson, Charles Macheers for treasurer, and Emily Wellman for secretary. Van Etten and her slate narrowly lost the campaign to Mike Brown, a former county commissioner from Johnson County, Kansas, by a 90 to 88 margin. Helen and her slate were endorsed by United States Senator Roger Marshall during their campaign.

Trump Administration
In 2018, Van Etten was appointed by Secretary of U S Department of Education, Betsy DeVos, to serve a five-year term as a member of the National Advisory Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA). Van Etten was also appointed by President Donald Trump to serve as one of the Commissioners of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.