Executive Leadership

Director of Tourism

Bridgette Jobe is the Director of the Kansas Tourism Division at the Kansas Department of Commerce where she leads a dedicated staff of tourism professionals whose mission is to inspire travel to and throughout Kansas. As Director, she oversees the state’s marketing to visitors, the publication of KANSAS! Magazine, the Kansas Agritourism program, and the Kansas Byways program. 

Bridgette joined Kansas Tourism in 2019.  Previously, she spent over twenty-one years with the Kansas City Kansas Convention & Visitors Bureau. She is a past president of the Travel Industry Association of Kansas and served as chairman of the Kansas Governor’s Council on Travel and Tourism.  Bridgette is a life-long Kansan and an Original Dotte. 

Assistant Secretary of Quality Places

Matthew Godinez serves as the Assistant Secretary of Quality Places for the Kansas Department of Commerce. He is responsible for providing oversight, management and direction to divisions that include Kansas Main Street, Community Development Block Grants, Housing, The Office of Rural Prosperity, and The Office of Broadband Development. His work entails setting the strategy for the Quality Places division and drive internal administrative improvements related to agency operations and ensures Quality Places programs are aligned with the Kansas Framework for Growth.

Matt previously served as the Executive Director of the Chanute Regional Development Authority and the Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission. Matt has been named one of the Top 50 Economic Developers in North America, Top 40 under 40 in Economic Development and Leadership Kansas Class of 2019. In 2022, Matt received his Master Economic Development Practitioner designation from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Assistant Secretary of Commerce

Mike Beene serves as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce, overseeing Workforce Services, Human Resources, Building Services and Workforce AID for the Kansas Department of Commerce. Beene started with the agency in January 2007 as a Regional Director in Southeast Kansas (Workforce Services Division). His duties include oversight of all federal workforce programs and grants, in addition to the 23 workforce centers located across the state.

Beene received a Master’s degree in Education from Kansas State University. Prior to his career with the Department of Commerce, he was an educator and administrator in both secondary and postsecondary institutions in Kansas.

Deputy Secretary

Joshua Jefferson serves as the Deputy Secretary of Business Development for the Kansas Department of Commerce, where he leads statewide efforts to attract, retain and expand businesses while advancing strategic economic initiatives that promote long-term prosperity. He oversees a high-performing division focused on driving private-sector capital investment, creating quality jobs and fostering a business-friendly climate across Kansas.

With over 17 years of experience in economic development, commercial real estate, aviation management and workforce development, Jefferson has established himself as a transformative leader in both the public and private sectors. He has played a pivotal role in securing landmark projects such as Gulfstream Aerospace, Virgin Galactic, Merck and Fiserv. Prior to his role in Kansas, Jefferson was instrumental in attracting major aerospace investments to the Greater Phoenix region, including Virgin Galactic’s Delta Class spacecraft facility and Gulfstream’s West Coast Service Center.

Jefferson’s leadership spans diverse and high-growth sectors, including aviation, advanced manufacturing, financial technology and logistics. His strategic oversight has helped position Kansas as a national hub for innovation and industry leadership. Known for his expertise in site selection, incentive structuring and transformational project delivery, he is a trusted advisor to businesses, policymakers and community organizations alike.

In recognition of his impact, Jefferson was named one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers by Consultant Connect in 2025. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban Real Estate Planning from Arizona State University and remains committed to strengthening Kansas’s economy through proactive, inclusive and forward-thinking development strategies.

Chief Counsel

Bob North serves as Chief Counsel for the Kansas Department of Commerce. Bob is responsible for Commerce operations and has served as Chief Counsel for Commerce since 2004. He has extensive experience in public financing, bond-funded economic development programs and other economic development incentives. Prior to joining Commerce, he was in private practice.

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce

David Toland is the 52nd Lieutenant Governor of Kansas and also serves as Secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce. A seventh-generation Kansan, Toland was appointed Secretary of Commerce by Governor Laura Kelly in January 2019 and Lieutenant Governor in January 2021.

During his time as Secretary, Kansas has become a dominant force in economic development — twice garnering the most private sector investment per capita of any state in the nation — and breaking every previous record for capital investment and job creation in state history.

In addition to the historic deal that will bring the Kansas City Chiefs to Kansas in 2031, Toland also led the state’s successful recruitment of one of the largest economic development projects in state history, the $4 billion, 4,000 job Panasonic electric vehicle battery plant in De Soto. Not only has Toland led very large projects, but he has also focused on grassroots community-led development such as revitalizing buildings on Main Streets, creating upper-floor housing in downtown districts, and investing in the Rural Champions program that strengthens Kansas communities.

This ongoing wave of economic momentum was spurred by a complete overhaul of the Department of Commerce led by Lt. Governor Toland. This included getting Kansas re-engaged internationally, championing regional approaches to economic development, and placing a new emphasis on growth and quality of life in rural communities.

Toland has extensive experience in urban and rural economic development, having worked at the local level in both Washington, D.C., and in his hometown of Iola in Allen County. He holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Kansas.

Chief of Staff

Works earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Kansas State University, majoring in Food Science and Industry with a minor in Business Administration. She also received a master’s degree in Advanced European and International Studies from Centre International de Formation Européenne. Prior to beginning work at the Department of Commerce, Works was an Agribusiness Development Coordinator at the Kansas Department of Agriculture.