Kansas Highway Patrol Technical Trooper Ben Gardner has been selected as one of Ingram’s 50 Kansans You Should Know, which honors high-achieving citizens in our state. Gardner now joins 399 other exemplary citizens and community leaders, which the business magazine has honored since 2011.

“We are proud to have Technical Trooper Ben Gardner selected by Ingram’s magazine to represent both Kansas, and our agency,” said Colonel Mark Bruce. “Ben does an excellent job, not only of highlighting our agency, but working to educate Kansans, and sometimes a broader audience, on traffic safety, laws, and other pertinent information. He has been an asset to our agency, and a trailblazer as far as our social media endeavors.”

“Although I wasn’t born in Kansas, this became my home after my military duty,” said Gardner. “I am truly a Kansan, wearing this uniform, and love to showcase our agency and our patch.”

The 50 Kansans You Should Know feature honors high-achieving Kansans, and selects people who possess character and integrity, but who are also characters with unique interests beyond their business interests.

“It’s wonderful to be recognized in this manner, but so many KHP members are doing bigger things than me, without a doubt,” said Gardner. “I just have a platform with which to share our stories. Every day, there are hundreds of similar stories playing out across Kansas. So many other men and women of the Patrol would be well known if they had the opportunity to voice what we are doing throughout Kansas.”

Gardner joined the agency as a member of KHP Class #33 on March 21, 1999. He was first stationed as a road trooper in McPherson County. He was promoted to master trooper in 2006. In 2011, he began serving as the Patrol’s public resource officer for the North Central Kansas area, handling safety programs, media inquiries, and other duties. Gardner was one of the Patrol’s first ‘Tweeting Troopers,’ along with Technical Trooper Tod Hileman, when the agency began using Twitter to share events and other happenings throughout our local areas. He has presented to many groups across the state, as well as to national audiences, regarding social media use in law enforcement.

Ingram’s is a Kansas City-based business publication, which covers business, industry, and economic development trends. To see the May 2018 edition of the magazine, with the 50 Kansans You Should Know: http://ingrams.com/article/may-2018-digital-edition/.