Don Jarrett

Don Jarrett has a long career in public service and local government, serving as the Chief Legal Counsel for Johnson County, Kansas Government for 35 years, before retiring in 2020. At Johnson County, he led the development and implementation of the County’s long-standing High-Performance Organization (HPO) and Leadership Empowers All People (LEAP) programs. Don has taught classes at the Johnson County Community College, has assisted in teaching classes as a guest lecturer at the University of Kansas, has presented CLE programs for the Kansas Association of Counties and the Kansas Bar Association, and has been a member of the faculty for Leadership Programs at the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia and at the Riley Center at the College of Charleston. He has been an instructor with the KU Public Management Center in the Emerging Leaders and Certified Public Manager programs, and was the primary author of the six-article series, High Performance in Local Government, published in PM Magazine, June through November, 2021. Don is a graduate of the University of Kansas and its School of Law, where he served on the Law Review. He is also a current Fellow with the International Municipal Lawyers Association, having first received that distinction in 2009.