Dr. Cristina Fanning
Executive Director of Programs and Risk Reduction
Email: Cris.Fanning@ks.gov
Phone: 785-746-7459
Dr. Cris Fanning joined the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) as the Education Director in 2020 and assumed the role of Executive Director of Programs and Risk Reduction in 2023. She oversees statewide implementation of cognitive, substance abuse, education and employment programs, all elements of case management from intake to reentry, staff development and training, and research and behavioral analytics.
Dr. Fanning has been invited by the Vera Institute of Justice, Jobs for the Future (JFF), American Prison Data Systems (APDS), Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), and RTI International as a panel expert in corrections education, second chance employment, and Pell ESI evaluation. She has also served on the executive board of the Corrections Education Association (CEA) as the Region IV Director from 2021-2023.
Prior to joining the KDOC, Dr. Fanning enjoyed a long career in higher education as an Associate Director at Kansas State University as well as the Dean of Effective Learning and Innovation at Manhattan Area Technical College. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at Kansas State University with an emphasis in effective pedagogy and practice for culturally and linguistically diverse populations, and her M.S. in Secondary/Adult Education.