David Tobias, director of operations for the Kansas State Fair, has been named the agency’s interim general manager.
The Kansas State Fair Board unanimously approved Tobias’ promotion at a special board meeting Tuesday. The decision comes following the July 14 resignation of Robin Jennison. Jennison held the job since September 2018.
Tobias joined the Fair in 2011 and has held several positions during his tenure. As the operations director, he oversaw operations and human resources, plus spent time working with the maintenance team on long-term strategic initiatives.
The Fair Board chose Tobias to help guide the staff through a transitional time, which includes the cancelation of the September fair and the lack of anticipated revenue.
“As this pandemic has been rough on all Kansans and fellow fairs, we are continuing with plans for a special livestock event in September as the youth of Kansas look forward to showcasing what they have been working hard on all year,” Tobias said. “The Kansas State Fair will continue to seek out revenue-generating options during the non-fair period to bring back the Kansas State Fair in 2021.”
Tobias grew up on a farm near Lyons. He has a bachelor of crop sciences degree from Fort Hays State University. He and his wife have two children.