John Michael Handley was appointed as a Ward 1 council member in January 2025. He served as a member of the Lenexa Planning Commission from 2020–2025 and served as the Commission’s liaison to the Lenexa Comprehensive Plan steering committee.
John serves as a senior project manager for Diode Ventures where he works on development of utility-scale renewable energy assets and hyperscale data center campuses. He previously served as a water resources engineer at Black & Veatch and holds an EIT license.
John and his husband, Grant, have lived in Lenexa since 2019, including time near City Center and in The Cedars neighborhood. They enjoy being within walking distance of events that go on at Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park and are often at City Center for the Farmers Market, Library or just to go to the Rec Center.
John has an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering and a master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Kansas. He is currently pursuing an MBA from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.
He was awarded the ASPiRE Impact Award at Black & Veatch for his demonstration of outstanding performance and organizational culture. He also received the Bloch LEAD Scholar at UMKC, a fellowship awarded to professional MBA students.
Community and professional engagement:
- Leadership Lenexa, 2025 cohort
- UMKC Bloch School of Business, Dean’s Student Advisory Board
- KC Tech Council, Data Center Roundtable Co-chair
- Urban Land Institute, Member and Emerging Leaders Cohort 2022-2023
- Black & Veatch Pride Employee Resource Group Vice Chair (former Chair)
- Racial Equity in Communities Pilot Program, City of Lenexa Representative