HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas State Fair Board announced that Bob Moeder has agreed to assume the leadership position at the Fair following the departure of general manager Susan Sankey, who resigned to accept a position with the Kansas 4-H Foundation.

Effective Feb. 1, he will provide management services until the appointment of a new general manager is made following a search by the Fair Board.

A recent report by the Kansas Department of Agriculture indicates an estimated economic impact of the 10 days of the Kansas State Fair on the Kansas economy to be $108 million. The 2017 Kansas State Fair experienced a successful transition to digital ticketing made possible through the installation of fiber on the Fairgrounds. The Fair also generated record revenues and experienced the highest number of entries in its youth livestock competitions.

Moeder retired in 2013 after a career that spanned 42 years with Dillon Companies, Inc. and The Kroger Co.

Moeder has served as president of the Kansas Fairgrounds Foundation since 2016. In a letter to the State Fair Board, he considers the future of the Fair critical and the contributions by Sankey as tremendous.

He will take a leave from the Fairgrounds Foundation Board while current Vice President West McArthur, Salina, Kansas, will assume the duties of the Foundation president during the transition. “With interim leadership in place, our next step as the Fair Board is to move quickly to plan and implement the search for a permanent General Manager,” Crossland-Macha said.