Round Rock City Councilwoman Kris Whitfield To Resign

ROUND ROCK, TX — Round Rock City Council member Kris Whitfield will resign in October, municipal officials said Thursday evening.

Whitfield said she and her husband are moving to Wyoming, city officials said in a prepared statement. Her resignation takes effect Oct. 6, with her last council meeting on Sept. 28. She made the announcement during Thursday's regularly scheduled council meeting.

“We love Round Rock and love serving this community, but the time has come for us to move on to the next phase of our lives,” she said. “It’s been an honor to serve on the city council and play a role in the city’s amazing successes over the past decade.”

City officials said her vacancy has to be filled within 120 days of her official resignation, with a special election likely to be organized in December. Candidates wishing to fill the seat must file by mid-October, officials said.

Whitfield was elected to council in May 2007, serving as mayor pro-tem from 2012-2014.

As outlined in her biography posted on the municipal website, Whitfield has a long record of civic engagement in addition to her council role. Among her other roles and community activities:

• A 2003 graduate and current board member for Leadership Round Rock and Ascend Leadership programs, she also serves as the Board Development Director on the YMCA of Greater Williamson County’s Metro Board and the Twin Lakes YMCA Board.
• Founding member and current President of the Play4All Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to raising funds to expand the Play For All Abilities Park, which was designed for children of all abilities to have a safe place to play.
• Membership Director for the Rotary Club of Round Rock and is a past President of the Sunrise Rotary Club. Kris is the President and founding member of Round Rock Arts and was the Charter President and founding member of the Round Rock Foundation for the Arts.
• Served on the RRISD Partners in Education Advisory Board for many years and was a founder of the Round Rock ISD Partners in Education Foundation. She serves on Texas State University’s Advisory Council for Round Rock.
• Co-Founder of Women Impacting the Nation (WIN), a non-profit designed to encourage and empower women through education, activism and philanthropy.
• Life member and the 70th State President of the Texas Jaycees, she has also served as Past President of the Abilene Jaycees and the Round Rock Jaycees. Kris is graduate of the John Ben Sheppard Leadership Forum and serves on the Leadership Team for the JBS Forum.

Photo of Kris Whitfield via City of Round Rock