William H. “Kirk” Kuykendall
William H. “Kirk” Kuykendall is an accomplished Austin attorney and community leader with a well-established network of business and professional relationships across Texas. Kirk has a diverse history of public service through a variety of community organizations and governmental agencies.
In 2013, the Austin City Council and Travis County Commissioners Court jointly appointed Kirk to the Travis County Health District Board of Managers (d/b/a Central Health), where he served through December of 2016. During his term as a member of the Board of Managers, the Board moved to improve access to care, operational efficiency, quality of patient care outcomes, and reduction of costs within the publicly supported healthcare delivery system through transformative innovations and collaboration. Kirk chaired the agency’s Strategic Planning Committee and led the development of its 2017-2019 strategic plan. Kirk’s leadership as chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee produced an overhaul of compliance policies and the adoption of a Board code of conduct and ethics. Kirk completed his term as Board Secretary.
Kirk has also served as Vice-Chairman of the CommUnityCare Board of Directors, and chaired multiple standing committees of the community-based safety net clinic system; Chairman of the Austin Hospital Interim Authority Board of Directors, and led the negotiation of an operational lease of Brackenridge Hospital between the Authority and the City of Austin; and Chairman of the Texas State Board of Barber Examiners, under appointment by Governor George W. Bush and Governor Rick Perry. Kirk led the Board of Barber Examiners through the sunset process and consolidation under the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Additionally, he served as a member of the Brackenridge Hospital Board of Directors, St. David’s Health Care Foundation, Capital City African American Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and Occupational Industrialization Center of Austin Board of Directors.
Since 1998, Kirk has engaged in the private practice of law, specializing in the areas of health law, medical liability, administrative law, personal injury, mediation, and general civil litigation. He has earned a reputation for managing complex cases and obtaining outcomes that satisfy both plaintiffs and defendants while protecting institutional relationships. Before entering private practice, Mr. Kuykendall held administrative and litigation positions with the University of Texas System Office of General Counsel State, Texas Office of the Attorney General, and Galveston County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.
Kirk is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for service to the City of Austin Community. He is a graduate of the Southern University Law Center and father of four children.