OAH's Administrative Law Judges

Loren F. Snell, Jr., Acting Director/Administrative Law Judge

Mr. Snell received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Washburn University, and his Juris Doctorate from Washburn University School of Law. Mr. Snell joined the Office of Administrative Hearings in June of 2018 as an Administrative Law Judge and was named Acting Director in May of 2022. Prior to joining the Office of Administrative Hearings, Mr. Snell spent 15 years with the Kansas Attorney General’s Office and 2 years with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. While with the Attorney General’s Office, Mr. Snell served as the Deputy Attorney General and Director of the Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Division for 10 years. Prior to joining the State of Kansas, Mr. Snell spent 3 years in private practice with a small firm in Northeast Kansas. Mr. Snell also teaches a master’s level course on Inspection and Oversight of Health Care Delivery as an Adjunct Professor for the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

Matthew Spurgin, Administrative Law Judge

Mr. Spurgin received a Bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University and his Juris Doctorate from the Creighton University School of Law. Mr. Spurgin joined OAH as an Administrative Law Judge in 2019.

James Ward, Administrative Law Judge

James J. Ward received his Juris Doctorate from the Washburn University School of Law after attending Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska for his baccalaureate degree. His law career began in the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office, where he part of the prosecution team that presented the first case where DNA evidence was used to obtain a murder conviction. Mr. Ward spent thirty years in private practice handling a variety of cases. While practicing law, Mr. Ward also served in elected office as a USD 259 school board member, Wichita City Council member, Kansas Senator, and a member of the Kansas House of Representatives. He joined the Office of Administrative Hearings in 2021 as an Administrative Law Judge.

Athena Andaya, Administrative Law Judge

Ms. Andaya received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Washburn University, and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law. She joined the Office of Administrative Hearings in 2021 as an Administrative Law Judge. Prior to joining the Office of Administrative Hearings, Ms. Andaya was a prosecutor, legal counsel with the Kansas Department of Corrections, principal analyst with the Kansas Legislative Research Department, and Deputy Attorney General of the Legal Opinions and Government Counsel Division of the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.

Jennifer Barton, Administrative Law Judge

Ms. Barton received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Fort Hays State University in 1992, and later attended the University of Kansas School of Law, where she was a Rice Scholar. After earning her Juris Doctorate in 1995, she spent six years with the Salt Lake County, Utah, District Attorney’s Office. While there, Ms. Barton became a member of the Special Victims Unit, prosecuting sexual offenses, offenses against children, and felony domestic violence crimes. She also served as a member of the Wasatch Range Task Force, a cooperative effort between state and federal law enforcement agencies to combat large scale criminal operations in the region. After returning to Kansas, Ms. Barton joined the Johnson County, Kansas, District Attorney’s Office, where she again served on the Special Victim’s Unit. In 2007, Ms. Barton became a federal probation officer and presentence report writer for the U.S. District Court, District of Kansas. She served the Court for four years before leaving professional life to raise her children. In 2022, Ms. Barton returned to the law and joined the Office of Administrative Hearings as an Administrative Law Judge.

Jason Oldham, Administrative Law Judge

Mr. Oldham received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from Washburn University and his Juris Doctorate from Washburn University School of Law. Mr. Oldham joined the Office of Administrative Hearings in April of 2019. Before joining the Office of Administrative Hearings, Mr. Oldham spent 5 years with the Kansas Office of Judicial Administration and 15 years as the Chief Deputy Clerk of the Kansas Appellate Courts. Before joining the State of Kansas, Mr. Oldham spent one and a half years in private practice with a small firm in Topeka, Kansas. Since 2004, Mr. Oldham has also been a military attorney with the Kansas Army National Guard.

Jeremy Dorsey, Administrative Law Judge

Jeremy Dorsey received his Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from the University of Kansas in 2012 and his Juris Doctor from Washburn University School of Law in 2015. After law school, he joined Kansas Legal Services, where he practiced family and criminal law, represented clients in misdemeanor and felony cases, and served as defense counsel for participants in the 5th Judicial District’s Drug Court program. In 2021, Mr. Dorsey became legal counsel for an administrative agency until joining the Office of Administrative Hearings as an Administrative Law Judge in 2025.