Hennen, of Independence, appointed to Sunflower Foundation Board of Trustees
Sunflower Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Greg Hennen of Independence, Kan., as well as the reappointments of Teresa Lovelady of Wichita, Kan., and Carrie Lutz of Topeka, Kan., to the organization’s nine-member board of trustees. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach made the appointments.
Hennen, who attended his first meeting of the board on June 4, recently retired after serving 16 years as executive director of Four County Mental Health Center, Inc., in Independence. Prior to becoming executive director, he served in a variety of roles over a 37-year career with Four County, including deputy director, director of the center’s Coffeyville office, and outpatient therapist.
As a retired healthcare executive, Hennen said, serving on the board of a statewide health foundation like Sunflower Foundation provides him with an opportunity to continue making a positive impact on the health of Kansans.
“The scope and impact the Sunflower Foundation has on the wellness of Kansas communities is remarkable and leaves me confident that through service to this organization, I can be a part of making a difference in the lives of others,” he said.
Hennen graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of South Dakota, before earning his Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan. He later earned a Master of Healthcare Administration from the Carlson School of Management/ISP Executive Study Program at the University of Minnesota.
In 2020, Hennen was appointed to the board of directors of the Tower Mental Health Foundation by then Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt and has been serving as the board’s treasurer since June 2021.
A member of Sunflower Foundation's Advocacy Fellowship program’s Class of 2011, Hennen is a past president of the executive committee of the 26-member board of directors for the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas.
Lovelady and Lutz, originally appointed by Kobach in 2023, are both starting their second terms on the board. Lovelady is president and CEO of HealthCore Clinic, Inc., in Wichita, and Lutz is CEO of Holton Community Hospital in Holton, Kan.
Individuals can serve up to three, three-year terms as a trustee of the foundation, a statewide health philanthropy with a mission to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of all Kansans. The attorney general appoints eight of the trustees, with one appointed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. The board governs the foundation’s work and develops the organization’s strategic direction.
Sunflower board welcomes new member, elects officers
The Sunflower Foundation Board of Trustees welcomed its new member, Greg Hennen of Independence, and elected board officers for the 2027 fiscal year at its June 4 meeting at the Sunflower Nonprofit Center in Topeka.
Mike Matson, a change management consultant and podcast host from Manhattan, Kan., was reelected board chairman. He was first appointed to the board in 2018 by former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt and is starting the final year of his final term.
Ben Schears of Hays, Kan., vice president for Economic and Workforce Development at Fort Hays State University, was reelected treasurer. He was first appointed in 2019 by Schmidt and is starting the second year of his final term.
Angie Strecker of Topeka, retired vice president of Provider Relations for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, was reelected secretary. She was first appointed as the BCBSKS appointee in 2024 and is starting the third year of her first term.
Other members of the board include:
Teresa Lovelady, Wichita, president and CEO of HealthCore Clinic in Wichita;
Carrie Lutz, Topeka, CEO of Holton Community Hospital;
Jim Martin, Topeka, Snyder Professor in Business at Washburn University;
Lea Ann Seiler, Hanston, community entrepreneurship manager for Network Kansas;
Stephanie Simmons, Beloit, chief operating officer for Mitchell County Hospital System.
