Kansas Chamber's 2018 Leadership Kansas Class

Leadership Kansas is a nationally recognized program focused on developing and motivating a diverse group of Kansas leaders from all four corners of the state.

       An affiliated program of the Kansas Chamber, the program celebrates its 40th year in 2018.

       "The Kansas Chamber is excited to welcome the newest Leadership Kansas class. As one of the oldest and most prestigious statewide leadership programs in the country, Leadership Kansas has a long history of fostering greater awareness and understanding of statewide economic, business and political issues. The program helps develop our state leaders to make Kansas a stronger and more vibrant business engine." said Kansas Chamber President & CEO Alan Cobb.

       Each year, Leadership Kansas receives nearly 700 nominations for the program. After a thorough and thoughtful application and selection process, 40 individuals are chosen to participate. The selection committee and the Leadership Kansas Board of Trustees make every effort to ensure the class has geographic, ethnic, occupational, and gender diversity.

       The 2018 program begins in late April with an orientation session in Lawrence and ends with graduation after the completion of the Topeka session in October.The host cities for this year's program are Garden City, KC Metro, Hays, Pittsburg, South Central and Manhattan/Topeka.

       Throughout the six-month program, the class interacts with a variety of experts and community leaders through three-day educational training sessions in different communities across the state. The diverse discussion topics include: business; education; agriculture; public policy; societal health; economic development; and government, just to name a few.

       "Graduates of Leadership Kansas complete the program with a deeper understanding of our state and are better equipped to shoulder important leadership responsibilities in their communities and careers," said Mary Hammond (Class of 2010).

       Leadership Kansas has more than 1,400 alumni. Distinguished alumni include: former Kansas Governor Bill Graves; Westar Energy CEO, Mark Ruelle; C.Q. Chandler IV, President of INTRUST Bank; Pittsburg State University President, Steve Scott; retired Brig. Gen Deborah Rose; former CEO of the Kroger Company David Dillon; former Spirit AeroSystems President & CEO Jeff Turner; Murfin Drilling Company, Inc. President Dave Murfin; U.S. Senator Jerry Moran and U.S. Representatives Lynn Jenkins and Kevin Yoder, among others. John Federico (Class of '97) serves as the Executive Director of the Leadership Kansas Program.

2018 Leadership Kansas Class

Ifrah Ahmed, Tyson Food, Garden City Christopher Anderson, University of Kansas School of Business, Lawrence Robert Brock, Kansas Department of Transportation, Topeka Kristi Brown, The Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Olathe Glenn Brunkow, Farmer, Wamego Jeffry Dempsey, Spirit Aerosystems, Derby Luke Desmond, Cisco Systems, Overland Park Kristina Dietrick, HR Partners, Topeka Raymond Dondlinger, Dondlinger Construction, Wichita Gregory DuMars, City of Lindsborg, Lindsborg Kathleen Flannery, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg Kiley Floyd, Nemaha Valley Community Hospital, Seneca Jamie Harrison, Meritrust Credit Union, Wichita Justin Henry, Goddard Public Schools USD 265, Wichita Brandee Johnson, LimeLight Marketing, Pittsburg Herman Jones, Shawnee County Sheriff's Office, Berryton Elizabeth Keever, Just Food of Douglas County, Lawrence Brett Klausman, Midwest Health, Topeka Katie Koupal, AT&T, Topeka Kasey Krueger, Pioneer Communications, Ulysses Rachel Lamm, Thomas County Attorney's Office, Colby Suzanne Lane, Kansas Electric Power Cooperative, Topeka Timothy Lawton, Docs Who Care, Wichita Kirt Leyda, Caterpillar, Topeka Michael McGrew, McGrew Real Estate, Lawrence Julie Mulvihill, Kansas Humanities Council, Perry Denise Pass, The United Presbyterian Church, Garden City Brian Pate, University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, DeSoto Alex Richard, United States Senate Jerry Moran, Olathe Gina Riedel, Bandura Plus, Gorham Katrina Scott, Mariner Holdings, Overland Park Ronald Seeber, Kansas Grain & Feed Asso., Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Asso, Renew Kansas Lisa Sisley, New Boston Creative Group, Manhattan Stacey Smith, Fort Hays State University, Hays Angie Strecker, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Topeka Maggie Topping, Textron Aviation, Wichita Cindy Wilson, Westar Energy, Topeka Keith Wisdom, Aetna, Overland Park Rev. Mitchel Zimmerman, St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas, Lawrence