Public Affairs Advisory Council

The Council will serve as a critical link between the department and the community. It will help department faculty and staff monitor and understand the issues, problems and needs of the public service community of Greater Kansas City and the Midwest region and develop responsive education and research programs to address them.

The department has served the Kansas City community for nearly 50 years, yet the coming five years will be a period of fundamental growth and development as the department embarks on an ambitious initiative to strengthen and expand its programming in service to the region. The Advisory Council is a vital source of intelligence, insight and support to the department as we develop our next generation of programming.

The Advisory Council is a key leadership group designed to provide guidance and feedback on department programs and activities. It advises and works with the department and its faculty and staff on program development, strategic communication and marketing and multi-year strategy and resource planning. An active and vital Advisory Council is instrumental to enabling the department to ensure that it continues to be a cutting-edge, high value community resource. Members of the Advisory Council hold key positions in various business, nonprofit organizations and local government bodies in the Greater Kansas city area. Current Advisory Council members include:

Deidre Anderson

Executive Director
United Inner City Services

Suzie Aron

President
Crossroads Community Association

Alex Benson

Sr. Director, Corporate Development
Cerner Corporation

Irene Caudillo

President/CEO
El Centro

Bill Ebel

City Manager
City of Overland Park, KS

Roger Edgar

Retired
Formerly George K Baum & Co
UMKC

Jim Giles

Consultant
Formerly City of KCMO

Phil Glynn

President
Travois

Sherri Lozano

Executive Director
JDRF Kansas & Missouri Chapter

Carol Marinovich

Instructor
Formerly Mayor Wyandotte County
Donnelly College

Mark McHenry

Retired Former Director
KCMO Parks and Recreation Dept

Felicity Pino

Director, Continuous Improvement
Children’s Mercy

Annie Presley Author

Author
Formerly McKellar Group

Steve Roling

Retired
Formerly Health Care Foundation of GKC

Mari Ruck

Commissioner of Revenue Finance Dept.
City of KCMO

Stacia Stelk

Executive Director
Ripple Glass

Shari Stimetz

Retired
Formerly Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City

Arzie Umali

Assistant Director
UMKC’s Women’s Center

David Warm

Executive Director
Mid-America Regional Council (MARC)

Gene Wilson

Consultant
Formerly Kauffman Foundation