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Leadership Competencies
Four simple yet profound competencies inspired by input from Kansans and leadership experts from all walks of life
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Our Latest News and Research

Kansas Leadership Center Receives Kauffman Foundation Grant
January 10, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kansas Leadership Center Receives $450,000 Grant fromEwing Marion Kauffman Foundation toAdvance Local Entrepreneurship in the Heartland Wichita, Kan. – The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC), a Wichita-based nonprofit, has been...

Leadership in Public Service Authority Lab Recap
A KLC core principle is “leadership is an activity, not a position” and we often talk about how authority and leadership are two distinct things. But what would be possible if Kansas elected and appointed officials were better equipped to lead from their role in the...

Executive coaching and building a culture of leadership
Executive coaching instills the foundationfor building a culture of leadership Coaching executives and supervisors to develop their capacity to lead is a common practice. At the Kansas Leadership Center, we have been experimenting with ways to leverage executives to...

Julia Fabris McBride: A Civic Culture Where Everyone Leads
Dear KLC partners and friends, Thank you for the positive energy and well-wishes so many of you have sent our way in the wake of Ed O’Malley’s move to Kansas Health Foundation. Congratulations, Ed! So, yes! KLC is in transition. The board of directors has asked me to...

Dreams, Questions and Bridges Influence Others
Your Dreams, Questions and Bridges Influence Others “Damon’s presentation was a great kickoff for the day. The references he made to big dreams and building bridges were themes that carried throughout the Summit.” -Kirk Seminoff, Managing Editor, Wichita Business...

Juneteenth: Freedom, leadership and closing the gap
Juneteenth: freedom, leadership and closing the gap Some call Juneteenth America’s second Independence Day. I like that. On July 4 we celebrate freedom. On Juneteenth we celebrate freedom becoming more fully realized. At the Kansas Leadership Center, we teach that...

Escuchando a Latinos en el tour Heartland Together
Para aprender cómo apoyar mejor a las prósperas empresas locales en las comunidades rurales, el Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) organizó una gira de escucha de dos semanas en Kansas, Iowa, Missouri y Nebraska. Es la fase de apertura de 'Heartland Together', una...

Listening to Latinos on the Heartland Together Tour
To learn how to better support thriving local businesses in rural communities, the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) launched a two-week listening tour in Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. It’s the opening phase of ‘Heartland Together,’ a partnership with the Ewing...

Listening to Iowa on the Heartland Together Tour
To learn how to better support thriving local businesses in rural communities, the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) launched a two-week listening tour in Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. It’s the opening phase of ‘Heartland Together,’ a partnership with the Ewing...

Listening to Missouri on the Heartland Together Tour
To learn how to better support thriving local businesses in rural communities, the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) launched a two-week listening tour in Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. It’s the opening phase of ‘Heartland Together,’ a partnership with the Ewing...

Listening to Cowley County on the Heartland Together Tour
To learn how to better support thriving local businesses in rural communities, the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) launched a two-week listening tour in Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. It’s the opening phase of ‘Heartland Together,’ a partnership with the Ewing...

Kansas Beats the Virus campaign improved public health outcomes and civic capacity
Beat the Virus Stories, Community Action Plans, KS Beats the Virus, Press Releases, Research Articles
April 20, 2022FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New research finds KLC's Kansas Beats the Virus campaign improvedpublic health outcomes and civic capacity across Kansas communities Wichita, Kan. – The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) unveiled today new research that shows...

Tripods, weights among tools to keep seniors engaged
Beat the Virus Stories, KS Beats the Virus
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, BreAnna Monk worried about all the members who had quit coming to the Derby Senior Center for exercise, games and socializing as this highly vulnerable population hunkered down. “The beauty of the center has been to keep these seniors...

Communities discover winning formula with contests
Beat the Virus Stories, KS Beats the Virus
Who would’ve guessed that giving away money would be difficult during the pandemic? Certainly not Julie Turnipseed, but that was exactly the quandary she faced when her Garnett-based agency wanted to help residents battle COVID-19. She is executive director of the...

Winter weather no hindrance to outdoor solutions
Beat the Virus Stories, KS Beats the Virus
As the cold descends upon Kansas, and as COVID-19 keeps its icy grip on the nation, leaders around the state are finding ways to offer respite from the winter doldrums by creating outdoor spaces to safely study, socialize and replenish the souls of those aching for...

Local examples hit home in rural Kansas
Beat the Virus Stories, KS Beats the Virus
In the rural corners of Kansas, agricultural research and extension services are a consistent source of trusted information to communities and farmers. It’s no surprise then, that those groups, and their junior version, 4-H, have stepped up to take action in response...

Talk isn’t cheap in fighting COVID
Beat the Virus Stories, KS Beats the Virus
Ever since 1974, as many as 400,000 revelers have annually flocked to the banks of the Arkansas River in Wichita for Riverfest. The nine-day June event is a fair, carnival and concert all rolled into one. But COVID pretty much stopped Riverfest in its tracks last...

Health challenges add urgency to curbing COVID in southeast counties
Beat the Virus Stories, KS Beats the Virus
The month of September was pure misery for Michele VanWinkle, isolated at home and wracked by the severe symptoms of COVID-19. “There were days I couldn’t shower by myself. There were days I couldn’t walk down the hallway from my bed to the couch,” VanWinkle said....

COVID aid brings new meaning to special delivery
Beat the Virus Stories, KS Beats the Virus
Kansans are taking many different approaches to fighting the spread of COVID in their communities, but if there is one common thread to these efforts it is hope. Hope that all their efforts can relieve isolation and financial insecurity. And above all, hope for a...

Testing will remain crucial even with COVID vaccine rollout
Beat the Virus Stories, KS Beats the Virus
The nation received an early Christmas present when, in mid-December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began approving COVID-19 vaccines. But all did not go as planned. Kansas health officials, for instance, recently were forced to defend their last-in-the-nation...

Libraries battle COVID with adaptations and creativity
Beat the Virus Stories, KS Beats the Virus
It’s hard to surpass the local library as a resource for just about everyone. Visitors scanning shelves for the works of literary giants of the past rub elbows with users browsing websites via high-speed internet. Books, magazines, newspapers, reference items, DVDs –...

Daily Update: Outdoor camp hopes to amp up their facility as safe coworking spaces
Community Action Plans, KS Beats the Virus
The Outdoor Education Laboratory (OEL) in Stilwell, KS hopes to provide local organizations additional space to gather safely both outside as well as inside. Their action plan includes repurposing existing buildings with furniture and equipment to allow multiple...

Daily Update: The K-12 Initiative experiments with new STEM programs
Community Action Plans, KS Beats the Virus
To continue to encourage Wyandotte county youth to explore careers in health and STEM fields, the K-12 Initiative along with Turning Point Church staff developed an action plan to assist teachers in planning COVID-related science projects this semester and...

Daily Update: Bold COVID challenge strives to get 75% of Cowley County adults vaccinated
Community Action Plans, KS Beats the Virus
In an effort to inform the community and overcome uncertainty surrounding the efficacy of the COVID vaccine, Leadership Cowley County developed an action plan titled #COVIDVaccineChallenge. This plan includes providing information on how to protect yourself and your...

Julia Fabris McBride Appointed Interim President and CEO
July 25, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Julia Fabris McBride Appointed Interim President and CEOof Kansas Leadership Center Wichita, Kan. – At its quarterly meeting on July 22, the board of directors for the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) appointed Julia Fabris McBride as...

Ed O’Malley named KHF President and CEO
June 27, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Founding President and CEO Ed O’Malley Appointed President and CEO of Kansas Health Foundation Wichita, Kan. – Ed O’Malley, founding president and CEO of the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC), has been named president and CEO of the...

Kansas Beats the Virus campaign improved public health outcomes and civic capacity
Beat the Virus Stories, Community Action Plans, KS Beats the Virus, Press Releases, Research Articles
April 20, 2022FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New research finds KLC's Kansas Beats the Virus campaign improvedpublic health outcomes and civic capacity across Kansas communities Wichita, Kan. – The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) unveiled today new research that shows...

Chris Harris Appointed Senior Director of Growth and Strategy
April 5, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kansas Leadership Center Appoints Chris Harris as Senior Director of Growth and Strategy Wichita, Kan. – The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) announced today that Chris Harris has been named the nonprofit organization’s senior...

Kansas Leadership Center Launches Multi-State Listening Tour
March 21, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kansas Leadership Center and Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Launch 'Heartland Together' Partnership with Multi-State Listening Tour Wichita, Kan. – In an effort to address the systemic challenges that make it hard to start and...

Dr. Kaye Monk-Morgan joins KLC as Chief Impact Officer
March 9, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kansas Leadership Center Appoints Dr. V. Kaye Monk-Morgan as Chief Impact Officer Wichita, Kan. – The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) announced today that Dr. V. Kaye Monk-Morgan has been named the nonprofit organization’s chief...

Kansans launch 1,010 action projects to combat COVID-19
Beat the Virus Stories, Community Action Plans, KS Beats the Virus, Press Releases
February 16, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 1,162 Kansans led ‘Kansas Beats the Virus’ effort to conclusion, launched 1,010 action projects to combat COVID-19 across state Wichita, Kan. – “Kansas Beats the Virus” (KBTV) – a public health partnership between the...

Damon Young Joins KLC as Chief Business Officer
January 6, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kansas Leadership Center Appoints Damon Young as Chief Business Officer Wichita, Kan. – The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) announced today that Damon Young has been named the nonprofit organization’s chief business officer. Young...

2021 Annual Report
KS Beats the Virus, Newsroom, Press Releases, Research Articles
Annual Report of the Kansas Leadership Center See where we've been, where we are and where we're headed in KLC's 2021 Annual Report. In KLC's first-ever Annual Report, we’ve outlined a few of the key takeaways from the work our team and partners like you have been...
Announcing Recipients of 2022 Leadership Transformation Grants
October 20, 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kansas Leadership Center announces recipients of 2022 Leadership Transformation Grants Wichita, Kan. – The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) has selected 37 new organizations and 50 returning organizations across Kansas as 2022...

News Release: Kansas Beats the Virus Evaluation Report
KS Beats the Virus, Newsroom, Press Releases, Research Articles
September 29, 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New research on grassroots pandemic activism finds personal connections, shared purpose empowered Kansans to take action Wichita, Kan. – Third Floor Research—the research partnership between the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC)...

Applications Open for Leadership Transformation Grants
August 4, 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kansas Leadership Center now accepting applications for 2022 Leadership Transformation Grants Wichita, Kan. – The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) is offering workforce development grants to organizations across Kansas to help them...
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