The KLC Framework

How does a beloved youth development organization engage its future without losing its heritage? Note: A version of this story appears in the Winter 2015 issue of The Journal. As a farm kid in Montgomery County, Kansas, Nicole Small was more than involved in 4-H. She...

Travel to the future - and back - to see why harnessing our demographic shifts and increasing the level of minority business ownership might be crucial to the future of the Kansas economy. Bear with me for a second. I’m going to give you a glimpse of the future. This...

The closing weeks of a year don’t just usher in the holidays. They also bring with them a flurry of “best of” lists for just about every subject, whether it’s the best books, movies and music albums or the top newsmakers of the year. I always find myself drawn to...

The Fall issue of The Journal, which includes a special focus on leadership and politics, is arriving in mailboxes this week. The edition features an essay about voting for leadership, leadership profiles of Kansas gubernatorial candidates and a "Vote for Leadership...

An exercise class named the same thing as my favorite appetizer, spin dip. It has to be good, I thought. Walking into a dimly lit room to find rows of exercise bikes, intimidating middle aged folks in spandex and a buff instructor, I knew spin dip and spin class...

Greetings! The Kansas Leadership Center publishes The Journal four times a year to inspire leadership for the common good. We invest a significant amount of time, effort and resources into producing it because we believe it is important to recognize the practice of...

Maria Padilla and her family. Maria Padilla’s day is probably much like yours. She gets up in the morning and wakes her children, then delivers them to three different schools. School and activity schedules differ, so sometimes she needs to make two trips. The...

Step 1: Understand the Issue The conversation about poverty is at times loud and confrontational. It’s piercing and divisive. But the cold hard truth is that mostly it’s heartbreakingly quiet. It’s easy to get bogged down sorting through infinitesimal details about...

Six Steps Toward More Leadership on Childhood Poverty                                                      Step 1: Work to more deeply understand the issue. Step 2: Build relationships with those in need and immerse yourself in their perspectives. Step 3: Explore...

July 23, 2014 by Brian Whepley Editor's note: A version of this article will appear in the Summer issue of The Journal, which focuses on the issue of childhood poverty in Kansas. The edition will be published in August.  Taped, torn, thumbed and now appallingly...

Photos by Jeff Tuttle Editor's note: A version of this story will appear in the next issue of The Journal, which will be published later this spring. As the Wichita State University men's basketball team made history this season, you could find Steve Dickie standing...