Jayla Dennis | IDEAS Program Manager

Jayla Dennis is the IDEAS manager at the Kansas Leadership Center, where she partners with WSU Tech to help students discover their leadership potential and create stronger communities. IDEAS stands for Increasing Dual Enrollment Access and Success. Though naturally reserved, Jayla is guided by her faith and heart for service. She values authentic relationships and believes leadership often emerges through listening, learning and serving others. To her, leadership is less about titles and more about inspiring others and embracing discomfort as an opportunity for growth.

Before joining KLC, Jayla served as a college access advisor with Kansas Kids @ GEAR UP, a federally funded program that helps youth in foster care pursue postsecondary education. She guided students through the college process, helped them overcome barriers and encouraged them to pursue opportunities beyond what they thought possible. As a first-generation college graduate, she found the work especially meaningful, and it deepened her passion for helping others reach their educational, professional and personal goals.

A proud Wichita native, Jayla earned a B.A. in Communications from Friends University in 2023 and an MBA from the same institution in 2024.

Outside of work, Jayla enjoys spending time with her very large family (especially spoiling her younger siblings), loving on her two dogs, reading, shopping, attending sporting events and concerts, binge-watching her favorite shows and staying active through fitness and sports. Her faith, family and community remain at the center of her life and inspire her commitment to lifelong learning, meaningful service and leaving people and places better than she found them.