The Wichita Documenters program will end Sept. 1 after more than two years of helping Wichita residents access and better understand local government.

Since launching in May 2024, the program has trained 117 residents and covered more than 565 city and county meetings, creating new opportunities for community members to participate in and access civic information. At the heart of that work are the Documenters who gave their time and talent to help their neighbors better understand what was happening in local government.

Among the program’s impact:

• Nearly $37,000 paid to residents for their work covering local government
• Two public-speaking workshops hosted to help residents participate more confidently in government meetings, including a workshop at Wichita City Hall
• Increased the reach of Documenters information by nearly 200% via social media platforms, helping more residents understand what was happening in local government

One of the program’s most notable efforts came during Wichita’s 2025 sales tax election. Documenters conducted exit polling at six polling locations and heard from 333 Wichita voters, providing a snapshot of voter perspectives as residents left the polls.

Initial funding for Wichita Documenters ended in 2025. KLC continued the program while exploring options for a sustainable funding model, but the funding needed to continue the program was not secured.

“While this chapter is ending, the people, relationships and learning that came from Wichita Documenters remain valuable,” said Chris Green, KLC’s civic information officer, whose team oversaw the program. “We want to honor what Documenters contributed to this community and understand what people found most valuable about the work.”

Wichita Documenters launched as part of the national Documenters Network founded by City Bureau and through a partnership among the Kansas Leadership Center, Wichita Foundation and members of the Wichita Journalism Collaborative. KLC served as the program’s fiscal and administrative sponsor.

While the program is ending, the value of that work doesn’t end with it. KLC’s commitment to strengthening civic information and participation continues. KLC is inviting Documenters and community members to share what they valued about the program and what they believe could strengthen civic information in Wichita in the future. That input, along with what KLC learned through the program, will help inform future civic information work.

“KLC believes part of serving communities well is being willing to experiment, learn and adapt,” said Kaye Monk-Morgan, president and CEO of the Kansas Leadership Center. “Wichita Documenters gave us an opportunity to explore a different approach to civic information and engagement. We are grateful to everyone who helped make that work possible, and we will carry what we learned forward as we continue working to strengthen civic life in Kansas.”

KLC is grateful to the Wichita Foundation and the Wichita Journalism Collaborative partners who helped launch and support Wichita Documenters, as well as the elected officials and community members who used and shared the program’s work.

KLC also recognizes Debbie Haslam, who managed Wichita Documenters from its launch through April 2026, and Rami Toubia Stucky, a Documenter and freelance editor who has managed assignments and edited and published meeting notes since May. Stucky also launched a visually focused social media strategy that increased the reach of information contained in Documenters notes by nearly 200%.

Most importantly, KLC thanks the Documenters who gave their time and talent to help their neighbors better understand what was happening in local government.

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About the Kansas Leadership Center

The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) is a first-of-its-kind nonprofit educational organization with a civic mission, national reputation and global reach. Founded in 2007 to foster civic leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities in Kansas and beyond, KLC receives core funding from the Kansas Health Foundation (a private, philanthropic organization). It partners with nonprofit organizations, government agencies, educational institutions, businesses and communities to build cultures that are healthy, productive and well-positioned to make measurable progress on daunting challenges and emergent opportunities. KLC Press publishes leadership books and The Journal, a nationally recognized, award-winning civic issues magazine.

For more than 19 years, KLC has built a strong and respected institution in Kansas designed to deliver leadership development and culture change at unparalleled scale. Now, organizations across the country and around the world look to us to provide resources and consultation to support their own aspirations for mission-driven leadership education. Learn more at www.kansasleadershipcenter.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Carrie Lindeman
316-393-1076
carrie@lindemancollective.com