Butler Announces Advance Kansas Class VI Participants

The sixth Advance Kansas class kicked off January 24 at Butler Community College with 41 business and community leaders from across the region.

With support from Spirit AeroSystems, Advance Kansas is designed to bring together leaders from all demographic groups and across all sectors of society – business, nonprofit, education, religion, government – and to educate them in effective ways to engage pressing diversity issues in their communities.

Facilitated by Juan Johnson, president of Juan Johnson Consulting and Facilitation, 41 area leaders have been tapped as members of Advance Kansas Class VI.

“In our businesses, government and nonprofit organizations, leaders are challenged more than ever with creating environments where people can come together and accomplish collective objectives despite differences in perspectives,” said Johnson. “Advance Kansas is about building these leadership and relationship management skills.”

Advance Kansas begins with an orientation session, followed by four full-day workshops spread over a four-month period. Workshops include classroom discussions, lectures, scenario analysis and other experiential learning tools designed to maximize interactions between participants and facilitate the development of productive relationships.

“Spirit AeroSystems leverages diversity for business performance through programs like the Advance Kansas Diversity Leadership Program,” said Brian Black, senior manager of corporate affairs and global diversity at Spirit AeroSystems. “We believe that diversity leadership is a foundation to advancing the communities where our employees live and work and are proud to serve as a co-sponsor for Advance Kansas.”

Between workshops, participants meet in teams to complete assignments and develop a community action project. The program culminates with each team’s plenary presentation of their community action project. To date, 192 leaders from 76 organizations have graduated from the first five Advance Kansas classes.

The Advance Kansas Class VI members are:

• Keith Asplund, Delta Dental of Kansas
• Greg Baker, Sedgwick County
• Joan Barrett, KWCH/KSCW/KDCU
• Kim Batiste-Bufford, Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
• Roberta Berry, Sedgwick County
• Jenna Bottolfsen, Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
• David Butler, Air National Guard
• Yolanda Camarena, Kansas Hispanic Education and Development Foundation
• Ebony S. Clemons, Wells Fargo
• Stacy Cofer, Butler Community College
• Vanessa Combs, Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
• Myra De La Torre, Complete Exteriors, LLC
• Adele Dunn, City of Newton
• Vicki Forbes, City of Wichita
• Bridgette Franklin, Sedgwick County Department of Corrections
• Rickey Frierson, Butler Community College
• Christy Harmon, Wichita Area Technical College
• Aaron Hunt, Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
• Danielle Johnson, Wichita State University
• Tim Johnson, City of Newton
• Will Johnson, Butler County Commission
• Andrie Krahl, Kansas DUI Impact Center
• Emily Lies, Greater Wichita YMCA
• Irma Luna, Kansas Hispanic Education and Development Foundation
• Crissy Magee, Sedgwick County Development Disability Organization
• Marla McFarland, City of Arkansas City
• Athalene McNay, McNay and Voth Coaching Services
• Ryan Murphy, Fidelity Bank
• Makala Navarro, Bombardier Aerospace
• Tim Norton, Sedgwick County Commission
• Susan Pfeifer, Butler Community College
• Gary Plummer, Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce
• Jennifer Porter, Koch Industries, Inc.
• Shaun Rojas, Kansas Leadership Center
• Ricky Shellenbarger, Sedgwick County
• Denise Sherman, Wichita Area Technical College
• Susan Smith, GLMV Architecture
• Jill Staats, The Arnold Group
• Suzi Thien, Sunlight Children's Advocacy and Rights Foundation
• Anna Villarreal, Butler Community College
• Greg Williams, Entercom Wichita