The NetWorked Conference is an interactive,
in-person experience unifying Kansans around the NetWorked principles of connecting, increasing awareness of resources and taking action to boldly solve community challenges.
Plase save the dates!
May 21-22, 2025
Wichita, KS
2024 Conference Photo Recap
More than 200 guests from across Kansas participated in the 3rd Annual NetWorked for Change Conference presented by NetWork Kansas with sponsorship support from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, the Kansas Health Foundation, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and IFF.
2023 Conference Photo Recap
Nearly 200 guests from across Kansas participated in the 2nd Annual NetWorked for Change Conference presented by NetWork Kansas with sponsorship support from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, the Kansas Health Foundation, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and IFF.
2023 Pre-Conference Mixer
Pre-Conference Mixer
Location: Botanica, Koi Pond Pavilion
Photo credit: Gaberial Booker Creative Visuals
2023 NetWorked for Change Conference
Location: Hyatt Regency Wichita
Photo credit: Gaberial Booker Creative Visuals
2022 NETWORKED VIDEO LIBRARY
The following videos were recorded at the NetWorked for Change conference
held in Wichita on April 1, 2022. See presenter bios by clicking here.
Morning Session featuring the Changemaker Chat with Erik Pedersen and Steve Radley of NetWork Kansas
and Power Talks:
Entrepreneurship Support - Melissa Roberts Chapman, Senior Program Officer, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (24:02 mark)
Community Development - Kayla Savage, Director, Community Development Division, Kansas Department of Commerce (39:12 mark)
Entrepreneurship Support - Miguel Johns, Founder, mmnt* and Marty Beth Jarvis, Executive Director, NXTUS, Inc. (46:11 mark)
Civic Engagement - Michelle De La Isla, Managing Director, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (59:30 mark)
Entrepreneurship Support Huddle featuring:
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Gabe Munoz, Executive Director, the Toolbox KC: Small Business Resource Center
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Daniel Smith, Co-Founder, the Porter House KC
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Mary Beth Jarvis, Executive Director, NXTUS, Inc.
Civic Engagement Huddle featuring:
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Marquetta Atkins, Founder & Executive Director, Destination Innovation, Inc.
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Misty Bruckner, Director, Public Policy and Management Center
Health Huddle featuring:
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Rial Carver, Program Leader, Rural Grocery Initiative, K-State Research & Extension
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Jeff Usher, Senior Program Officer, the Kansas Health Foundation
Community Development Huddle featuring:
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Imagene Harris, Vice President, Impact Investment Services, NetWork Kansas
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Aubrey Abbott Patterson, President & Chief Executive Officer, Hutchinson Community Foundation
Diversity, Equity and Innovation Afternoon Keynote featuring:
Dominick J. Ard'is, Founder & CEO, ACT House, Inc.
Diversity, Equity and Innovation Huddle featuring:
Dominick J. Ard'is, Founder & CEO, ACT House, Inc.
Community Development Huddle featuring:
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Peter Jasso, Director, Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission with members of the Kansas Department of Commerce staff
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Jamie Buster, Deputy City Clerk, the City of Wichita
NetWorked for Change closing remarks
Calling together our network of do-gooders – people and organizations working, each day, to make their communities better places to live, work and play.
The NetWorked for Change Conference is for you.
This conference features speakers, interactive huddles where problem-solving replaces lectures and where intentional networking will lead to relevant resource connections.
Featured Topics:
-
Community Development
-
Civic Engagement
-
Entrepreneurship Support
-
Health
-
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED
-
$99 per participant
-
Groups of 10 or more may register for $79.20 per participant
Registration includes two complimentary drink tickets to the pre-conference mixer at Jenny Dawn Cellars.
CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
The NetWorked for Change conference is as much about our participants as it is our presenters. Our presenters will help engage, inspire and offer insight on HOW they're solving challenges and how to strategize around concepts for your own community.
Steve's featured resource:
Steve Radley - Chief Executive Officer, NetWork Kansas
Conference Host, Keynote & Impact Investing Huddle Leader
Steve Radley is Chief Executive Officer of NetWork Kansas. A resident of Wichita, Steve began his career in the private sector as the 28th employee of a business startup technology company, Brite Voice Systems in Wichita. The company grew from $6 million to more than $175 million during the nine years Steve worked for Kansas entrepreneur Stan Brannan. Since then, Steve has co-owned two businesses including a manufactured housing dealership that was sold to the largest manufacturer in the country, Champion Enterprises. Steve’s work experience centers on business development and taking products and businesses from startup to maturity. Steve has an MBA from the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University, an MA in Christian Ministry from Friends University, and a BA in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma.
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Erik's featured resource:
Erik Pedersen - President and Chief Operating Officer,
NetWork Kansas
Conference Host, Keynote & Impact Investing Huddle Leader
Erik is the President and Chief Operating Officer for the Kansas Center for Entrepreneurship DBA NetWork Kansas. Erik’s initial task was the development and growth of the NetWork Kansas referral center. Erik’s responsibilities have grown to oversee the Entrepreneurship (E-) Community partnership. This partnership, which has grown to 66 E-Communities, includes an injection of capital raised locally through the NetWork Kansas Entrepreneurship Tax Credit Program to help start and grow businesses in rural Kansas communities. Erik graduated from Friends University in 1988 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Erik began his career in 1990 when he went to work for a Wichita-based technology startup company, Brite Voice Systems, owned by Stan Brannan. At Brite Voice, Erik worked in marketing and business development. In 1997, Erik left Brite Voice to start a manufactured housing dealership with Steve Radley, President of the Kansas Center for Entrepreneurship. The business was later sold to the largest manufacturer in the country, Champion Enterprises, and Erik remained with Champion as General Manager until May 2005. Erik’s work experience centers on the overall operation and management of fast growing businesses and organizations.
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Christina's featured resources:
Developing funding programs for minority entrepreneurs
Christina M. Long - Strategic Director, NetWorked
Conference Emcee
Christina Long is an entrepreneur and community-builder who is passionate about diversity, inclusion and economic development through entrepreneurship. Long is a native of Wichita, Kansas; Wichita State University graduate and owner of CML Collective, LLC, an inclusive communication and design firm. She is also the Founding President/CEO of Create Campaign, Inc., a tax-exempt nonprofit she established to help urban entrepreneurs in Kansas to launch, innovate and grow.
Long leads the Wichita Urban E-Community, has served on the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors and is an author of her debut book, “For the Greater Success.” Her numerous honors include being named among 50 Kansans Who You Should Know by Ingram’s Magazine; earning the Chamber’s Exceptional Young Leader Award; receiving a Wichita Business Journal Leaders in Diversity Award and being named the Kansas Minority Business Advocate of the Year by the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Office of Minority and Women Business Development. Long is married to Jonathan and the couple has three brilliant children, Amarah, Malcolm and Jordyn.
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Creating inclusive entrepreneurship programming
Jeff's featured resources:
Developing impact investing opportunities
Jeff Usher - Senior Program Officer, Kansas Health Foundation
Huddle Leader - Impact Investing for Community Foundations and other Philanthropic Organizations
Jeff Usher is a senior program officer for the Kansas Health Foundation.
Mr. Usher’s responsibilities include working with foundation staff to develop program initiatives. He also provides technical assistance to KHF partners, reviews proposals and monitors existing grants. Mr. Usher serves as senior program officer for the Foundation’s leadership, healthy behaviors and growing community philanthropy Initiatives. In the last twenty-one years he has supervised a portfolio of nearly 800 approved grants totaling more than $170 million to support the mission of improving the health of Kansans.
A graduate of Wichita State University, Mr. Usher received a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1982. He has also been active in several volunteer organizations including the Wichita Health and Wellness Coalition, the Kansas High School Cycling League Development Team and the Governor’s Council on Fitness. He is an avid cyclist and a grandfather of 7 beautiful grandchildren.
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Kayla's featured resources:
Developing vibrant Kansas communities
Kayla Savage - Director, Community Development Division, Kansas Department of Commerce
Power Talk - Community Development
Kayla Savage is Director of the Community Development Division at the Kansas Department of Commerce and a member of the Executive Leadership Team. In this role, Kayla provides knowledge and direction for all community development programs, creates initiatives to leverage existing and new resources, manages the division budget, and works collaboratively with public and private partners. The Community Development Division includes: Kansas Main Street, Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, Rural Opportunity Zones, Kansas Angels, Community Service Tax Credits, Community Development Block Grants and field staff. Kayla represents Commerce on the Kansas Water Authority, Kansas State Fair Board and serves as Treasurer of the Kansas community Pride Board.
Before coming to Commerce, Kayla spent 14 years in nonprofit management and community development. Kayla started her professional community development career as the Director of Emporia Main Street. She has volunteered for several community organizations, including the Kansas Rural Communities Foundation Board and Junior League of the Flint Hills and currently serves as alumni member of the GP IDEA MS of Community Development student group and Greater Manhattan Community Foundation fund committee. Kayla earned her BFA in Communications-Public Relations from Emporia State University and Master of Science in Community Development from Kansas State University. She is a practitioner of Asset-Based Community Development and the Community Capitals Framework.
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Daniel Smith - Co-Founder, The Porter House KC
Huddle Leader - Entrepreneurship Support
Daniel provides organizational leadership and direction to The Porter House KC. He is a native of Kansas City, Mo and graduated from The Bishop Hogan High School. He has worked in both for-profit and not-for-profit sectors in the past 14 years, and has started/owned/operated 5 businesses, including The Porter House KC. Dan's affinity for the not-for-profit sector, and specifically helping in the underserved populations started roughly 20+ years ago when his mother exposed him to the importance of helping others. This experience gave him a deep appreciation for the not-for-profit work being done in the underserved communities of color, and fueled his drive to help those in need.
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Daniel's featured resource:
Jamie's featured resource:
Administering funding programs for underrepresented entrepreneurs
Jamie Buster - Deputy City Clerk, the City of Wichita
Huddle Leader - Entrepreneurship Support
Job Description: As the Deputy City Clerk for the City of Wichita, Jamie is responsible for assisting the City Clerk with preparation of the City Council agendas and minutes and attending the City Council meetings in her absence. She is also responsible for assisting the City Clerk in scheduling public agenda speakers in conformance with Council policies and procedures and responsible for content of subject being allowed on the public agendas. She analyzes and summarizes information to support project planning and /or responding to public issues. She also confers with citizens and representatives of other organizations.
Jamie received a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a minor in Business Management in 2005 and a Masters of Public Administration degree in 2020 from Wichita State University with a Graduate Certificate in City/County Management. She graduated from the Municipal Clerks Certification Institute November 14, 2013 where she obtained her Certified Municipal Clerk certificate and is now working toward her Master Municipal Clerk certificate. Jamie is currently a member of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, the City Clerks and Municipal Finance Officers Association, and serves on the District IV Citizens Advisory Board for Sedgwick County.
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Imagene Harris - Vice President of Impact Investment Services, NetWork Kansas
Huddle Leader - Entrepreneurship Support
Imagene serves as the Vice President of Impact Investment Services and oversees NetWork Kansas's statewide funding programs. Imagene joined NetWork Kansas in December 2013 after working in compliance for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). She is a lifelong Kansan, hailing from Ottawa and now calling Lawrence home, where she also earned a BS in Environmental Studies from the University of Kansas and her Masters of Business Administration from Fort Hays State University. Imagene appreciates the opportunity to work for an organization whose resources not only help Kansas businesses and entrepreneurs but also improve the quality of life in Kansas.
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Imagene's featured resource:
Developing impact investing opportunities
Marquetta's featured resource:
Marquetta Atkins- Founder and Executive Director,
DESTINATION INNOVATION, INC.
Huddle Leader - Civic Engagement
Marquetta Atkins, Founder and Executive Director of Destination Innovation Inc, is a community educator who brings her passion for working with youth and her creative energy to the table as a facilitator. For years she has dedicated herself to ensuring that young people are equipped with the tools for a better future. She was born and raised in Wichita, KS and graduated with a degree in Communications from Wichita State University. Her persistence in reaching her educational goals equipped her to be a mentor for high school youth in Wichita, including her own children Devon who studies Communications at WSU and Aimani a senior at Prairie View A & M University, in Texas studying to get her BSN.
Marquetta’s passion for youth development is rooted in her conviction that youth are the change-makers we need for the transformation of our communities, both today and in the future. In 2015, she founded Camp Destination Innovation to expose young people to a variety of career options; encouraging them to create their own future. In April of 2021, Marquetta merged youth programs that she helped to create/lead into one hub of youth leadership development under Destination Innovation Inc. https://www.destinationinnovation.org/ Home now to:
• Camp Destination
Progeny- Who are youth either touched by or passionate about the juvenile justice system. Teaching them leadership, organizing, advocacy and how to change policy and how it impacts youth. They currently launched their Invest Don’t Arrest Kansas Campaign. You can learn more about them at https://www.progenyks.com/
and
• Root the Power-Youth Led Civic engagement who motivate young people and adults alike to be empowered in their vote and have the critical conversations that connect the public to people in office to understand how our government system works. Learn more at https://www.rootthepower.org/
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Developing sustainable youth leadership programs
Dominick's featured resource:
Dominick J. Ard'is - Founder and CEO,
Act House Inc.
Power Talk & Huddle Leader - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Dominick J. Ard’is, actively leverages innovation models to bridge gaps within humanity, grounded on his model of diversity combining experience, expertise, and ethnicity. His model focuses on addressing ecosystem gaps around underestimated founders and mitigating startup failure.
As CEO of ACT House, INC and Managing Partner of ACT Ventures, Dominick collaborates with a team highly focused on assisting innovators in finding their innovation identity, accelerating team formation, and growing scalable ventures through their incubation and accelerator programs.
Dominick is an honored graduate of Florida A&M University with a bachelors in health care administration, with graduate degrees in urban planning and international affairs from Florida State University. Broadening his understanding of culture and language fluency he spends his summers at Middlebury College, with Hebrew being his second language, and Spanish, Arabic and French in sight. He enjoys working at the intersection of creativity and innovation to create cross cultural collaboration and is provoked by the notions to “become 2% better each day” and “don’t just think different…ACT different.”
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Developing inclusive entrepreneurship programming
Gabriel's featured resource:
Gabriel Munoz - Founder and Executive Director,
The Toolbox: Small Business Resource Center
Huddle Leader - Entrepreneurship Support
Gabriel is founder and Executive Director of The Toolbox: Small Business Resource Center in Kansas City, KS. The Toolbox is the go-to resource for everything small business in Kansas City, Kansas. All services are offered at no-cost to local residents and businesses. The Toolbox provides support with planning, registering, funding, operating, and growing local businesses. The Toolbox takes the intimidating checklist of starting and operating a business and distills it down into the essentials through private one-on-one small business coaching.
Prior to The Toolbox, Inc., Gabriel Muñoz served as the local director of ESHIP Kansas City. The ESHIP Communities program was a community-driven approach for building entrepreneurial ecosystems that foster inclusion, relationships, collaboration, and social capital across networks of entrepreneurs and those who support them. The program supports the creation and evaluation of a repeatable, bottom-up approach to building and strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Prior to his role as a Fellow, he served as the Director of Sales and Small Business Advising for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City. In his role, he was responsible for cultivating and maintaining relationships with start-ups, government/non-profit agencies, community leaders and corporate America. During his 12 years at the HCC, he assisted over 1,000 micro-enterprises in getting licensed, certified as M/WBEs and connected in the community.
In addition, Gabe serves on various community boards and committees including Cultivate KC, KCK E-Communties, Big Brothers Big Sisters Diversity Task Force, Olathe Latino Coalition, Olathe Hispanic Heritage Month Planning Committee, Minority Business Coalition, KCK Public Schools Economic Inclusion Committee. He is also the Founder of the Young Latino Professionals of Kansas City and Founding member of Starlight Theater Young Professionals.
Gabriel is the 2nd oldest of 9 children, was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas and has resided in Kansas City for 12+ years. He is a first-generation college graduate. Gabriel holds an associate’s degree from Allen County Community College, where he graduated summa cum laude and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance and entrepreneurship from Washburn University, where he graduated magna cum laude. Gabe is an avid fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, Royals & KU Basketball. In his free time, you can find him playing soccer and spending time with his wife, Julia, and their four children, Devin, Diego, Daisy and Desiree.
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Developing inclusive entrepreneurship programming
Melissa's featured resource:
Melissa Roberts Chapman - Senior Program Officer, Entrepreneurship, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Huddle Leader - Entrepreneurship Support
Melissa Roberts Chapman is a senior program officer – Kansas City in Entrepreneurship for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where she manages a diverse grant portfolio that focuses on supporting the Foundation’s work within the Kansas City regional area, and collaborates with and convenes multiple stakeholders that support entrepreneurs to help fortify Kansas City’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Prior to joining the Kauffman Foundation, Chapman served as vice president of strategy and economic development with the Enterprise Center in Johnson County, providing resources for entrepreneurs and investors in the Kansas City metro area. She led strategic development of communications, educational programs, fundraising and public policy efforts. In addition to her work with the Enterprise Center, she founded Free State Strategy Group, a boutique public affairs, lobbying, and public relations firm, serving a variety of clients in the telecom, tech, entrepreneurial, startup, and advocacy communities. Earlier, Chapman was on a planning committee for Global Entrepreneurship Week in Kansas City and was a founding organizer of 1 Million Cups in Kansas City. She has received the Startup Silver Slugger Award from KC SourceLink, was named a Next Gen Leader by the Kansas City Business Journal, and made the Kansas City Star’s 30 Under 30 list.
Chapman has a Bachelor of Arts in history from Boston College.
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Developing entrepreneurship ecosystems
Developing impact investing opportunities
Aubrey's featured resource:
Aubrey Abbott Patterson - President and Chief Executive Officer, Hutchinson Community Foundation
Huddle Leader - Community Development
Aubrey Abbott Patterson grew up in the small towns of Larned and Phillipsburg, Kansas; studied at K-State and Indiana University, and now serves as the President & CEO of Hutchinson Community Foundation. During her 18-year tenure at the community foundation, the foundation’s assets have more than quadrupled to $99 million. More importantly, since 1989, the Foundation has returned more than $92 million to the community in the form of grants and is now committed to investing 5% of its assets in local wealth-building ventures that root wealth, ownership and decision-making in Reno County.
Aubrey has developed a strategic, forward-thinking board and staff working together to mobilize community members to commit legacy gifts that will change the lives and future stories of people living in Reno County. To date, the Foundation anticipates planned gifts of at least $70 million because of a decade-long initiative to capture 5% of the local transfer of wealth.
Aubrey serves or has served on the boards of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Community Development Advisory Council, K-State Alumni Association, Hutchinson Rotary Club, Young Professionals of Reno County, Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce, City of Hutchinson Housing Commission, the K-State Staley School of Leadership Studies, and the Kansas Association of Community Foundations.
Aubrey’s husband, Lance Patterson, is the director of operations for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hutchinson. Together they manage to wrangle three kids, two jobs, one dog, and an endless list of places to go and fun things to do in Hutchinson, Kansas.
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Michelle's featured resource:
Michelle De La Isla - Managing Director, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation
Power Talk - Civic Engagement
Michelle De La Isla has devoted her life to service in the non-profit, private, and public sectors during her career. Her journey into public service was not easy. She overcame poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, and cancer as a single mother. These experiences made her a stronger community advocate.
After graduating from Wichita State University, she taught financial literacy to Latina women across the country with MANA National, built homes with Habitat for Humanity, started a Latina teen empowerment Conference in Topeka and participated in the Capital District Group that revitalized downtown Topeka. She served as chief financial officer and executive director of two non-profit organizations, and successfully ran a state-wide supplier diversity and diversity and inclusion programs for a Fortune 500 public utility.
Michelle was elected to the Topeka City Council in 2013, and Mayor of Topeka in 2017. As mayor, she focused on economic development, equity, and infrastructure improvements. She was elected by her peers to the US Conference of Mayors Advisory Council in 2018. In 2020, she ran for U.S. Congress in KS-02 while serving on Shawnee County’s Covid-19 emergency management team managing crisis communications and facilitating community collaborations to mitigate the effect of the pandemic in the community to safeguard citizens, medical resources and the economy.
Michelle retired as Mayor in January 2022, she now works as a Managing Director at the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation where she supports seven social entrepreneurs in six organizations as their Operating Partner and Board member. These organizations include, The American Journalism Project, Education Superhighway 2.0, The Well, Partners for Justice and Brilliant Detroit. Michelle will attend Harvard University to obtain her MC-MPA in the 2022-2023 academic year.
The title she holds dearest to her heart is "Mom" to Erick, Cristina and Lorraine.
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Providing funding & pathways to grow high-impact social enterprises
Miguel Johns - Founder, mmnt*
Power Talk - Health
Huddle Leader - Entrepreneurship Support
Miguel has been an entrepreneur in the healthcare space for the last 8 years. In that time he's built and launched three healthcare technologies, produced thousands of healthcare videos, and raised $1.5 million in angel capital from the Wichita community. He is also the founder of the Wichita Flag Football Association which serves as a key resource for hundreds of adult males in the community to get active, connect with others, practice leadership, and compete at a high level. Author of the Ebook "How to Not Suck at Public Speaking" Miguel is also passionate about storytelling and presenting.
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Miguel's featured resource:
Building a technology that gives clinics and hospitals the tools to capture their own patient stories and repurpose those stories into content that gets results.
Mary Beth's featured resource:
Mary Beth Jarvis - Executive Director, NXTUS, Inc.
Power Talk - Health
Huddle Leader - Entrepreneurship Support
Mary Beth Jarvis is Executive Director of NXTUS, Inc., which runs programs to serve entrepreneurs and grow the region’s innovation economy. NXTUS works to connect startup founders to capital, resources and customers, through initiatives such as the Accelerate Venture Partners angel investment group; NXTCONNECT speaker series; and NXTSTAGE Pilot Competition, which challenges young tech companies to bring innovative solutions to Kansas communities and businesses.
Her previous roles included President and CEO of Wichita Festivals, Inc. and 15 years of leadership roles at Koch Industries, Inc., including serving as Director of Public & International Affairs and Vice President of the Public Affairs Division. Before that, she was a Captain in the U.S. Air Force.
Ingram’s recognized her as one of 50 Kansans You Should Know, and the Wichita Business Journal has named her a Women Who Lead, Women in Business, Newsmaker, Innovator and 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame honoree.
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Helping entrepreneurs gain community, capital and customers.
Rial's featured resource:
Rial Carver - Program Leader, Rural Grocery Initiative, K-State Research & Extension
Huddle Leader - Health
Rial Carver is a Rural Grocery Extension Specialist with K-State Research and Extension. Rial earned her Master of Regional and Community Planning from Kansas State University in 2019. Prior to moving to Kansas, Rial worked as the Sustainability Coordinator at Virginia Tech Dining Services where she increased local food sourcing, implemented composting initiatives, and initiated a reusable to-go container program. She received a B.S. in Environmental Policy and Planning with a minor in Civic Agriculture and Food Systems from Virginia Tech. Rial enjoys working with rural communities to consider creative solutions to supporting healthy food access and local food systems.
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CONFERENCE FACILITATORS
Supporting dynamic discussions & networking
Misty Bruckner, Director, Public Policy and Management Center
Misty joined Wichita State University in 2008. She is responsible for assisting governments and nonprofits with special projects, policy development, program evaluation, community surveys, facilitation and training efforts. Misty has worked in the Office of the City Manager, City of Wichita, as assistant to the city manager to start her career. Misty is a recipient of the Excellence in Public Service Award and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office Bronze Medal Award for Public Service – the highest honor for a civilian. She was selected to participate in the Kansas Leadership Center’s Community Collaboration Academy aimed at advancing facilitation and collaboration efforts across the state of Kansas. Misty has a Master of Public Administration from WSU.
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Paula Downs, Talent Initiatives Manager, Public Policy and Management Center
Paula Downs joined the Public Policy and Management Center in 2012 with more than 25 years of experience in the public sector, 13 of those as a project manager. In her current role, she oversees special projects; develops and delivers training on a wide range of topics; and assists local governments and nonprofits with board trainings, strategic planning, facilitation services and professional development. In addition, Paula has spent the last several years involved in community engagement efforts including, stakeholder interviews, focus group facilitation, survey development, citizen feedback sessions, and developing and utilizing tools that increase participation around identified topics. Paula holds a Master of Public Administration from WSU.
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Abigail Hammack, Strategic Communications Manager, Public Policy and Management Center
Abigail leads the marketing and communications efforts for the Public Policy & Management Center. Abigail is part of the operations team and works to improve internal communications and systems. She also provides program support to all departments. Before returning to Wichita to continue her education, she was the Director of Marketing & Communications for a regional economic development organization in Blacksburg, Virginia. Abigail's experience in economic development gives her a unique perspective and thought process, while her expertise in communications and design helps the PPMC, and the PPMC's clients, communicate effectively. Abigail holds a BA in Public Relations from Kansas State University and a Master of Public Administration from WSU.
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Dulcinea Rakestraw, PhD, Research & Program Evaluation Manager, Public Policy and Management Center
Dulcinea Rakestraw serves as the Research and Program Evaluation Manager. With over 20 years of experience, she provides program evaluation, management, research, and consulting services. Prior to joining Wichita State, she held roles at the Sedgwick County Health Department, the Kansas Department for Children and Families, Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services, Preferred Family Healthcare, and served as an instructor for the University of Kansas, Butler Community College, and Wichita State. Dulcinea earned both a BSW and MPH from the University of Kansas, and a MA in Psychology from WSU. Dulcinea earned her PhD in Community Psychology with an emphasis in research methods and program evaluation from WSU.
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HOST LOCATION
Hyatt Regency 400 W. Waterman Street, Wichita, KS 67202
Located in the heart of downtown Wichita,
the Hyatt Regency offers ample space,
state-of-the-art technology and easy-to-access parking, for this dynamic conference experience.
Guests who wish to stay overnight may book their accommodations here. Booking is separate from conference registration fees.
The NetWorked for Change Conference
is made possible thanks to the support of these fine sponsors:
Pre-Conference Mixer
Location: Botanica, Koi Pond Pavilion
Photo credit: Gaberial Booker Creative Visuals
2023 NetWorked for Change Conference
Location: Hyatt Regency Wichita
Photo credit: Gaberial Booker Creative Visuals
2022 NETWORKED VIDEO LIBRARY
The following videos were recorded at the NetWorked for Change conference
held in Wichita on April 1, 2022. See presenter bios by clicking here.
Morning Session featuring the Changemaker Chat with Erik Pedersen and Steve Radley of NetWork Kansas
and Power Talks:
Entrepreneurship Support - Melissa Roberts Chapman, Senior Program Officer, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (24:02 mark)
Community Development - Kayla Savage, Director, Community Development Division, Kansas Department of Commerce (39:12 mark)
Entrepreneurship Support - Miguel Johns, Founder, mmnt* and Marty Beth Jarvis, Executive Director, NXTUS, Inc. (46:11 mark)
Civic Engagement - Michelle De La Isla, Managing Director, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (59:30 mark)
Entrepreneurship Support Huddle featuring:
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Gabe Munoz, Executive Director, the Toolbox KC: Small Business Resource Center
-
Daniel Smith, Co-Founder, the Porter House KC
-
Mary Beth Jarvis, Executive Director, NXTUS, Inc.
Civic Engagement Huddle featuring:
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Marquetta Atkins, Founder & Executive Director, Destination Innovation, Inc.
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Misty Bruckner, Director, Public Policy and Management Center
Health Huddle featuring:
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Rial Carver, Program Leader, Rural Grocery Initiative, K-State Research & Extension
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Jeff Usher, Senior Program Officer, the Kansas Health Foundation
Community Development Huddle featuring:
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Imagene Harris, Vice President, Impact Investment Services, NetWork Kansas
-
Aubrey Abbott Patterson, President & Chief Executive Officer, Hutchinson Community Foundation
Diversity, Equity and Innovation Afternoon Keynote featuring:
Dominick J. Ard'is, Founder & CEO, ACT House, Inc.
Diversity, Equity and Innovation Huddle featuring:
Dominick J. Ard'is, Founder & CEO, ACT House, Inc.
Community Development Huddle featuring:
-
Peter Jasso, Director, Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission with members of the Kansas Department of Commerce staff
-
Jamie Buster, Deputy City Clerk, the City of Wichita
NetWorked for Change closing remarks
Calling together our network of do-gooders – people and organizations working, each day, to make their communities better places to live, work and play.
The NetWorked for Change Conference is for you.
This conference features speakers, interactive huddles where problem-solving replaces lectures and where intentional networking will lead to relevant resource connections.
Featured Topics:
-
Community Development
-
Civic Engagement
-
Entrepreneurship Support
-
Health
-
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED
-
$99 per participant
-
Groups of 10 or more may register for $79.20 per participant
Registration includes two complimentary drink tickets to the pre-conference mixer at Jenny Dawn Cellars.
CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
The NetWorked for Change conference is as much about our participants as it is our presenters. Our presenters will help engage, inspire and offer insight on HOW they're solving challenges and how to strategize around concepts for your own community.
Steve's featured resource:
Steve Radley - Chief Executive Officer, NetWork Kansas
Conference Host, Keynote & Impact Investing Huddle Leader
Steve Radley is Chief Executive Officer of NetWork Kansas. A resident of Wichita, Steve began his career in the private sector as the 28th employee of a business startup technology company, Brite Voice Systems in Wichita. The company grew from $6 million to more than $175 million during the nine years Steve worked for Kansas entrepreneur Stan Brannan. Since then, Steve has co-owned two businesses including a manufactured housing dealership that was sold to the largest manufacturer in the country, Champion Enterprises. Steve’s work experience centers on business development and taking products and businesses from startup to maturity. Steve has an MBA from the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University, an MA in Christian Ministry from Friends University, and a BA in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma.
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Erik's featured resource:
Erik Pedersen - President and Chief Operating Officer,
NetWork Kansas
Conference Host, Keynote & Impact Investing Huddle Leader
Erik is the President and Chief Operating Officer for the Kansas Center for Entrepreneurship DBA NetWork Kansas. Erik’s initial task was the development and growth of the NetWork Kansas referral center. Erik’s responsibilities have grown to oversee the Entrepreneurship (E-) Community partnership. This partnership, which has grown to 66 E-Communities, includes an injection of capital raised locally through the NetWork Kansas Entrepreneurship Tax Credit Program to help start and grow businesses in rural Kansas communities. Erik graduated from Friends University in 1988 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Erik began his career in 1990 when he went to work for a Wichita-based technology startup company, Brite Voice Systems, owned by Stan Brannan. At Brite Voice, Erik worked in marketing and business development. In 1997, Erik left Brite Voice to start a manufactured housing dealership with Steve Radley, President of the Kansas Center for Entrepreneurship. The business was later sold to the largest manufacturer in the country, Champion Enterprises, and Erik remained with Champion as General Manager until May 2005. Erik’s work experience centers on the overall operation and management of fast growing businesses and organizations.
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Christina's featured resources:
Developing funding programs for minority entrepreneurs
Christina M. Long - Strategic Director, NetWorked
Conference Emcee
Christina Long is an entrepreneur and community-builder who is passionate about diversity, inclusion and economic development through entrepreneurship. Long is a native of Wichita, Kansas; Wichita State University graduate and owner of CML Collective, LLC, an inclusive communication and design firm. She is also the Founding President/CEO of Create Campaign, Inc., a tax-exempt nonprofit she established to help urban entrepreneurs in Kansas to launch, innovate and grow.
Long leads the Wichita Urban E-Community, has served on the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors and is an author of her debut book, “For the Greater Success.” Her numerous honors include being named among 50 Kansans Who You Should Know by Ingram’s Magazine; earning the Chamber’s Exceptional Young Leader Award; receiving a Wichita Business Journal Leaders in Diversity Award and being named the Kansas Minority Business Advocate of the Year by the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Office of Minority and Women Business Development. Long is married to Jonathan and the couple has three brilliant children, Amarah, Malcolm and Jordyn.
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Creating inclusive entrepreneurship programming
Jeff's featured resources:
Developing impact investing opportunities
Jeff Usher - Senior Program Officer, Kansas Health Foundation
Huddle Leader - Impact Investing for Community Foundations and other Philanthropic Organizations
Jeff Usher is a senior program officer for the Kansas Health Foundation.
Mr. Usher’s responsibilities include working with foundation staff to develop program initiatives. He also provides technical assistance to KHF partners, reviews proposals and monitors existing grants. Mr. Usher serves as senior program officer for the Foundation’s leadership, healthy behaviors and growing community philanthropy Initiatives. In the last twenty-one years he has supervised a portfolio of nearly 800 approved grants totaling more than $170 million to support the mission of improving the health of Kansans.
A graduate of Wichita State University, Mr. Usher received a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1982. He has also been active in several volunteer organizations including the Wichita Health and Wellness Coalition, the Kansas High School Cycling League Development Team and the Governor’s Council on Fitness. He is an avid cyclist and a grandfather of 7 beautiful grandchildren.
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Kayla's featured resources:
Developing vibrant Kansas communities
Kayla Savage - Director, Community Development Division, Kansas Department of Commerce
Power Talk - Community Development
Kayla Savage is Director of the Community Development Division at the Kansas Department of Commerce and a member of the Executive Leadership Team. In this role, Kayla provides knowledge and direction for all community development programs, creates initiatives to leverage existing and new resources, manages the division budget, and works collaboratively with public and private partners. The Community Development Division includes: Kansas Main Street, Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, Rural Opportunity Zones, Kansas Angels, Community Service Tax Credits, Community Development Block Grants and field staff. Kayla represents Commerce on the Kansas Water Authority, Kansas State Fair Board and serves as Treasurer of the Kansas community Pride Board.
Before coming to Commerce, Kayla spent 14 years in nonprofit management and community development. Kayla started her professional community development career as the Director of Emporia Main Street. She has volunteered for several community organizations, including the Kansas Rural Communities Foundation Board and Junior League of the Flint Hills and currently serves as alumni member of the GP IDEA MS of Community Development student group and Greater Manhattan Community Foundation fund committee. Kayla earned her BFA in Communications-Public Relations from Emporia State University and Master of Science in Community Development from Kansas State University. She is a practitioner of Asset-Based Community Development and the Community Capitals Framework.
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Daniel Smith - Co-Founder, The Porter House KC
Huddle Leader - Entrepreneurship Support
Daniel provides organizational leadership and direction to The Porter House KC. He is a native of Kansas City, Mo and graduated from The Bishop Hogan High School. He has worked in both for-profit and not-for-profit sectors in the past 14 years, and has started/owned/operated 5 businesses, including The Porter House KC. Dan's affinity for the not-for-profit sector, and specifically helping in the underserved populations started roughly 20+ years ago when his mother exposed him to the importance of helping others. This experience gave him a deep appreciation for the not-for-profit work being done in the underserved communities of color, and fueled his drive to help those in need.
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Daniel's featured resource:
Jamie's featured resource:
Administering funding programs for underrepresented entrepreneurs
Jamie Buster - Deputy City Clerk, the City of Wichita
Huddle Leader - Entrepreneurship Support
Job Description: As the Deputy City Clerk for the City of Wichita, Jamie is responsible for assisting the City Clerk with preparation of the City Council agendas and minutes and attending the City Council meetings in her absence. She is also responsible for assisting the City Clerk in scheduling public agenda speakers in conformance with Council policies and procedures and responsible for content of subject being allowed on the public agendas. She analyzes and summarizes information to support project planning and /or responding to public issues. She also confers with citizens and representatives of other organizations.
Jamie received a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a minor in Business Management in 2005 and a Masters of Public Administration degree in 2020 from Wichita State University with a Graduate Certificate in City/County Management. She graduated from the Municipal Clerks Certification Institute November 14, 2013 where she obtained her Certified Municipal Clerk certificate and is now working toward her Master Municipal Clerk certificate. Jamie is currently a member of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, the City Clerks and Municipal Finance Officers Association, and serves on the District IV Citizens Advisory Board for Sedgwick County.
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Imagene Harris - Vice President of Impact Investment Services, NetWork Kansas
Huddle Leader - Entrepreneurship Support
Imagene serves as the Vice President of Impact Investment Services and oversees NetWork Kansas's statewide funding programs. Imagene joined NetWork Kansas in December 2013 after working in compliance for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). She is a lifelong Kansan, hailing from Ottawa and now calling Lawrence home, where she also earned a BS in Environmental Studies from the University of Kansas and her Masters of Business Administration from Fort Hays State University. Imagene appreciates the opportunity to work for an organization whose resources not only help Kansas businesses and entrepreneurs but also improve the quality of life in Kansas.
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Imagene's featured resource:
Developing impact investing opportunities
Marquetta's featured resource:
Marquetta Atkins- Founder and Executive Director,
DESTINATION INNOVATION, INC.
Huddle Leader - Civic Engagement
Marquetta Atkins, Founder and Executive Director of Destination Innovation Inc, is a community educator who brings her passion for working with youth and her creative energy to the table as a facilitator. For years she has dedicated herself to ensuring that young people are equipped with the tools for a better future. She was born and raised in Wichita, KS and graduated with a degree in Communications from Wichita State University. Her persistence in reaching her educational goals equipped her to be a mentor for high school youth in Wichita, including her own children Devon who studies Communications at WSU and Aimani a senior at Prairie View A & M University, in Texas studying to get her BSN.
Marquetta’s passion for youth development is rooted in her conviction that youth are the change-makers we need for the transformation of our communities, both today and in the future. In 2015, she founded Camp Destination Innovation to expose young people to a variety of career options; encouraging them to create their own future. In April of 2021, Marquetta merged youth programs that she helped to create/lead into one hub of youth leadership development under Destination Innovation Inc. https://www.destinationinnovation.org/ Home now to:
• Camp Destination
Progeny- Who are youth either touched by or passionate about the juvenile justice system. Teaching them leadership, organizing, advocacy and how to change policy and how it impacts youth. They currently launched their Invest Don’t Arrest Kansas Campaign. You can learn more about them at https://www.progenyks.com/
and
• Root the Power-Youth Led Civic engagement who motivate young people and adults alike to be empowered in their vote and have the critical conversations that connect the public to people in office to understand how our government system works. Learn more at https://www.rootthepower.org/
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Developing sustainable youth leadership programs
Dominick's featured resource:
Dominick J. Ard'is - Founder and CEO,
Act House Inc.
Power Talk & Huddle Leader - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Dominick J. Ard’is, actively leverages innovation models to bridge gaps within humanity, grounded on his model of diversity combining experience, expertise, and ethnicity. His model focuses on addressing ecosystem gaps around underestimated founders and mitigating startup failure.
As CEO of ACT House, INC and Managing Partner of ACT Ventures, Dominick collaborates with a team highly focused on assisting innovators in finding their innovation identity, accelerating team formation, and growing scalable ventures through their incubation and accelerator programs.
Dominick is an honored graduate of Florida A&M University with a bachelors in health care administration, with graduate degrees in urban planning and international affairs from Florida State University. Broadening his understanding of culture and language fluency he spends his summers at Middlebury College, with Hebrew being his second language, and Spanish, Arabic and French in sight. He enjoys working at the intersection of creativity and innovation to create cross cultural collaboration and is provoked by the notions to “become 2% better each day” and “don’t just think different…ACT different.”
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Developing inclusive entrepreneurship programming
Gabriel's featured resource:
Gabriel Munoz - Founder and Executive Director,
The Toolbox: Small Business Resource Center
Huddle Leader - Entrepreneurship Support
Gabriel is founder and Executive Director of The Toolbox: Small Business Resource Center in Kansas City, KS. The Toolbox is the go-to resource for everything small business in Kansas City, Kansas. All services are offered at no-cost to local residents and businesses. The Toolbox provides support with planning, registering, funding, operating, and growing local businesses. The Toolbox takes the intimidating checklist of starting and operating a business and distills it down into the essentials through private one-on-one small business coaching.
Prior to The Toolbox, Inc., Gabriel Muñoz served as the local director of ESHIP Kansas City. The ESHIP Communities program was a community-driven approach for building entrepreneurial ecosystems that foster inclusion, relationships, collaboration, and social capital across networks of entrepreneurs and those who support them. The program supports the creation and evaluation of a repeatable, bottom-up approach to building and strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Prior to his role as a Fellow, he served as the Director of Sales and Small Business Advising for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City. In his role, he was responsible for cultivating and maintaining relationships with start-ups, government/non-profit agencies, community leaders and corporate America. During his 12 years at the HCC, he assisted over 1,000 micro-enterprises in getting licensed, certified as M/WBEs and connected in the community.
In addition, Gabe serves on various community boards and committees including Cultivate KC, KCK E-Communties, Big Brothers Big Sisters Diversity Task Force, Olathe Latino Coalition, Olathe Hispanic Heritage Month Planning Committee, Minority Business Coalition, KCK Public Schools Economic Inclusion Committee. He is also the Founder of the Young Latino Professionals of Kansas City and Founding member of Starlight Theater Young Professionals.
Gabriel is the 2nd oldest of 9 children, was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas and has resided in Kansas City for 12+ years. He is a first-generation college graduate. Gabriel holds an associate’s degree from Allen County Community College, where he graduated summa cum laude and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance and entrepreneurship from Washburn University, where he graduated magna cum laude. Gabe is an avid fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, Royals & KU Basketball. In his free time, you can find him playing soccer and spending time with his wife, Julia, and their four children, Devin, Diego, Daisy and Desiree.
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Developing inclusive entrepreneurship programming
Melissa's featured resource:
Melissa Roberts Chapman - Senior Program Officer, Entrepreneurship, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Huddle Leader - Entrepreneurship Support
Melissa Roberts Chapman is a senior program officer – Kansas City in Entrepreneurship for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where she manages a diverse grant portfolio that focuses on supporting the Foundation’s work within the Kansas City regional area, and collaborates with and convenes multiple stakeholders that support entrepreneurs to help fortify Kansas City’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Prior to joining the Kauffman Foundation, Chapman served as vice president of strategy and economic development with the Enterprise Center in Johnson County, providing resources for entrepreneurs and investors in the Kansas City metro area. She led strategic development of communications, educational programs, fundraising and public policy efforts. In addition to her work with the Enterprise Center, she founded Free State Strategy Group, a boutique public affairs, lobbying, and public relations firm, serving a variety of clients in the telecom, tech, entrepreneurial, startup, and advocacy communities. Earlier, Chapman was on a planning committee for Global Entrepreneurship Week in Kansas City and was a founding organizer of 1 Million Cups in Kansas City. She has received the Startup Silver Slugger Award from KC SourceLink, was named a Next Gen Leader by the Kansas City Business Journal, and made the Kansas City Star’s 30 Under 30 list.
Chapman has a Bachelor of Arts in history from Boston College.
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Developing entrepreneurship ecosystems
Developing impact investing opportunities
Aubrey's featured resource:
Aubrey Abbott Patterson - President and Chief Executive Officer, Hutchinson Community Foundation
Huddle Leader - Community Development
Aubrey Abbott Patterson grew up in the small towns of Larned and Phillipsburg, Kansas; studied at K-State and Indiana University, and now serves as the President & CEO of Hutchinson Community Foundation. During her 18-year tenure at the community foundation, the foundation’s assets have more than quadrupled to $99 million. More importantly, since 1989, the Foundation has returned more than $92 million to the community in the form of grants and is now committed to investing 5% of its assets in local wealth-building ventures that root wealth, ownership and decision-making in Reno County.
Aubrey has developed a strategic, forward-thinking board and staff working together to mobilize community members to commit legacy gifts that will change the lives and future stories of people living in Reno County. To date, the Foundation anticipates planned gifts of at least $70 million because of a decade-long initiative to capture 5% of the local transfer of wealth.
Aubrey serves or has served on the boards of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Community Development Advisory Council, K-State Alumni Association, Hutchinson Rotary Club, Young Professionals of Reno County, Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce, City of Hutchinson Housing Commission, the K-State Staley School of Leadership Studies, and the Kansas Association of Community Foundations.
Aubrey’s husband, Lance Patterson, is the director of operations for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hutchinson. Together they manage to wrangle three kids, two jobs, one dog, and an endless list of places to go and fun things to do in Hutchinson, Kansas.
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Michelle's featured resource:
Michelle De La Isla - Managing Director, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation
Power Talk - Civic Engagement
Michelle De La Isla has devoted her life to service in the non-profit, private, and public sectors during her career. Her journey into public service was not easy. She overcame poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, and cancer as a single mother. These experiences made her a stronger community advocate.
After graduating from Wichita State University, she taught financial literacy to Latina women across the country with MANA National, built homes with Habitat for Humanity, started a Latina teen empowerment Conference in Topeka and participated in the Capital District Group that revitalized downtown Topeka. She served as chief financial officer and executive director of two non-profit organizations, and successfully ran a state-wide supplier diversity and diversity and inclusion programs for a Fortune 500 public utility.
Michelle was elected to the Topeka City Council in 2013, and Mayor of Topeka in 2017. As mayor, she focused on economic development, equity, and infrastructure improvements. She was elected by her peers to the US Conference of Mayors Advisory Council in 2018. In 2020, she ran for U.S. Congress in KS-02 while serving on Shawnee County’s Covid-19 emergency management team managing crisis communications and facilitating community collaborations to mitigate the effect of the pandemic in the community to safeguard citizens, medical resources and the economy.
Michelle retired as Mayor in January 2022, she now works as a Managing Director at the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation where she supports seven social entrepreneurs in six organizations as their Operating Partner and Board member. These organizations include, The American Journalism Project, Education Superhighway 2.0, The Well, Partners for Justice and Brilliant Detroit. Michelle will attend Harvard University to obtain her MC-MPA in the 2022-2023 academic year.
The title she holds dearest to her heart is "Mom" to Erick, Cristina and Lorraine.
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Providing funding & pathways to grow high-impact social enterprises
Miguel Johns - Founder, mmnt*
Power Talk - Health
Huddle Leader - Entrepreneurship Support
Miguel has been an entrepreneur in the healthcare space for the last 8 years. In that time he's built and launched three healthcare technologies, produced thousands of healthcare videos, and raised $1.5 million in angel capital from the Wichita community. He is also the founder of the Wichita Flag Football Association which serves as a key resource for hundreds of adult males in the community to get active, connect with others, practice leadership, and compete at a high level. Author of the Ebook "How to Not Suck at Public Speaking" Miguel is also passionate about storytelling and presenting.
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Miguel's featured resource:
Building a technology that gives clinics and hospitals the tools to capture their own patient stories and repurpose those stories into content that gets results.
Mary Beth's featured resource:
Mary Beth Jarvis - Executive Director, NXTUS, Inc.
Power Talk - Health
Huddle Leader - Entrepreneurship Support
Mary Beth Jarvis is Executive Director of NXTUS, Inc., which runs programs to serve entrepreneurs and grow the region’s innovation economy. NXTUS works to connect startup founders to capital, resources and customers, through initiatives such as the Accelerate Venture Partners angel investment group; NXTCONNECT speaker series; and NXTSTAGE Pilot Competition, which challenges young tech companies to bring innovative solutions to Kansas communities and businesses.
Her previous roles included President and CEO of Wichita Festivals, Inc. and 15 years of leadership roles at Koch Industries, Inc., including serving as Director of Public & International Affairs and Vice President of the Public Affairs Division. Before that, she was a Captain in the U.S. Air Force.
Ingram’s recognized her as one of 50 Kansans You Should Know, and the Wichita Business Journal has named her a Women Who Lead, Women in Business, Newsmaker, Innovator and 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame honoree.
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Helping entrepreneurs gain community, capital and customers.
Rial's featured resource:
Rial Carver - Program Leader, Rural Grocery Initiative, K-State Research & Extension
Huddle Leader - Health
Rial Carver is a Rural Grocery Extension Specialist with K-State Research and Extension. Rial earned her Master of Regional and Community Planning from Kansas State University in 2019. Prior to moving to Kansas, Rial worked as the Sustainability Coordinator at Virginia Tech Dining Services where she increased local food sourcing, implemented composting initiatives, and initiated a reusable to-go container program. She received a B.S. in Environmental Policy and Planning with a minor in Civic Agriculture and Food Systems from Virginia Tech. Rial enjoys working with rural communities to consider creative solutions to supporting healthy food access and local food systems.
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CONFERENCE FACILITATORS
Supporting dynamic discussions & networking
Misty Bruckner, Director, Public Policy and Management Center
Misty joined Wichita State University in 2008. She is responsible for assisting governments and nonprofits with special projects, policy development, program evaluation, community surveys, facilitation and training efforts. Misty has worked in the Office of the City Manager, City of Wichita, as assistant to the city manager to start her career. Misty is a recipient of the Excellence in Public Service Award and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office Bronze Medal Award for Public Service – the highest honor for a civilian. She was selected to participate in the Kansas Leadership Center’s Community Collaboration Academy aimed at advancing facilitation and collaboration efforts across the state of Kansas. Misty has a Master of Public Administration from WSU.
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Paula Downs, Talent Initiatives Manager, Public Policy and Management Center
Paula Downs joined the Public Policy and Management Center in 2012 with more than 25 years of experience in the public sector, 13 of those as a project manager. In her current role, she oversees special projects; develops and delivers training on a wide range of topics; and assists local governments and nonprofits with board trainings, strategic planning, facilitation services and professional development. In addition, Paula has spent the last several years involved in community engagement efforts including, stakeholder interviews, focus group facilitation, survey development, citizen feedback sessions, and developing and utilizing tools that increase participation around identified topics. Paula holds a Master of Public Administration from WSU.
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Abigail Hammack, Strategic Communications Manager, Public Policy and Management Center
Abigail leads the marketing and communications efforts for the Public Policy & Management Center. Abigail is part of the operations team and works to improve internal communications and systems. She also provides program support to all departments. Before returning to Wichita to continue her education, she was the Director of Marketing & Communications for a regional economic development organization in Blacksburg, Virginia. Abigail's experience in economic development gives her a unique perspective and thought process, while her expertise in communications and design helps the PPMC, and the PPMC's clients, communicate effectively. Abigail holds a BA in Public Relations from Kansas State University and a Master of Public Administration from WSU.
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Dulcinea Rakestraw, PhD, Research & Program Evaluation Manager, Public Policy and Management Center
Dulcinea Rakestraw serves as the Research and Program Evaluation Manager. With over 20 years of experience, she provides program evaluation, management, research, and consulting services. Prior to joining Wichita State, she held roles at the Sedgwick County Health Department, the Kansas Department for Children and Families, Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services, Preferred Family Healthcare, and served as an instructor for the University of Kansas, Butler Community College, and Wichita State. Dulcinea earned both a BSW and MPH from the University of Kansas, and a MA in Psychology from WSU. Dulcinea earned her PhD in Community Psychology with an emphasis in research methods and program evaluation from WSU.
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HOST LOCATION
Hyatt Regency 400 W. Waterman Street, Wichita, KS 67202
Located in the heart of downtown Wichita,
the Hyatt Regency offers ample space,
state-of-the-art technology and easy-to-access parking, for this dynamic conference experience.
Guests who wish to stay overnight may book their accommodations here. Booking is separate from conference registration fees.
The NetWorked for Change Conference
is made possible thanks to the support of these fine sponsors: