Kansas Leadership Center

No special guest: Just alums asking questions and sharing stories about Energizing Others by “speaking to loss.” Speaking to loss is difficult and we are curious how you address loss in your civic work. Find out how KLC faculty, staff and alums are putting this key leadership behavior into action in civic life.

He began his career with the Wichita Police Department in 1975 as a Patrol Officer. Moving up the ranks, he was named Chief of Police in 2000. During his tenure as Chief, the Wichita Police Department has gained national recognition for its outstanding investigative work and community-policing philosophy, which relies upon positive interaction among police, other public servants, and community members. Find out how Chief Williams exercises leadership from this classic position of authority.

Originally from Crawford County, Doug Mays was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1992. He represented the 54th district in southwest Topeka and Shawnee County for seven terms. In the House, he served as Rules Chair, Chair of the Committee on Federal and State Affairs, Assistant Majority Leader, and Speaker Pro Tem. In 2002, and again in 2004, he was elected Speaker of the House by his peers. Currently, he is the owner of Doug Mays and Associates, specializing in Kansas governmental affairs.

Bernadette Gray-Little is the 17th chancellor of the University of Kansas, a post she assumed August 15, 2009. She is the first African-American and the first woman to assume that particular position of authority. Find out how Chancellor Gray-Little exercises leadership to meet her goals of enhancing undergraduate education, raising KU's scholarly profile, and securing the resources needed for students, and the university, to succeed.

No special guest: Just alums asking questions and sharing stories about Intervening Skillfully by “raising the heat.” Discuss the risks and rewards of pushing people outside their comfort zone. How have you attempted to move people into the productive zone of work? Find out how KLC faculty, staff and alums are putting this key leadership behavior into action in civic life.

Dr. Roz Diane Lasker co-author of Engaging the Community in Decision Making: Case Studies Tracking Participation, Voice and Influence, is a physician known internationally for her work on public participation in community planning, policy development and problem solving. She is clinical professor of public health at Columbia University's School of Public Health. Her insights about "engaging unusual voices" are informing the evolution KLC's thinking and teaching about the competency of Energize Others. Listen below or download the podcast on iTunes here: http://goo.gl/kQoeF

Wes Jackson of Salina is widely recognized for his leadership in the international movement for a more sustainable agriculture. He is a MacArthur Fellow and the 2000 recipient of the Right Livelihood Award (called the “alternative Nobel prize”). Life magazine predicted that he will be among the 100 important Americans of the 20th century. Discover Wes’s unique approach to exercising civic leadership, in Kansas and around the world.

Sandy Praeger, Kansas Commisioner of  Kansas Commissioner of Insurance was elected in 2002, reelected in 2006, and again in 2010. She is responsible for regulating all insurance sold in Kansas and overseeing the nearly 1,700 insurance companies and more than 94,000 agents licensed to do business in the state. She previously served in the State Senate, House and on numerous local boards of directors. Hear from Commissioner Praeger about leadership lessons learned in a long and varied career in civic life!

In 1990, Bill Graves was elected Kansas Secretary of State and in 1991, he was appointed as a representative of state governments to the Competitiveness Policy Council. By 1994, at the age of 41, he became one of the youngest Governors in Kansas history. Kansas saw strong economic growth and continued progress on education reforms under his administration. He won re-election in 1998 with 74% of the vote, the largest margin of victory in the nation that year and one of the largest margins of victory in Kansas gubernatorial history. He currently serves as President of the American Trucking Associations.

Peter Block, author of several bestselling books including Community: The Structure of Belonging and Stewardship: Choosing Service of Self-Interest. He is a partner in Designed Learning, a company offering workshops on the skills outlined in his books.

Marty Linsky is a faculty member at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, author of Leadership on the Line and The Practice of Adaptive Leadership as well as a KLC faculty member. As former consultant for the KLC he has a firm grasp on KLC ideas and their context in Kansas.