Board Members

Susan B. Wilson PhD MBA is a licensed clincial psychologist with a multifacted career in education, healthcare admistration, consulting, clinical and media work. Susan has over twenty years of mental health and diversity-related experience. She previously served as Associate Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership at UMKC School of Medicine. Wilson has held leadership poisitions in several notalbe health and behavioural healthcare organizations in the Kansas City area, including Swope Health Services and St. Luke’s Health System.

Steve McClure, PhD has over forty-five years of experience with district public and charter schools in the greater Kansas City area. During his years of service, Steve has provided research for legislative testimony resulting in a revised Missouri Charter School Law(2005). Established ban smoking in schools, which serves as the basis for the current Kansas Law. Member of the Topeka United Way Board of Directors as well as Board of Directors for the Kansas Association of School Administators.

Doris Gant, LPN has over thirty years of experience in the health care industry. She was the Outreach Health Coordinator for the Black Health Care Coalition where she served over several programs which include; Active Kids Asthma Camp, Women Health, HIPPA training, Mental Health, Church Wellness Centeres, Nutrition, Affordable Health Care Act and Patient Navigationl. Currently, she is an instructor teaching Chronic Disease Self-Managnemtn, Administer for the Total Man Community Development Corporation, and volunteer with the Greater KC Black Nurses Associatons.

Jeremy Sanders, Chief Financial Officer, BA Accounting, MBA Finance 12 years of international CFO experience, ranging from startups to multinational turnarounds, and oversight of budgets up to $130 million. Jeremy has provided advisory and finance training, and support to businesses in more than 24 industries.
Jeremy’s advanced skills include: corporate finance leadership, strategy development, ERP and systems implementations, transformational leadership, innovation commercialization, fundraising, audit management, residential, commercial, and historic preservation real development projects.

Keith Brown, BA has nearly forty years of experience as a trained neighborhood and community organizer. He currently serves as the Director of Parent and Community Engagement at Genesis School. He was the former neighborhood organizer and worked in neighborhood leadership development for what was formerly the Kansas City Neighborhood Alliance. He was the Executive Director for Project Neighborhood one of 8 Nationally known Community wide drug and alcohol demand reduction collaboratives. Keith is on the Board of Directors for Freedom Incoroportes where he serves as the Chairman of their Community and Neighborhood outreach committee.

Kenneth P. Yancy I, BBA, is Chief Digital Marketing and Business Development Officer for Essential Families. Kenneth is a serial entrepreneur and visionary, “gifted and talented” in the areas of Digital/ Mobile Marketing, Software Development, Telecommunications, Artificial Intelligence, and Real Estate Development. Kenneth’s unique expertise and background is a result from 39 years of leading successful multi-million dollar projects for Big Data, software, marketing, Real Estate Development, and telecommunications powerhouses IBM, Sprint, Cisco Systems, and Faith Properties.

Mike Sherry is the owner of OnPoint Communications LLC, a Prairie Village-based firm specializing in helping nonprofits tell their stories to funders and the community-at-large. Mike spent more than 30 years as a print/online journalist, including at publications in Washington, D.C. His newspaper career took him to State College, Pennsylvania, St. Joseph, Missouri, and Omaha, Nebraska. Locally, he worked at The Kansas City Star, the Kansas City Business Journal, and Kansas City PBS. He has served on the board of Shepherd’s Center Central and the Jewish Community Relations Bureau | American Jewish Committee. Mike continues to freelance for local and regional publications, and also serves as the editor of The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Mike graduated from Center High School. He went on to earn an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s from the Missouri School of Journalism.

For over 15 years, Leo Prieto has worked as a community organizer, motivational speaker, lawyer, emcee, and marketing consultant in the non-profit, corporate, management, and political fields, respectively. He served as a Public Policy Fellow with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute(CHCI) in Washington, DC where he worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division followed by Capitol Hill helping shape national immigration, education and health policy. Recently, Leo was back in the Sports & Entertainment industry as on-air talent for the Kansas City Chiefs Spanish broadcast while serving as the Vice-President of Market Development for three other NFL Teams. His current capacity is as Executive Director of the Linwood YMCA where he focuses his efforts on healthy living, youth development and social responsibility. His mission is to build a cause-driven membership, new donor cultivation and continuing to impact the community.

Nicolle Jones holds a Master of Education in Early Childhood Administration and has been in the Early Education field for over 20 years. She has served children, families and teachers across the country from Alaska to Washington, DC. Ms. Jones began her early childhood career as an EHS teacher and Family Service Advocate in locally designed EHS-CC Partnerships in 2001.

Since 2013, Nicolle worked as an Early Childhood Specialist for Head Start Region XI- Training and Technical Assistance with AIAN (American Indian/ Alaska Native programs). As an ECE Specialist many cross-country travel hours, planning and facilitation of trainings transpired.

Lauri Ealom is the Democratic Director of the Kansas City Election Board (KCEB). Lauri began her career in Election Services 11 years ago, capturing the mailroom to the boardroom philosophy. Lauri’s positions with the election board include stints in Voter Services, IT, Election Services Outreach,Training and Finance. Lauri served as Assistant Director before being recommended for her current role.

Having held a variety of positions throughout her 25 year career, Lauri credits her diverse education as the guiding tool for all of her successes.

A graduate of Clark Atlanta University and Auburn University, Lauri returned to Kansas City to be closer to family and lifelong friends.

Alicia Smith, LMSW, currently works with the Kansas City Public School district as a Trauma Sensitive School Clinician. Alicia comes to the organization with 10 years of experience serving individuals, groups and families within the Kansas City area.

Having a Bachelor of Science degree in Child and Family Development (Missouri State University), a Masters of Social Work degree (UMKC), along with the ability to connect with various “at-risk” populations, she knows all to well the importance of how feelings of belonging and socialization factors into a child’s self-esteem.

When both; psychological needs are met, coupled with stable and consistent basic needs ones ability to achieve their full potential is limitless.