MEET THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Nancy M. Mellard is Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the Employee Services Division of CBIZ, Inc. Ms. Mellard has responsibility for all legal matters including transactional legal work; negotiating contracts with merger and acquisition candidates, key customers, insurance carriers and employment agreements; and managing E&O issues for this Division. She also has oversight of all licensing and compliance processes and procedures. Ms. Mellard is a member of the Senior Management Team for the Employee Services Division, providing comprehensive strategic-level business counseling to this Division and acts as a liaison to the parent company’s legal department. With more than thirty years of legal, licensing and compliance experience in the insurance industry, Ms. Mellard is responsible for national relationships with CBIZ’s 200+ insurance carriers.
Ms. Mellard is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers (CIAB) and Chair of its Planning & Strategic Resources Committee, Chair of the CIAB’s Council of Employee Benefit Executives Board (CEBE), member of the Board of Directors for FAME (Foundation for Agency Management Excellence), and is past Chairperson of the CIAB Legal Counsel’s Working Committee, located in Washington, D.C. She also participates in an annual CIAB Legislative Conference on Capitol Hill which includes meetings with Senators and Representatives on key industry legislation and current issues.
In addition to her role as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Ms. Mellard was chosen by CBIZ’s Chairman of the Board and CEO to lead CBIZ Women’s Advantage as the National Leader. This Program supports CBIZ’s female employee base of approximately 1,500 – 2,000 of whom are employed in multiple professional roles across all Divisions of CBIZ.
Ms. Mellard is currently Chair of the Board of Directors for Central Exchange and past Chairperson of Central Exchange’s WIN½WIN of Kansas City, as well as a past member of the Board of Directors for the Mid-America Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Nancy Mellard, Board Chair
Debby is responsible for local and national community-outreach programs, employee volunteerism, employee-giving campaigns, employee resource groups, and charitable and corporate giving.
Previously, Debby served as Director of Sales Operations for Sprint. She was responsible for managing back-office resources for Sprint’s Sales organization, including development and implementation of processes, procedures, and reporting metrics.
In her 29 years with Sprint, Debby has held numerous management positions in sales and sales operations. She has also been a part of Sprint’s training division, the University of Excellence, in employee and organization development.
Debby currently serves on several non-profit boards, including The Kansas City Zoo (current board chair), Central Exchange, Women’s Foundation of Greater Kansas City, and Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey (immediate past board chair). She is also active in her church and other service organizations.
Debby holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Central Missouri State University and was the 2010 recipient of the National Eagle Leadership Institute Award. She received the YWCA Heart of Gold award and was one of The Kansas City Globe's 100 Most Influential African-Americans in Greater Kansas City.
Debby Ballard, Chair Elect
Maria Jenks, Audit Vice Chair
Maria Jenks joined KCP&L in 2003 as Manager of Corporate Accounting. Jenks became Vice President, Supply Chain in January 2010. In this position, Jenks facilitates enterprisewide supply chain operational efficiencies, collaboration and cost savings. She leads the materials management function, which includes warehousing, asset recovery and materials control, and the procurement function, which includes sourcing and category management, supplier diversity and the supplier relationship and warranty programs. Jenks is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 20 years of success in corporate finance and accounting.
Ms. Jenks is on the board of directors and finance committee of SAFEHOME, a domestic violence shelter and resource for women and children; a founding member of both the KCP&L Employee Relief Fund and the KCP&L Women's Leadership Employee Resource Group. Jenks is also a board member of the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City and the Mid-America Minority Business Development Council. Jenks was honored as a 2011 Woman Who Means Business.
Bob Marcusse, Secretary
Dana Abraham, Finance Vice Chair
Dana Abraham joined UMB Private Wealth Management in 2005. As President of the Private Wealth Management Division, she is responsible for delivery of comprehensive financial services to high-net-worth clients. Dana oversees the Private Wealth Management senior leadership team in conjunction with development and execution of the strategic vision of the division. Her areas of focus include Wealth Planning, Private Banking, Personal Trust, Investment Management and Insurance.
Prior to joining UMB, Dana was employed by Bank of America. She spent 18 years as a senior vice president within the Premier Banking and Investment division. There, she managed 16 private banking managers focused on the affluent segment in Kansas City, Iowa and Kansas.
Dana earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in both accounting and economics from the University of Louisiana.
She is a graduate of Leadership Overland Park and Kansas City Tomorrow Leadership programs. Dana is on the Board of Directors of the REACH Foundation and on the Board of Directors of the Central Exchange. She is a founding member of the Women’s Leadership Council of the United Way of Greater Kansas City. She was recognized as one of the Kansas City Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business class of 2011.
Bob Marcusse joined the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC) in 1991 as president and chief executive officer. During his tenure, KCADC along with its state and local partners, have attracted companies and help expand and create companies that have created more than 40,000 direct new jobs and added more than $8.0 billion in capital investment to the 18-county, bi-state Kansas City region.
Bob has an extensive background in domestic and international corporate attraction, business growth and retention, and regional marketing. He has spearheaded major growth initiatives in the region such as the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute, KC Animal Health Corridor, KC SmartPort, and KCnext–The Technology Council of Greater Kansas City.
Bob’s community involvement extends well beyond his role at KCADC. Bob serves on the executive committees of KC SmartPort, KCnext, KC Animal Health Corridor, and Central Exchange. He is a member of the University of Kansas Edwards Campus Advisory Board, and University of Missouri Economic Development Cabinet and the board of the KU Endowment. He is a past chairman of the University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute and is a member of the listing review committee for BATS, the country’s third largest stock exchange. Bob is also a member of the national Alumni Board of Calvin College.
Bob has also held leadership positions with the Columbus (OH) Area Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Council for the Peoria area, Battle Creek (MI) Unlimited, and the Inland Port Authority of South Central Michigan and Foreign Trade Zone #43.
Bob graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with a Bachelor of Science degree. He received his Master of Science from Purdue University.
Joan Cohen, Board Director
Joan Cohen is an independent consultant. As the former President of H&R Block's Emerging Business and a member of the senior management team, Cohen was responsible for overseeing H&R Block’s strategic business initiatives related to international tax preparation, RedGear, Express Tax, Tax and Business Services, and multi-cultural market development.
Cohen was previously President of H&R Block Financial Advisors (and the successor firm Ameriprise Advisor Services) from January 2005 to March 2009. She was instrumental in the firm’s sale and successful transition in November 2008.
Prior to joining H&R Block in 2002, Cohen was Chief Financial Officer and Chief of Staff at ING Advisors Network, which consisted of 10,000 financial planners. She also served as Senior Vice President and Controller at ING Americas, part of one of the largest integrated financial services organizations in the world. Cohen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting from Adrian College in Michigan and is a certified public accountant.
Gina Danner, Board Director
As CEO and visionary leader of Mail Print, Gina Danner combines a unique blend of business insight and the practical experience of having spearheaded the development of integrated direct marketing systems for companies nationwide. As a consultant, mentor and awarded entrepreneur, Gina thrives on helping clients and partners hone marketing and sales processes to work smarter, quicker and more profitably. A University of Missouri graduate, Gina is active in local and national entrepreneurial, networking and charitable organizations.
Carol Hallquist is President of the Hallmark Corporate Foundation at Hallmark Cards, Inc. In this role, Hallquist provides leadership for Hallmark’s community involvement programs, Kaleidoscope children’s art experience, the Hallmark Visitors Center and corporate foundation giving. She also leads Hallmark’s corporate social responsibility efforts, including sustainability initiatives.
Hallquist began her career at Hallmark in 1984 and has held a variety of product marketing positions throughout the company. She was named general manager of the gift wrap business unit in 1995 and appointed director of visual merchandising in 1998. Hallquist was promoted to vice president of specialty retailing in 1999. In 2003, she was named vice president of new ventures. She assumed her current position in May 2007.
Prior to joining Hallmark, Hallquist worked at The Des Moines Register and Chicago Tribune. She also worked as a national sales trainer at the Fuller Brush Company.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Iowa State University and an M.B.A. from Rockhurst College.
Hallquist is actively involved in the Kansas City community. She served as chair of the Kansas City Zoo Board of Directors and is on the boards of the Mayor’s Turn The Page initiative, Teach for America and is Operation Breakthrough’s board chair. She served as senior leadership sponsor for Hallmark’s Latino employee group for seven years. Hallquist is one of the four founders of an all-women angel investing group started in 2007 called the Women’s Capital Connection. In 2008, she was named one of Kansas City’s most influential women by KC Magazine. She and her husband, Allan, reside in Kansas City. Their daughter teaches in Kansas City and their son is an investment banking analyst in San Francisco.
Joni Lindquist, Board Director
Joni is a Principal at KHC Wealth Management, leading the human capital practice. KHC helps business leaders in “Making Life Count!®, balancing living well today while planning to achieve their goals and dreams. A key component in the planning is one’s career arc. As an executive and career coach, Joni assists business leaders in becoming more effective leaders, proactively managing their careers and handling career transitions. Her clients appreciate the “been there, done that” perspective Joni brings from her real world leadership experiences.
Prior to KHC Wealth Management, Joni spent 21 years in corporate America, holding executive roles in marketing, product management, sales and strategic planning. For nearly ten years, she has focused on helping business leaders achieve personal and professional success.
Joni serves on the boards of Central Exchange and the Women’s Christian Association (Armour Oaks Senior Living Community).
She is a graduate of Bowling Green State University in Ohio with a B.S. degree in Business Administration and earned her M.B.A. from The Ohio State University.
Sam Meers, Board Director
Sam Meers is a strong proponent of advertising and digital strategy to build a brand and generate results, Sam has developed his marketing communications beliefs through experience.
Founding Meers Advertising in 1993, he brings over 30 years of consumer and business-to-business experience to the agency. Some of the companies with which the agency works include Blue KC and several other Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association plans, Missouri Gas Energy, Assurant Solar, GoHealth.com, The Whole Person, Virtuous Living and 3M.Prior to forming his agency, Meers was Vice President, Account Supervisor with Carmichael Lynch in Minneapolis and Fletcher/Mayo/Associates, St. Joseph, Missouri. Sam posts frequently to his blog, Smoke & Meers, on advertising and marketing topics. He has been a guest lecturer at the University of Kansas, the University of Illinois and the University of Missouri. Meers holds a Bachelors degree in Advertising from the University of Illinois. He serves as Vice President of the American Advertising Federation of Kansas City, is on the Board of Governors of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, is a member of the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program, and is a long-time supporter of Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics.
Rachel Merlo, Board Director
Rachel Merlo is Community Manager for Google in Kansas City, where she manages community affairs initiatives in the company’s first Google Fiber city. In addition to leading initiatives related to digital inclusion, entrepreneurial community engagement, and STEM education, she serves as a primary point of contact for several city partners involved in the deployment across the metro.
Rachel serves on the boards of directors of Central Exchange, Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association, Kansas City Kansas Chamber of Commerce, and the Women's Center at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, which she chairs in the 2014-15 term. She is also a member of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Centurions class of 2016.
Rachel was recognized in 2012 by KC Business Magazine as a Rising Star among Kansas City leaders under age 40, then again in 2014 as an Influential Women honoree, celebrating local women in the creative, entrepreneurial, and nonprofit communities. Rachel was also recognized as a 2013 Verizon Nueva Latina Estrella Community Service Award winner, recognizing emerging professional leaders who embrace diversity, integrity, and creativity while achieving success.
Rachel is a proud lifelong Kansas Citian who lives with her husband in the Brookside area.
Wayne Powell, Board Director
Wayne Powell is Vice President of Executive Services and Chief of Staff at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC), Wayne Powell serves as the liaison between business functional areas and the CEO to whom he reports directly. As Chief of Staff, he is accountable for engaging executives on various levels as they have major initiatives across functional lines. Wayne also oversees the Corporate Communications, Health Promotions and Community Relations departments.
Prior to joining Blue KC in 2010 as Executive Liaison to the President and CEO Elect, Wayne served as an executive at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, where he held a variety of positions during his 15-year tenure.
Tracey Passantino, Board Director
Tracey Passantino has a passion for marketing. She founded Professional Marketing Solutions (dba Passantino Marketing), a boutique firm serving small to mid-sized businesses, in 2003. She and her husband are now Partners in the firm which provides services from consulting to brand building and creative service to traditional media buying and social media management.
Tracey is also Founder and CEO of Race4Girls, a talent management and motorsports marketing agency for female race car drivers. Race4Girls offers an opportunity for companies that have not traditionally participated in motorsports sponsorships to benefit from high brand loyalty and strong ROI.
Under the Race4Girls umbrella Tracey and her sister co-founded Race4 Domestic Violence Prevention. The organization is dedicated to community outreach, awareness and education about domestic violence issues. Her goals are to develop a national presence for the organization, create signature fund raising events to support its mission and provide resource information to attendees at race tracks around the country.
Tracey has served as president of and as a board member for Media Mix of Kansas City, fundraising chair for Olathe Junior Service League, co-chair for the Brian McRae/Media Mix annual golf tournament benefiting Operation Breakthrough, and has volunteered for numerous charitable organizations. She is currently board treasurer for Driven2Honor and serves on the Executive Leadership Team for Go Red for Women Kansas City.
She graduated from the University of Kansas with a BA in Communications Studies. During her sophomore year, Tracey served as a Student Senator and was on the Finance Committee. She also graduated from the UMKC Bloch School’s Entrepreneurship Scholar program in 2012.
Jeanette Prenger, Board Director
Jeanette Hernandez Prenger is the President and CEO of ECCO Select, an industry leading technology company specializing in IT professional services and management consulting. Having founded ECCO Select in 1995, Ms. Prenger has grown this women-owned, minority-owned Kansas City based company to over 200 employees that support some of the nation’s most recognized Fortune 1000 companies and governmental organizations. Ms. Prenger’s award winning company has continued to expand, with offices in St. Louis and Washington, D.C. Ms. Prenger’s leadership has catapulted the company’s growth over the past two decades by consistently proving its ability to exceed customer expectations in a wide variety of industries, including financial services, transportation, utilities, communications, healthcare, life science and retail.
Jeanette and ECCO are recipients of numerous awards for their achievements in business and generosity in the community. Jeanette’s most recent philanthropic award, from Phoenix Family Housing, was received last May and the firm’s latest award, bestowed by Ingram’s, listed ECCO as one of the fastest growing companies in the region. In February 2013, Enterprising Women Magazine, named her as a 2013 Enterprising Woman of the Year. Other awards include the SBA Region VII Minority Small Business Champion of the Year and CEO of the Year from the Latinos in Information and Science Technology Association.
Jeanette serves for Governor Nixon as a commissioner on the Workforce Investment Board and serves for Mayor James’ Early Education Commission. She was appointed in 2002 by President Bush to serve on the SBA Regulatory Fairness Board and has worked on councils for Senator Roy Blunt and Congressman Sam Graves.
Although her contributions outside of her business include serving on boards that advocate for business, the arts, and education, her passion is in helping children. She is the immediate past chair of Junior Achievement of Mid America and is an executive board member of the Boy Scouts of America Heartland Council. She is also on the board of the New York based Orphaned Starfish Foundation, which provides technology to orphanages in Spanish-speaking countries and Ethiopia.Jeanette and her husband, Kevin, reside at Weatherby Lake. They have two sons, married to the beautiful mothers of their five grandchildren.
Shannon Stites, Board Director
Shannon Stites is an Assurance partner with Ernst & Young (EY) in Kansas City with over 20 years of experience serving high growth companies, both publicly owned and privately-held, principally in the manufacturing, retail and distribution industries. She has extensive experience in SEC reporting and accounting, having been involved with numerous initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions. Shannon also served in EY’s National Office in New York, primarily as a member of EY’s IFRS team where she led the development of EY’s methodology and tools to assist companies with the conversion from US GAAP to IFRS.
Shannon also led the implementation of EY’s global talent deployment strategy for the Midwest Area where she helped teams leverage resources globally to serve EY’s clients in the Midwest. Shannon is also a champion for EY’s Diversity and Inclusiveness initiatives and currently serves as the Inclusiveness leader in Kansas City where she has responsibility for the various programs that support a more diverse workforce at EY.
Shannon is involved in the Kansas City community through her leadership on the boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters and Central Exchange. Shannon is also the cochair of the Network Exchange, a consortium of women's networks from Kansas City companies working together to facilitate the promotion and advancement of women to senior leadership positions by providing resources and sharing best practices. Shannon is also a member of the Chairman’s Circle for the Kansas City chapter of the American Cancer Society and on the Advisory Committee for the Kansas State University Department of Accounting. She is also a Girl Scout troop leader.
Shannon began her career with EY in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She has also worked with EY in Minneapolis, New York City, and Kansas City. She holds a BS degree, summa cum laude, in business administration and a master of accountancy from Kansas State University.
Holly Streeter-Schafer, Board Director
Ms. Holly Streeter-Schaefer is an attorney at Burns & McDonnell. She has a technical background as a construction engineer that preceded her experience as a practicing attorney specializing in construction law for more than ten years. As an in-house attorney, Ms. Streeter-Schaefer works closely with internal clients to address their needs and concerns. Prior to joining Burns & McDonnell, Ms. Streeter-Schaefer was a shareholder at a major national law firm where she concentrated on design and construction-related contracts, risk management, insurance issues, and litigation. She also spent several years working for a large national construction company as corporate counsel.
She is responsible for preparation of standard contract documents for design and construction, review of proposed contracts, and contract negotiation. Various contractual arrangements have involved traditional owner-engineer contracts, joint ventures, design-build, turnkey, construction and program management, equipment procurement, and subcontracts.
Ms. Streeter-Schaefer has extensive knowledge in preparing, analyzing, and negotiating design and construction contracts, teaming and joint venture agreements, subcontracts, and supplier agreements. She is also experienced in litigating claims involving construction defects, payment disputes, mechanic’s liens, and insurance issues. She has considerable experience in the areas of construction project claims prevention and alternative dispute resolution.
Holly’s passion for construction is not limited to legal issues. Holly is past President of National Association of Women in Construction Greater Kansas City, Missouri Chapter 100 and is the current Scholarship Foundation President for NAWIC Chapter 100. She is also a board member of Central Exchange, chairing CX’s WiSTEMM committee as a board member. She is current the vice-chair of the Code Board of Appeals for the City of Overland Park, Kansas and is actively involved in DRI’s Women in the Law Committee. In addition, Ms. Streeter-Schaefer has spoken multiple times on issues relating to the construction industry and has been published in various trade organizations’ print media.
Joni Wickham, Board Director
Joni Wickham is currently Chief of Staff to Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Sly James. In that capacity she directs all communications, public policy and administrative matters for the Mayor and manages 12 person staff and several interns. She has previously held positions in public policy, communications, and advocacy at the American Federation of Teachers, the Missouri Department of Transportation, and the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office. Throughout her career spanning over a decade, Joni has coordinated efforts to pass a variety of legislation and ballot measures, implemented public policy initiatives, managed messaging campaigns and high profile events, and led diverse teams in exceeding organizational goals.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Studies from Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina and a master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is a proud Kansas City, Missouri resident and enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter when she isn’t at City Hall.
Aileen Wilkins, Board Director
In her role as H&R Block’s Chief People Officer for H&R Block, Aileen Wilkins leads the human resources organization and is responsible for strategy and execution of talent acquisition, workforce and talent management, organizational capabilities and company culture.
Since its founding in 1955, H&R Block has become one of the most recognized and iconic brands in the consumer landscape, reinforcing its leadership position as the trusted source for tax-based knowledge and tax preparation services.
The company has grown from a single retail office in Kansas City to a global $3 billion enterprise of over 10,000 offices worldwide, including Canada and Australia, and recent entries into Brazil and India.
Aileen is an experienced human resources leader with over 20 years of progressively responsible roles in companies ranging from technology start-ups to global pharmaceuticals. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and her MBA from the University of Kansas.
Julie Wilson, executive vice president and chief people officer, is responsible for leading Cerner’s human resources and associate services organizations, providing direction and developing people and support strategies for Cerner worldwide.
Wilson initially joined Cerner in 1990, leaving in 1992 to join a start-up company, but returned in 1995.
Wilson has held a variety of roles within Cerner’s human resources organization, including direct management of recruiting, HR consulting services, associate services and the properties and facilities group.
She assumed the role of chief people officer in 2003 and was promoted to senior vice president in 2007.
During my Cerner career, I have had the unique opportunity and privilege to play a leadership role in growing a global workforce,” Wilson said. “We continue to build an impressive Cerner team with a vast array of abilities and experiences that position Cerner to impact health care and compete successfully around the world.”
Prior to joining Cerner, Wilson was the business manager for the University of Missouri-Kansas City athletics department, where she also played varsity basketball during her collegiate career.
She assisted with the movement of the athletics program from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I.
Wilson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Julie Wilson, Board Director
Kimberly Young, Board Director
Kimberly Young is the Executive Director at the Bloch Executive Education Center. She is responsible for building relationships with the local community to create mutually valuable partnerships between the school and the community through degree and non-degree executive education. Prior to her time at the Bloch School, Kimberly worked in multiple industries with clients such as Coca Cola Company, H&R Block, Eli Lilly, Boeing, 3M Corporation, and Sprint. Kimberly’s expertise is in helping organizations increase top line growth and organize operations to take advantage of technological advancements and market opportunities. Young was also a manager for global consulting firm Ernst & Young (Cap Gemini) and a marketing executive for global management services corporation ARAMARK.
Kimberly has a B.A. in public policy studies from Duke University and an M.B.A and Master of Management Hospitality from Cornell University. As an active member of the Kansas City community, she serves the community through board service and volunteer work. She is on the board of directors for the Central Exchange, an organization for women leaders, the Vice Chair of the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City. She has also been active in the Junior League of Kansas City, Alphapointe, and was the co-chair for the Duke Alumni Club of Kansas City.