Megan Miller
Megan Miller’s business acumen grounds the creative minds at Tallgrass Studios
A Kansas native, Megan holds an MBA in Accounting from Pittsburg State University. Her expertise includes auditing, data analysis, and inventory management.
As Tallgrass Studios’ Fulfillment Director, Megan ensures that marketing collateral is printed, stored, and distributed with the utmost efficiency. She makes the process easy by managing clients’ custom online storefronts, order tracking, and managing their inventory levels.
Megan enjoys bringing her accounting and business background to balance the creative team at Tallgrass Studios.
Katie Hinkle
Katie Hinkle joins Foundations Commercial
Foundations Commercial, a full-service commercial real estate brokerage, welcomed Katie Hinkle to their team as their Communications and Social Media Director. Katie holds a Master of Science in Accounting and Financial Analysis from Northeastern State University. She has an extensive leadership background in the retail sector and is eager to bring her business acumen to Ms. Flory’s team.
Foundations Commercial serves as a full-service brokerage offering Seller, Landlord, Buyer, and Tenant representation with clients throughout the state of Kansas. Kirsten Flory, President and Broker of Founda¬tions Commercial, has led deals and worked with properties including office, retail, industrial, investment, and development land. “With our expanded market share and transaction volume, the time was right to expand our team,” explains Ms. Flory.
Kathy Smith, TJ McDonald, Nic Simons
United Way of Kaw Valley Announces New Hires for Three Positions
Kathy Smith is the new Vice President of Douglas County Initiatives. A Topeka transplant, Smith now lives in Lawrence and is a third-generation Kansan. She has experience with nonprofit grantmaking, event planning, organizational convening, donor development and relationship building. Smith will oversee com¬munity investments in Douglas County, including grant-making, building relationships with agency partners, and strategic planning for the future of impact throughout the community. Her office is located in UWKV’s new Douglas County location, 1127 Iowa St. in Lawrence.
TJ McDonald is the new Director of Workplace Campaigns. TJ joins UWKV with years of experience in the sales and insurance industry. He has built great connections in the Topeka corporate world and enjoys helping businesses leverage their gifts to make the biggest impact in the community. Based in the Topeka office, TJ will work with businesses throughout Shawnee and Jackson County to execute their workplace campaigns and to develop year-round corporate partnerships with United Way of Kaw Valley. He will also work with UWKV’s Young Leaders Society donor affinity group, and with key campaign volunteers, including annual Campaign Ambassadors.
LOCAL MATTERS
Our Local Advertisers – Making a Positive Impact
Nic Simons is the new Director of Major Gifts & Legacy Giving. Nic has spent his career working in education, youth sports, and grant development. Each of his roles has afforded him the opportunity to work with donors and individuals across all the counties served by United Way of Kaw Valley. Nic will work with donors who make gifts outside the workplace campaign, specifically leadership ($1,000 or more per year) and Tocqueville-level donors ($10,000 or more per year). This includes individuals making gifts of stock, IRA charitable rollovers, irrevocable trusts, and legacy gifts. He will also work with our Women United and Always United (retirees) donor affinity groups.
Boys and Girls Club Lawrence Youth of the Year
Arabella Gipp Earns Second-Straight Lawrence Youth of the Year Honors
Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence CEO, Monica Dittmer, explained the heartfelt reason why the Youth of the Year program is incredibly special after Arabella Gipp earned the 2023 Lawrence Youth of the Year honors. “Because it’s not a competition, and it’s not even just a group of kids – it’s a family,” Dittmer said. “That’s what we do. We bring these kids together, we put them in a circumstance and we provide the support they need to watch them grow into whoever they want to be. It’s a family atmosphere, it’s a safe place to try new things, it’s somewhere they can take a risk – they might fail, but they might also do something really amazing. That’s what makes this whole process so special.”
Presented by Mid America Bank, Youth of the Year celebrates the life-long relationships that kids develop with the Boys & Girls Club. Those students who earn a Youth of the Year nomination embody the values of leadership service, academic excellence and healthy lifestyles. They exemplify the powerful impact that the Boys & Girls Club has on kids in Lawrence.
BGCLK celebrated five candidates in total in its annual event. Chloe Clossen (Sophomore, FSHS), Ohene Danso (Sophomore, FSHS), Audrey Rice (Graduated Senior, FSHS), La’Ron Williams (Junior, FSHS) and Gipp were each nominated by their Club mentors to vie for the top honor a Club kid can receive. Gipp, a sophomore at Lawrence High School, was named the Lawrence Youth of the Year winner for the second year in a row.
