Centurions Leadership Program

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Alumni Annual meeting yesterday. It was a morning filled with seeing friends, sharing stories, and celebrating our terrific alumni and their accomplishments. We were excited to surprise the ever-deserving Lindsay Jarquio as our first ever "Honorary Alumni." We so appreciate everything you do! Congrats to Edgar J. Palacios, MBA, this year's recipient of the Bernard Powell Award. His remarks were inspiring, and he urged all of his fellow alumni to demonstrate courage and continue to advocate for change. A special thank you to Kamera Meaney for her leadership as the outgoing Alumni President. The alumni benefitted greatly under your direction and guidance. Additional thanks to Gina Lichte as out-going President-Elect, all of the 2023-24 board members, and United Way of Greater Kansas City and Jessica Blubaugh for hosting us. Congrats to the 2024-2025 Alumni Board, who will serve under new President Angela Kennedy. We are excited to continue to Learn, Serve, and Lead into this new year!

Last chance to sign up for our annual meeting! Join the alumni association, learn what we are doing this year, vote on the board slate, honor the Bernard Powell award winner, AND see a special presentation on our alumni of the year! Don't miss out: register here! https://lnkd.in/gFzvQEjt

The Centurions Leadership Program is happy to announce the new Apex Class of 2026. These leaders will continue the long-standing tradition of learning, serving and leading Kansas City into the future. Congratulations, Centurions! #centurionskc #learnkc #servekc #leadkc

Today's #CenturionsSpotlight is Andrea Chamblin, a co-chair of the Pinnacle class's June Task Force - Workforce in KC & a member of the Recruiting Committee. Check out what Andrea has to say about her most impactful experiences in Centurions!

Today’s #CenturionSpotlight is John Hudson, a member of the Apex class’s June Task Force - Wild Card and a co-chair of the DEI Committee. Check out what John has to say about his experience in the Centurions program!

Join the Centurions Alumni Association for our annual meeting during breakfast on July 23, during which we kick off the new membership year and honor Edgar Palacios, the 2024 Benard Powell Award recipient!!!! Enjoy a fantastic breakfast at United Way of Greater Kansas City and networking with our alumni. Learn what the alumni are up to this year, see old friends and make some new, and stay plugged into this great community. Link to register here: https://lnkd.in/gFzvQEjt

Today’s #CenturionSpotlight is Alex Olson! Alex is a co-chair of the Apex class’s June Task Force - Wild Card and a member of the Curriculum committee.

The June 2024 Pinnacle Task Force Day was a (work)force to be reckoned! Led by our phenomenal chairs Amy Nigro Connealy, Meghan Mosley, & Andrea Chamblin – along with team-members Christy Engemann, Jason Mann, Anjana Paul, MBA, Aaron Schlagel, John Schlick, & Sam Schultz – our June task force team addressed the topic of Workforce in KC. Topics included: ◾ What are the key strengths & challenges specific to the KC region as relates to workforce? We heard from Jim Erickson, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, MO; Danielle Hilton, Managing Director of TeamKC: Life+Talent at the Kansas City Area Development Council; & DeLano J. Sheffield, Mdiv., Employee Engagement Manager for Great Jobs KC in a panel moderated by the Kansas City Business Journal’s Stacie Prosser. (Thanks to H&R Block for hosting us at their beautiful HQ!) ◾ How do we address generational differences within & think about the future of the workforce? Molly Weaver, MBA HCS of Sunflower Talent Strategies addressed strategies for industry resilience to cultivate a future-ready workforce. ◾ How do we raise awareness of the training & competitive pay available for jobs in the trades? Bob Kanatzar, Director of Iron Workers Local 10, & The Builders, a chapter of the AGC hosted Centurions for 9 stations of hands-on experience at the Builders Training Center, including welding, rebar-tying, fall protection, & steel erection. ◾ Looking forward to 2025 & beyond, what should employers be thinking about with respect to workforces in Kansas City in particular & across the nation in general? Stacie Engelmann, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, VP of HR Consulting at Lockton, led a panel with Lance Claiborne, President at The Builders, a chapter of the AGC; Teneca Clark, VP of Supply Chain / Manufacturing at Heartland Coca-Cola; Gina Creek, Ed.D., VP & Chief People Officer of the Mid America Region at AdventHealth; & Alan Lowden, Chief Information Officer at H&R Block. ◾How can we cultivate mindfulness in the workplace? Robin Todd M.S. – owner of Mindful Momentum – addressed strategies for cultivating mindfulness & resilience for both individuals & organizations. ◾Finally Centurions heard from Madeline Keller & Troy McKenna at Aramark, Lindsay Baker at Heartland Farms, LLC, Rebeca Swank at Job One, and @Josh Kleyman at Zeta Driving School on strategies their respective organizations employ to attract, retain, & train talent. As always, thanks to our exceptional task force team for crafting an agenda that drove thoughtful discussion throughout the day around key nuances in the KC workforce. #LearnServeLead

The June 2024 Pinnacle Task Force Day was a (work)force to be reckoned! Led by our phenomenal chairs Amy Nigro Connealy, Meghan Mosley, & Andrea Chamblin – along with team-members Christy Engemann, Jason Mann, Anjana Paul, MBA, Aaron Schlagel, John Schlick, & Sam Schultz – our June task force team addressed the topic of Workforce in KC. Topics included: ◾ What are the key strengths & challenges specific to the KC region as relates to workforce? We heard from Jim Erickson, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, MO; Danielle Hilton, Managing Director of TeamKC: Life+Talent at the Kansas City Area Development Council; & DeLano J. Sheffield, Mdiv., Employee Engagement Manager for Great Jobs KC in a panel moderated by the Kansas City Business Journal’s Stacie Prosser. (Thanks to H&R Block for hosting us at their beautiful HQ!) ◾ How do we address generational differences within & think about the future of the workforce? Molly Weaver, MBA HCS of Sunflower Talent Strategies addressed strategies for industry resilience to cultivate a future-ready workforce. ◾ How do we raise awareness of the training & competitive pay available for jobs in the trades? Bob Kanatzar, Director of Iron Workers Local 10, & The Builders, a chapter of the AGC hosted Centurions for 9 stations of hands-on experience at the Builders Training Center, including welding, rebar-tying, fall protection, & steel erection. ◾ Looking forward to 2025 & beyond, what should employers be thinking about with respect to workforces in Kansas City in particular & across the nation in general? Stacie Engelmann, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, VP of HR Consulting at Lockton, led a panel with Lance Claiborne, President at The Builders, a chapter of the AGC; Teneca Clark, VP of Supply Chain / Manufacturing at Heartland Coca-Cola; Gina Creek, Ed.D., VP & Chief People Officer of the Mid America Region at AdventHealth; & Alan Lowden, Chief Information Officer at H&R Block. ◾How can we cultivate mindfulness in the workplace? Robin Todd M.S. – owner of Mindful Momentum – addressed strategies for cultivating mindfulness & resilience for both individuals & organizations. ◾Finally Centurions heard from Madeline Keller & Troy McKenna at Aramark, Lindsay Baker at Heartland Farms, LLC, Rebeca Swank at Job One, and @Josh Kleyman at Zeta Driving School on strategies their respective organizations employ to attract, retain, & train talent. As always, thanks to our exceptional task force team for crafting an agenda that drove thoughtful discussion throughout the day around key nuances in the KC workforce. #LearnServeLead

Today's #CenturionsSpotlight is Brice Shamberger, a co-chair of the Pinnacle class’s May Task Force - Sports in KC. See what Brice has to say about why he wanted to be part of the Sports in KC Task Force!