Women's Leadership Summit - March 1-2, 2023; Drury Plaza Hotel Broadvies; Wichita, KS

On June 11, Ayanna Hensley of Dodge City, Kansas, a 2022 graduate of Fort Hays State University majoring in Biology with a minor in English, was crowned Miss Kansas 2022. This involvement and accomplishment resulted in Ayanna being awarded nearly $15,000 in cash scholarships through the Miss Kansas competitions to apply toward her education.

As Miss Kansas, Ayanna will make over 400 appearances during her year-of-service, many of them motivational presentations to students in Kansas schools. Ayanna’s social impact initiative is ACEs Low: Overcoming Adverse Childhood Experiences. Her focus for this initiative is to help promote an ideology centered on assisting youth ‘digest’ and overcome their adversity. Most traumatic situations a child faces will correlate to lifelong problems. As an individual directly affected by severe trauma, Ayanna knows what a child needs to overcome their realities and to break their generational cycles.

Throughout her year-of-service, Ayanna will work to connect her social impact initiative with the Miss America and Miss Kansas Organizations. She will serve as an ambassador, representing the organization across the State of Kansas.

Ayanna will represent Kansas at the 2022 Miss America Competition at the Mohegan Sun Resort in Uncasville, Connecticut, later this year. She will perform a modern dance for her talent and compete with 50 other young women from across the nation for the title of Miss America 2023.

Miss Kansas travels throughout the state working closely with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kansas, and with the Kansas Department of Transportation – Traffic Safety Office providing education, establishing relationships, and learning more about individuals of all ages for whom she will advocate during her year as Miss Kansas.

Melissa Rooker was named Executive Director of the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund in February of 2019. Before joining the Cabinet, Melissa served three terms in the Kansas House of Representatives, representing House District 25 between 2012 and 2018. Her work in the legislature focused on children’s issues and public education. Melissa recognized that high quality early childhood interventions led to student success and made funding those programs her priority. She played a lead role in drafting a new school finance formula for K-12 public education that includes an expansion of the preschool at-risk program and full funding for all-day kindergarten.

Prior to running for office, Melissa spent 15 years as a development executive at Clint Eastwood’s Malpaso Productions. She retired in 2001 to raise her kids. Over the years, Melissa served in a variety of leadership positions with local, regional and state PTA in Kansas, and as a legislator served on the Johnson County Education Research Triangle Authority Board, Shawnee Indian Mission Advisory Board and the Kansas Forestry Service Advisory Council.

In 1986, Melissa graduated from the University of Kansas with a BFA in Art History. She and her husband Tom make their home in Fairway. They have two adult children, and one grandson.

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

10:30 a.m. - Registration Opens/Visit Vendors

11:30a.m.-12:00p.m. - Lunch and Welcome

12:00-1:15 p.m. - Opening Keynote - Miss Kansas Ayanna Hensley

1:30-2:30 p.m. - Breakout Session 1

2:30-2:45 p.m. - Break/Visit Vendors

2:45-3:45 p.m. - Breakout Session 2

3:45-4:30 p.m. - Visit Vendors

4:30-5:30 p.m. - Happy Hour and Networking

Thursday, March 2, 2023

8:00 a.m. - Breakfast in Hotel Common Area

9:00-9:50 a.m. - Breakout Session 3

10:00-10:50 a.m. - Breakout Session 4

11:00-11:50 a.m. - Breakout Session 5 (Job-Alike Sessions)

12:00 p.m. - Lunch

12:15-1:15 p.m. - Closing Keynote - Melissa Rooker

1:15-1:30 p.m. - Closing Remarks and Prize Drawings

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

1:30-2:30 p.m. - Breakout Session 1

Carrie Mugridge - Women in Educational Leadership
Elizabeth Gunn - Hop On the Track to Success! Taking the Individual Plan of Study Model to the Next Level!
Lena Kisner - Tearing Down the Silos: Collaborative Programming and Resource Sharing to Improve Prosocial Skills in Elementary Students
Annie Diederich - 50 Years of Title IX and its Impact on Women Athletic Administrators
Dr. Kristy Custer - I Quit. Burnout and the Great Educator Exodus
Kristin Magette & Jennifer Camien -
Wish You Were Here: Recovering Lost Enrollment

2:45-3:45 p.m. - Breakout Session 2

Dr. Melia Stockham - Fitting It All In: Productivity for the Busiest Leaders
Cindy Yulich - Creating Opportunities for Young Women
Lena Kisner - Preschool inclusion: What is it, how is Kansas doing, and why it matters
Darla Fisher - Coaching? But I Don't Look Good in Shorts...
Kristen Bogner - NASSP - Social Storytelling:
How Social Media Can Transform Conversations about Your School
Lori Blake - No need for Roulette: Leading Boards as Trustworthy Teams

Thursday, March 2, 2023

9:00-9:50 a.m. - Breakout Session 3

Stacey Green - Lead AND Have a Life!
Amy Dopps - Executive Presence Bootcamp
Dr. Crista Grimwood - Q&A Session With KSDE Dispute Resolution Coordinator: Understanding the Process of Formal Complaint Mediation Requests and Due Process
Emily Riner - Talk Right: How to Hold Crucial Conversations and Give Masterful Feedback
Angela Ford - Which KPERS Pension Option Is Right For Me?

10:00-10:50 a.m. - Breakout Session 4

Nikki Heiman - What's Holding us Back? A look at the research.
Cris Seidel - Lion's and Tigers and Vacancies - Oh My!
Mischel Miller - Leading in Kansas - Women Building Strong Relationships!
Dr. Janet Doud - Courageous Conversations
Alma Henry - Women in STEM

11:00-11:50 a.m. - Breakout Session 5 (Job-Alike Sessions)

Building Level Leaders
District Level Leaders
School Board Members
Special Education