Western Kansans among Sunflower Foundation’s newest Fellows

SunflowerFellowsGroup — Back row, from left: Marsh, Lovelady, Mosher, Lakin, Jones, Brady, Pugh and Ponce. Front row, from left: Appelhanz, Stiles, Stottlemire, Willis, Moritz and DeBoer.

The Sunflower Foundation announced in a news release Wednesday the graduation of 14 service leaders from its Advocacy Fellowship program.

The yearlong program helps community and state leaders develop the knowledge and expertise they need to be more powerful voices for the Kansans they serve.

The fellowship class joins 60 previous graduates of the program, which began in 2009.

“We believe that better policy is made when more voices are heard. Nonprofit health and human service leaders are often in the best position to champion those voices, especially for the most vulnerable of our citizens,” said Billie Hall, president and CEO of the Sunflower Foundation. “The Sunflower Advocacy Fellowship helps nonprofit leaders become more effective advocates for the people, causes and communities they serve. The program focuses on the ‘practice of advocacy’ with Fellows learning from some of the most seasoned and successful public policy experts in the country.

“Our goal is to educate and activate a diverse network of community-based advocates who can inform, influence and shape policies that contribute to healthier Kansas communities,” she added.

The Fellowship identifies community leaders from around the state, who then commit to attending six three-day sessions throughout the year. The Fellows learn skills and strategies necessary to participate in the public policy process on the local, state, and national levels.

Sessions include grassroots advocacy, nonprofit lobbying, developing effective messages including storytelling, working with the media, building relationships with elected officials and traveling to Washington. More about the Fellowship at: SunflowerFoundation.org/fellowship.

The 2014 Advocacy Fellows are:
• Christie Appelhanz — VP of Public Affairs, Kansas Action for Children in Topeka
• Bryan Brady — CEO of First Care Clinic in Hays
• Janis DeBoer — Executive Director, Kansas Association of Area Agencies on Aging and
Disabilities in Topeka
• Jerry Jones — Executive Director, Community Health Council of Wyandotte County in
Kansas City
• Scott Lakin — Director, Regional Healthcare Initiative, Mid-America Regional Council in
Kansas City
• Teresa Lovelady — President and CEO, Center for Health and Wellness in Wichita
• Rachel Marsh — Staff Attorney, St. Francis Community Services in Wichita
• Lisa Moritz — Administrator/School Nurse, Greeley County Health Department in
Tribune
• Kathy Mosher — Executive Director, Central Kansas Mental Health Center in Salina
• Michelle Ponce — Executive Director, Kansas Association of Local Health Departments in
Topeka
• Dana Pugh — Medical-Legal Partnership Fellow/Staff Attorney, KU School of Law/KU
Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic in Kansas City
• Robert Stiles — Director of Operations/Clinic Director, Allen and Montgomery County
Clinics, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas in Coffeyville
• Tawny Stottlemire — Executive Director, Community Action, Inc., in Topeka
• Marlene Willis — Statewide Coordinator, Migrant Out-of-School Youth Advocacy
Project, Southeast Kansas Education Service Center at Greenbush in Pittsburg

The mission of the Sunflower Foundation is to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of Kansans, which it supports through a program of grants and related activities. Find details about the foundation’s programs and grants at SunflowerFoundation.org.