Leadership Kansas selects three from city

Three Lawrence residents are among 41 people chosen to be members of the 2008 class for Leadership Kansas.

Charles Branson, Douglas County district attorney; Sharon Spratt, chief executive officer of Cottonwood Inc.; and Keith Yehle, director of federal relations for Kansas University, were chosen from among 150 applicants to take part in the social, business and political development program of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce.

The program offers exposure to the critical issues facing Kansas business and government, and works to inspire participants to maintain involvement in their communities.

Several people working in Topeka also were chosen for this year’s class: Roger Aeschliman, trust officer for CoreFirst Bank & Trust; Charles Banks, state director for USDA Rural Development; Amy Blankenbiller, president and CEO of the Kansas Chamber; Scott Brunner, chief financial officer for the Kansas Health Policy Authority; Steven Cisneros, executive director for the Kansas Hispanic & Latino American Affairs Commission; Shannon Cotsoradis, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Kansas Action for Children; Karen Gehle, CEO of the Kansas Association of Realtors; Donald Grause, plant director for Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc.; Sunee Mickle, director of government relations for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas; and Carol Perry, vice president and chief nursing officer for Stormont-Vail HealthCare.

Also working in the area and chosen to participate: Cynthia Cash, president and CEO of the Kansas City Kansas Chamber of Commerce; David Cook, assistant vice chancellor for external affairs for KU Medical Center; Thomas Gray, an education and training specialist for the U.S. Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth; and Kevin Tubbesing, CEO of Stag Commercial, a real estate broker, developer and property manager in Shawnee.

The class members will be introduced during the program’s Leadership Summit and VIP Alumni Reception, set for May 2 at the Old Town Conference Center in Wichita.