“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” — John Wesley
As we navigate new waters, we remain committed and focused on doing as much good as we can — to continue improving access to care, nurturing health and helping children thrive, and building leadership in our church congregations and their communities.
Though we are already hard at work on our 2025 goals and projects, it’s important to reflect on the past year and celebrate all that we have achieved — the ways we’ve been able to do good and help improve the health of all Kansans. After all, that’s at the center of everything we do.
In 2024, the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund awarded 115 grants, secured $14.4 million in federal grant money for Kansas, launched and released 14 podcast episodes and participated and/or organized 19 educational webinars, trainings, regional and national presentations. We also surpassed $80 million in grants awarded since our inception in 1986.
Learn more about these efforts in our 2024 Year in Review.
Partnered with the Kansas Health Institute to develop a research brief exploring community paramedicine as an emerging model of care.
Alongside Health Forward Foundation, the community health worker (CHW) coalition and partners, we successfully advocated for an increased reimbursement rate for CHWs.
Partnered with the University of Kansas Medical Center and other funders and groups to develop a documentary highlighting the profound impact of CHWs on individuals, families and communities in Kansas.
Partnered with Kansas Health Institute to research how an expanded care team could increase access to health care while leveraging the skills, knowledge and expertise of existing health care professionals.
Launched a new podcast series, “Pioneers in Health,” where Health Fund President and CEO David Jordan interviews pioneering leaders in health care who provide insights from a local, regional and national perspective.
Helped Thrive Allen County receive federal funding for its Navigator program, which provides free assistance to people exploring health insurance through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace.
Continued efforts to expand and improve Medicaid in Kansas.
THRIVING CHILDREN
Invested in advocacy and grantmaking efforts to support the doula profession, including providing funding to help train 200 new doulas.
Successfully advocated for multiple key early childhood initiatives.
Supported Kansas Appleseed in its successful advocacy efforts to defeat a bill that would have eliminated the Summer EBT program in Kansas, which helps families purchase groceries during the summertime.
Supported multiple research efforts to support early childhood development, including infant and early childhood mental health, the state’s child care subsidy system and a home-visiting program.
Congress recently passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which was signed into law July 4 by President Trump. This bill will cut an estimated $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and $1 trillion from Medicaid, as well as make it harder and less affordable to enroll in health plans through the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
Currently, more than 24 million Americans receive their health coverage through Marketplace plans. In Kansas, more than 200,000 people receive their health insurance through this program. In 45 Kansas counties, at least 7% of Kansans are enrolled in Marketplace coverage. And, many counties with the highest Marketplace enrollment are in rural areas.
To help people afford plans in the Marketplace, the federal government provides low- and middle-income individuals with premium tax credits. In 2021, Congress enhanced the tax credits to make them available to even more people. Authorized originally by the American Rescue Plan Act, the enhanced premium tax credits were later extended by the Inflation Reduction Act through 2025. These changes made Marketplace plans more affordable and led to double the enrollment from 2021 to 2025.
However, provisions in OBBBA will make it harder for individuals to enroll or re-enroll in subsidized coverage through the Marketplace. Most provisions begin in the 2026 plan year. And, unless Congress acts, the enhanced premium tax credits will expire at the end of 2025. That will lead to higher costs for Marketplace enrollees and an increase in uninsured Kansans.
This comes as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule in June 2025 that restricts eligibility, reduces benefits and adds new paperwork requirements — all of which take effect in 2025 and 2026. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Marketplace enrollment is expected to decline significantly due to OBBBA and other federal policy decisions. At the same time, steep cuts to a critical federal program that helps people navigate and enroll in Marketplace coverage will make it even harder for people to get insured.
We recently released a research brief that highlights how these changes will impact access to Marketplace health insurance in Kansas.
Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.
In episode 32, we interview Mark McCormick, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning journalist, advocate and consultant.
Mark, a Wichita native, most recently served as the first-ever executive director of the Kansas Black Leadership Council (KBLC) in 2024-25. The statewide organization was established in 2015 to advance meaningful change for Black or African Americans living in Kansas. KBLC works to empower Black communities through civic engagement, leadership development and community advocacy.
Prior to KBLC, Mark spent two years at the ACLU of Kansas as deputy director of strategic affairs and as communications director and nine years as the CEO of The Kansas African American Museum. He also served as director of communications for the Kansas Leadership Center and worked as a writer for The Wichita Eagle and the Louisville Courier-Journal.
In this episode, he discusses his journey into storytelling. He also talks about how much journalism has changed since he began his career. He discusses how society used to operate from a shared truth, but how over time, different news outlets created different truths and society became segmented.
“We really need a shared reality that we’ve all bought into,” he said. “And it’s one of the things that I would like to see happen in journalism, and it’s one of the things that from now until I’m no longer writing, I’ll be advocating for some kind of shared experience, because it’ll be hard to manage our democracy without that shared experience and those shared ideas.”
He also discusses:
How a lack of health care access impacts communities
What led him back to Wichita after moving away earlier in his career
Friendship and how that led to breaking the news of Barry Sanders’ retirement
His experience at the Kansas African-American Museum
His current book project
The need for storytelling to open people’s hearts
What gives him hope
And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Mark is an innovative leader in Kansas.
Listen now
Listen below or on any of your favorite podcast services. Like and subscribe to stay up-to-date with each new episode!
Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.
New survey: Kansans across party lines voice strong support for programs that help children, families
Hutchinson, KS – A new study found that Kansans feel the current economy is unfriendly to families raising young children, and they support programs that help them thrive. In fact, most families surveyed as part of the study said government was doing too little to help families with young children.
The study was conducted by PerryUndem, a nonpartisan research firm, to better understand Kansans’ feelings and experiences around raising young children today, including opinions on programs designed to help children and families.
The research was commissioned by the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund and four other independent foundations that focus on improving the lives of children and families. The Health Fund wanted to gain deeper insights into families’ current pain points and beliefs.
PerryUndem conducted its research in June and July 2025, which included focus groups and a survey. The survey was conducted across Kansas and nationally, as well.
The study found many Kansas families feel intense economic stress right now and that young families are under even more pressure. There was bipartisan support for government programs like Head Start, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and WIC that help families meet basic needs.
“While Kansans are independent and do not like to turn to government for help, and many have concerns about waste and abuse in programs, they simultaneously see a need for investing in government programs right now,” said Mike Perry, partner at PerryUndem. “They know firsthand these are challenging economic times and that many families with young children need help through no fault of their own.”
These findings come at a time when Kansas and other states must begin addressing the impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was passed in July and will reduce federal funding for Medicaid and SNAP by more than $1 trillion. In Kansas, the survey found only 7% of families support decreasing funding for Medicaid, and 16% or fewer support cuts to any of these support programs. The majority of those surveyed said they wanted to instead increase spending on all of these programs that help families raising young children.
The Kansas data was derived as part of an over sample of a national poll. Additional key findings from the study for both Kansas and nationally include:
84% of Kansans (86% nationally) feel the economy is making life harder for families raising young children, and 77% of Kansans (73% nationally) believe families with young children are struggling a lot with everyday costs.
70% of Kansans (68% nationally) believe the government should help families with young children when they are struggling, including child care, health care, nutrition and preschool.
54% of Kansans (49% nationally) want to see increased funding for Head Start, which promotes school readiness for children who are low income and under 5 years old.
63% of Kansans (53% nationally) want to see increased funding for Medicaid, a public health insurance program for low-income parents, seniors and people with disabilities.
Most feel government is doing too little to help (69% Kansans and 62% nationally) and oppose the funding cuts to health care and food assistance included in the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will cut more than $1 trillion from public health care and food assistance (70% Kansans and 63% nationally).
64% of Kansans (58% nationally) feel the country is headed in the wrong direction, and most believe the economy will worsen in the next 12 months (60% Kansans and 53% nationally).
Finding affordable, quality child care is difficult, forcing families to make hard choices about whether they should continue working or stay home with their children.
86% of Kansans (82% nationally) believe it should be easier for families raising young children to enroll in government programs when they need help, not putting barriers in their way to make it harder.
The cost of health care is a top concern (90% of Kansans and 85% nationally), followed by the cost of living (89% Kansans and 89% nationally) and the cost of food (85% of Kansans and 87% nationally).
87% of Kansans (86% nationally) support paid leave for parents to care for and bond with a new child.
Most are concerned about waste and abuse in government programs (72% of Kansans and 75% nationally), but most also believe some politicians exaggerate the abuse of these programs as a reason to cut funding (75% of Kansans and 65% nationally).
“Both nationally and in Kansas, there is strong agreement that we should be doing more to help families in this economy, not make life harder or put barriers in their way,” said David Jordan, president and CEO at the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund.
Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.
In episode 31, we interview Mike Perry, partner and co-founder at the public opinion research firm PerryUndem.
Before co-founding PerryUndem in 2013, Mike was a partner for 16 years at the national polling firm Lake Research Partners.
Through public opinion research, Mike works to bring the voice of those most affected by today’s issues into the policymaking process. He works mainly with nonprofit organizations and foundations and has briefed members of Congress, White House officials, state-elected officials, journalists, activists and others on his findings.
He works on a wide variety of social issues but specializes in health care research. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Southern California.
In this episode, he discusses how he found his way into public opinion research, including how growing up with a father who was a family physician helped inspire his later concentration on health care issues.
He said he was unfocused in college but graduated with an English degree and then pursued a graduate degree in international relations. Upon graduation, he returned to his hometown of Washington, D.C., assuming he would find a job doing something international. However, he needed money and the first job he accepted happened to be in public policy research.
“I stumbled into this career and found out I loved it,” he said. “I love doing focus groups, I love doing surveys, I love asking people about their lives, so it all really started there.”
He discusses how over the course of his career he has seen the public opinion on health care evolve to become more divided. He said it’s become politicized, especially after the Affordable Care Act was created and became targeted by politicians. The collective approach that had existed to health care was torn apart, he said.
“It’s sort of been hard to get us back to that place of common ground on health care,” he said.
He discusses establishing his own public research firm and why they intentionally created it — and maintain it — as a nonpartisan organization.
He also shares findings from recent research he conducted in Kansas and nationally that reveals what is most challenging to families raising young children right now. Child care is expensive and families are facing tough choices, he said, including whether to even have children or whether they can continue working while raising them.
“Life is just really hard right now for a lot of families,” he said.
He also discusses:
How he’s focusing on helping inform state-based solutions right now and less on federal
How health is broader than health care and what he’s learned through focus groups
How polling shows Americans are concerned about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act removing access to food and health insurance
The importance of educating people about the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
How messaging on topics may change, but how underlying values often remain the same
Work requirements for Medicaid and what he hears in focus groups
How a fractured media environment is impacting discussion on health care topics
Mixing people from different political backgrounds in focus groups and how that can lead to finding more common ground
The need for plain language and less jargon when discussing ideas
And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Mike is an innovative leader in health care research.
Listen now
Listen below or on any of your favorite podcast services. Like and subscribe to stay up-to-date with each new episode!
Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.
Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.
In episode 30, we interview Karen Weis, PhD, RNC-OB, FAAN. She is a decorated U.S. Air Force veteran and noted researcher who serves as a nursing professor and dean of the KU Medical Center’s School of Nursing-Salina Campus. She also serves as the associate director of research for the Kansas Center for Rural Health and holds the Christine A. Hartley Rural Health Nursing Professorship.
In this episode, Karen discusses growing up on a farm in Kansas before graduating from nursing school and joining the Air Force for 30 years. She was assigned to work in obstetrics at a very rural hospital in Oklahoma.
“I never imagined in 100 years that the Air Force would tell me they wanted me to work in obstetrics. I hated OB in nursing school,” she said.
However, through that assignment, she learned how to become an OB nurse and went on to lead some of the U.S. Department of Defense’s largest maternal child units — running both inpatient and outpatient at various locations. She also served six deployments during that time and even served as a flight nurse during her military career, in addition to providing high-risk critical care obstetrics.
She was then provided with the opportunity to return to her hometown of Salina to work for KU Medical Center’s School of Nursing-Salina Campus, which is focused on rural health.
“It’s just been a great, great relocation for me,” she said. “The stars aligned, and it couldn’t be better.”
She discusses her role and efforts the School of Nursing-Salina Campus is taking to educate and address a variety of rural health issues, including workforce development and how to sustain rural maternal health care access.
She recently completed a research report documenting the availability of maternity care across Kansas, which was conducted in partnership with the Health Fund. The most surprising finding, she said, busted a myth that there are no young people in rural communities.
“This myth that there is no need for obstetrical services in these rural, frontier communities because there is nobody of reproductive age, that couldn’t be further from the truth, actually,” she said.
One of the most important findings, she said, was that Wallace and Grant counties had the largest ratio of reproductive-aged women to live births — both of which are in far western Kansas without any inpatient services available.
She also discussed other findings from the report, including the distances to different services.
“There is a big swath of Kansas that the individuals are traveling 30-60 miles to get inpatient delivery services, and that’s a long ways on unpaved, gravel roads, non-highway or not interstate,” she said. “That doesn’t sound like much when you’re going down the interstate, but that’s a lot on country roads.”
She also discusses:
Her experience working as a nurse in the military
The path that led to pursuing her masters and PhD while serving in the Air Force
An intervention she developed called “Mentors Offering Maternal Support” to reduce pregnancy-specific anxiety and support healthy birth outcomes
Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.
In episode 29, we interview Johnathan Sublet, founder and executive director at SENT Topeka. SENT Topeka is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering holistic community development in Shawnee County. It was established in 2018, and his team has worked tirelessly to address pressing issues facing the community, ranging from education and business development to safe housing and mental health services. He also serves as the lead servant pastor at Fellowship Hi-Crest Church.
In this episode, Johnathan discusses the organization he founded and the journey his life has taken.
He discusses his childhood and how that influenced his later path in life. He grew up one of three children in an under-resourced community in Texas with a single mother. She worked long hours as a grocery-store clerk until receiving her GED when Johnathan was in sixth grade. She was then able to obtain a Nurse Aid Certificate, and their life improved some until she became disabled and life became more challenging again.
“It was really both school and church that were my way out of my neighborhood,” he said. “I grew up around a lot of violence. A lot of my friends died. I think out of my sixth-grade class, me and maybe one of my friends were maybe the only two males that don’t have a criminal history if that tells you anything.”
He considers himself fortunate that he was able to graduate from high school and then pursued a chemical engineering degree at the University of Tulsa. On his first day of his new job as a chemical engineer, he was invited to a Bible study. That led to him taking a free course to study the Bible, and he fell in love. He dove deep into church involvement, serving in any capacity he could. The church members became his family, teaching him life skills and offering support and celebration of achievements.
“It was so much a part of my life that engineering was a barrier to me doing more, and then I raised missionary support and walked away from my engineering career,” Johnathan said.
He shares how that decision changed the trajectory of his life and how he ultimately ended up founding SENT Topeka, which provides a broad range of support and action to improve the social determinants of health in Shawnee County. He also discusses how he intentionally founded the organization as a non-religious, non-profit.
“We don’t have to put Christian on the front of things in order to live out what’s at our core,” he said.
He also discusses:
Challenges he’s faced during his life and career
What led him to ministry and attending the Dallas Theological Seminary
How he landed in Topeka
Why he founded SENT Topeka and its mission and work
How his faith guides him
How his organization helps connect people to health care, housing and food assistance and more
Efforts to develop affordable housing
How his background in chemical engineering still helps him today
What gives him hope
And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Johnathan is an innovative leader in health care.
Listen now
Listen below or on any of your favorite podcast services. Like and subscribe to stay up-to-date with each new episode!
Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.
Contacts: David Jordan, president and CEO, United Methodist Health Ministry Fund 508-246-6825 | david@healthfund.org
Brenda Sharpe, president and CEO, REACH Healthcare Foundation 913-322-6025 | brenda@reachhealth.org
Updated modeling report: Kansas to lose $3.9 billion in Medicaid funding under One Big Beautiful Bill, hospitals to lose $2.7 billion
Congress recently passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law July 4 by President Trump. This bill will cut an estimated $1 trillion from Medicaid and $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), removing health care and food assistance from millions of Americans. It will impact children, seniors and people with disabilities.
To better understand the impact on access to health care, the Kansas-based philanthropies United Methodist Health Ministry Fund and REACH Healthcare Foundation partnered with Manatt Health to model the impact this bill will have on Kansas’ Medicaid system over the next 10 years.
Using its Medicaid Financing model, Manatt analyzed how this bill will impact Kansas’ funding for its Medicaid program, called KanCare, and enrollment in the program. Of note, these estimates are understated. Manatt’s Medicaid Financing model estimates state impacts based on most of the key Medicaid provisions included in bill, including the impact of work requirements, six-month renewals, new restrictions on provider taxes and State Directed Payments (SDPs) for hospitals, and repeal of certain Medicaid eligibility simplifications.
Manatt’s estimates do not reflect the impact of changes to provider taxes and SDPs for providers other than hospitals, nor do they address changes to standards designed to ensure that provider taxes are “generally redistributive.”
The final bill included a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, a relief fund created to help address the financial challenges for struggling rural health care providers. It will provide up to an estimated $811 million to Kansas to help offset funding losses due to the bill. However, that will not cover the complete funding gap created by the legislation.
The Health Fund and REACH conducted a webinar on July 31 to share more information with fellow health advocates about the final modeling results. The slides from the presentation are available below, and the recording from the webinar will be added as soon as possible after the presentation.
Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.
In episode 28, we interview Dr. Beth Oller. She is a family medicine physician at Rooks County Health Center in Plainville, Kansas.
She graduated from Wesley Family Medicine Residency in Wichita and has clinical interests in maternal and child care, quality improvement, and rural medicine/access to care.
In this episode, Dr. Oller discusses how a love of science turned into a career in health care. Her journey began in nursing before deciding she wanted to go to medical school after working alongside physicians.
“I saw how many patients were ending up in the hospital or in the ER because they didn’t have a medical home. They didn’t have a primary provider who was keeping track of the specialists they were going to and the medications they were on or preventive care was getting missed or dropped,” she said. “So I really had an interest in what could I do to become that kind of provider.”
While working full-time, she returned to school to complete physics and organic chemistry before taking the MCAT. She decided if she got accepted into medical school, then she would go for it.
“I got into the University of Kansas for medical school, and knew from the time I started that primary care would be my direction,” she said. “But I did not expect rural primary care.”
She didn’t grow up in a rural area and had never been exposed to rural life. However, she loved the opportunity rural health provided to serve patients in a broader way.
Since then, she has become a prominent voice and advocate for rural health care in Kansas and even nationally.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be able to serve the patients I serve — to have their trust,” she said, “but also to advocate for them on both a state and national platform, so that those who don’t feel like they have a voice can know that there are those of us who will continue to speak for them.”
She also discusses:
Her passion for family medicine and rural health
The role family physicians play in maternal health care in rural areas
Ideas on how to address maternity care deserts
How she became involved with advocacy and her advocacy efforts in a variety of areas
Challenges facing rural health care providers
How cuts in Medicaid will impact rural health care and the cost of health care in general
Why reimbursement dollars are important and what they cover
Why many physicians pursue specialties instead of primary care
How building an expanded care team is especially important in rural communities
What gives her hope right now
And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Dr. Oller has been an innovative leader in health care in Kansas.
Listen now
Listen below or on any of your favorite podcast services. Like and subscribe to stay up-to-date with each new episode!
Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.
Matthew L. Penner is a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker (LSCSW) and a Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor (LCAC). Matthew is the owner of Penner Counseling Services, LLC. He provides outpatient mental health services and consultation focusing on child, adolescent, adult and family therapy interventions.
Matthew is endorsed by the Kansas Association of Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health (KAIMH) as an Infant Family Associate, IMH-E (I). Matthew has completed advanced training in Autism and trauma. He specializes in childhood-onset disorders, including ADHD, Autism, anxiety, mood, trauma and behavioral disorders. Matthew has worked in residential treatment centers, therapeutic group homes, medical facilities and community mental health centers. Matthew has facilitated trainings for professionals and community members related to crisis intervention, childhood mental health, self-regulation and cultural diversity.
In addition, Matthew has served in leadership roles within his local church at Trinity United Methodist Church. Leadership roles include serving on the Staff Parish Relations and Nomination Committees, youth mentoring, and Praise and Worship Team. Matthew has also previously served the following community organizations in a leadership capacity as a volunteer: Hutchinson Community Foundation, Reno County Area Transit, Reno County Mental Health Task Force and the K-Ready/Early Childhood Council.
Ashley Hutchinson
Ashley McMillan Hutchinson is the executive director of governmental affairs and marketing at Salina Regional Health Center.
With a bachelor’s degree in political science from Washburn University, Ashley began her journey in the political arena over two decades ago. She worked in an official or campaign capacity for several Kansas leaders, including Kansas Senate President Steve Morris, Senator Pat Roberts, and Governor Sam Brownback. Ashley also served as executive director of the Kansas Republican Party.
Ashley has spent many years in community development in north-central Kansas and committed much of her time as a board member for her local critical access hospital in Concordia.
Ashley’s dedication to advancing healthcare accessibility and quality led her to transition into the healthcare sector. In 2021, she joined Salina Regional Health Center, where she now serves as the executive director of governmental affairs and marketing. There, she spearheads efforts to navigate the complex intersection of healthcare, public relations, governmental relations and payer relations.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Ashley remains deeply engaged in her community. She is serving her second term as city commissioner in her hometown of Concordia and has recently teamed up with other community leaders to start a nonprofit advancing Concordia’s community needs. Ashley and her husband Brandt are fifth- and fourth-generation Cloud County citizens and enjoy raising their sons Hobbs, Henry and Hershel close to her family farm.
Scott Kedrowski
Scott Kedrowski serves as the dean of advancement and alumni relations at Garden City Community College (GCCC) in Garden City, Kansas. With more than 31 years in education, Scott has held roles ranging from adaptive physical education instructor to building principal and special education director, shaping his deep commitment to equity, access and student success across all ages and abilities.
In his current role, Scott leads GCCC’s fundraising, alumni relations and community engagement strategies. He has played a key role in securing support for transformative campus projects, including the new Construction and Electrical Technology Center, which will provide immersive, hands-on learning environments to train students in both foundational and advanced construction and electrical skills. He also helped secure funding for a remodeled “front door” to the Garden City Career Connection Academy — a separate facility located on campus that offers adult basic education, GED preparation, ESL instruction and job-readiness training.
Together, these two facilities form a dual-entry pathway aimed at addressing health inequities and economic disparities through accessible education, workforce training and community-based support. Each serves as a point of entry for individuals who have faced traditional educational barriers, reinforcing GCCC’s mission to serve the whole community. Both projects are strategically designed to meet the workforce and economic development needs of southwest Kansas.
Scott also serves in a leadership capacity with the Garden City Community College Endowment Association, a nonprofit focused on reducing barriers to higher education. Under his leadership, the association has expanded its impact through increased scholarship funding, strategic partnerships and community engagement efforts that directly support student success.
Deeply committed to health and wellness in his community, Scott serves as vice president of the Finney County Health Coalition, where he works alongside local partners to improve public health outcomes, especially in rural and underserved populations.
Beth Ludlum
The Rev. Dr. Beth Ludlum serves as vice president for strategic initiatives and executive director of The Hub for (Re)Imagining Ministry at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Her vocation has led her through a U.S. senator’s office, a global UMC agency, a national nonprofit and a local church.
At Wesley Theological Seminary, she has completed both a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry degree, the latter focused on the applications of human-centered design thinking for congregational flourishing. At Wesley, she creates new initiatives, partnerships and experiments to help students and the church live into God’s dream for the world; has launched and manages several programs focused on innovation with emerging generations and congregational thriving; and oversees strategic planning and marketing.
After living in Washington, D.C., for more than 20 years, she recently returned home to Kansas. In her spare time, she spends as much time as possible hiking, biking and laughing with her family.
Jerry Williams
Jerry Williams is a retired T-Mobile executive with over 30 years of experience in business/consumer care (outsourcing), solutions engineering, technical service assurance and finance (collections).
Since retiring from T-Mobile, he has become an elected official with the City of Fairway and is chairing the board of The Ewing Marion Kauffman School. Other nonprofit board memberships include Swope Health, the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, The Menorah Heritage Foundation and The Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey.
David Foster
David Foster is in his 28th year as an employee of the YMCA. He began his YMCA career with the YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City in 1997 and has had the opportunity to serve in a variety of leadership positions at YMCAs in Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas and Kansas. He has been the branch director of the Hutchinson YMCA since May 10, 2022.
David is involved in his local community, having served in local Rotary Clubs, Chamber of Commerce boards, and various other leadership capacities. He is currently a member of the Hutchinson Rotary Club, the Hutchinson High School Booster Club and most recently joined the Investment Committee for the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. Additionally, he has spoken at national YMCA conferences on a variety of topics, including board and volunteer development and community partnerships.
David is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma and completed coursework toward a master’s degree in sports administration at Oklahoma State University. He is married to Ali, and they have a 17-year-old daughter, Audrey, who attends Hutchinson High School and is a member of the varsity cheer team. In his free time, David enjoys spending time with family, golfing, playing pickleball and watching a variety of sporting events.
