Audé Negrete, Executive Director, Kansas Latino Community Network

Audé Negrete serves as the executive director of the Kansas Latino Community Network, an organization that works to improve health equity by empowering Latinos through nonpartisan civic engagement, leadership development and coalition building.

Audé’s passion for civic engagement began at her grandmother’s kitchen table when she was 7 years old. The moment Audé learned to read, her grandmother started asking her to read the newspaper every Sunday while cooking and eating breakfast. Current events, politics and even sad news articles were part of her weekend routine with her grandmother, where she began to understand the importance of civic engagement and how it impacts our communities.

She has carried that passion throughout her career, first interning in college for the Honorable Delia Garcia at the Kansas State House in 2007. She helped promote Latino civic engagement, assisted with policy at the Kansas Legislature and helped with Latina Leadership events at the Capitol.

After graduating from college, she began working in political campaigns in Kansas. She even went on to serve as the Kansas state director for a presidential campaign, where she led statewide campaign operations and achieved significant success through strategic planning and effective team management.

In between her roles on political campaigns, she gained experience as a community organizer, working for CASA de Maryland. She recruited and trained volunteers, as well as advanced community advocacy efforts.

​Upon leaving campaign work, Audé began a position at El Centro Inc., where she expanded office operations, developed outreach programs and managed volunteers.

She then joined the private sector, where she managed a bilingual team providing online content and online marketing services to Latino businesses.

​She then became executive director of the Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission, serving as a vital liaison between the Hispanic community and the governor’s office. They addressed health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and implemented culturally relevant programs. She then served as a community partnerships and engagement consultant at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, enhancing community-led health initiatives before launching the Kansas Latino Community Network.

Mike Matson is a lifelong Kansan whose career has touched various aspects of communications: radio and TV news, press secretary to a governor, systems advocacy, newspaper columnist, deejay and podcast/radio talk show host.

He also has authored two books that center on alcoholism – one a family memoir of growing up in an alcoholic home and one about his own story of addiction.

In this episode, he discusses his journey into broadcasting and the various paths his career has taken – including as the press secretary for former Kansas Gov. Bill Graves.

Today, he is semi-retired but hosts a live daily radio talk show/podcast created to foster critical thinking and writes a column for his local newspaper, The Manhattan Mercury.

Haley Kottler serves as the thriving and integrated voter engagement director at Kansas Appleseed.

Haley, a proud Kansas native born in Wichita, oversees Kansas Appleseed’s anti-hunger advocacy and economic justice work across the state.

She engages with Kansans in anti-hunger advocacy, leading grassroots campaigns and making the case for change through policy and legislative action. Her fight for justice is rooted in a devotion to equity and fairness for all.

In this episode, she discusses what food insecurity means and food-assistance programs that are available.

She highlights the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, and how it’s the most effective way to address food insecurity in Kansas and across the country.

She shares how current proposed legislation poses substantial threats to the program and could terminate benefits for millions of people and further strain state budgets.

Listen now, and learn more about Haley’s journey into advocacy and her efforts to improve access to food for Kansas families.

Pioneers in Health Episode 24, May 22, 2025 – Becca Graves, Executive Director, Perigee
Fund
Becca Graves serves as the executive director of the Perigee Fund based in Seattle,
Washington.
The Perigee Fund is a philanthropy deeply committed to equity and compelled by the urgent
need to increase support for families impacted by trauma. It invests in systems change to
ensure that during pregnancy and early childhood, more families receive healing programs,
services and resources that protect and nurture their unfolding relationships
Prior to Perigee Fund, Becca spent more than 15 years at FSG, a global nonprofit consulting
firm that partners with foundations and corporations to create equitable systems change. There,
she served as a managing director focused on community-driven philanthropy and the design of
social change initiatives.
She also has experience working within grassroots social justice organizations and serving as a
consultant to advance the growth and sustainability of large social-sector organizations,
corporations and public-sector entities.

Pioneers in Health Episode 23, May 8, 2025 – Brenda Sharpe, President & CEO, REACH Healthcare Foundation

Brenda Sharpe has more than 30 years of experience in the nonprofit sector and has served as President and CEO of the REACH Healthcare Foundation since 2004. As the Foundation’s first CEO, she helped define the organization’s grantmaking priorities and processes and established an effective governance structure. Brenda’s extensive experience allows her to leverage her skills to strengthen the leadership and governance capacity of organizations, institutions, and systems to support resilient people and communities. Since 2005, REACH has awarded a total of $83.5M to bridge the health insurance coverage divide, close the health equity gap, and strengthen the region’s health and human services safety net.

Brenda’s unwavering commitment to the community is most evident in her tireless efforts to ensure all individuals have access to affordable and equitable healthcare services. This dedication has led her to take on key roles supporting Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s efforts to expand Medicaid in that state, as well as supporting its implementation in Missouri. Brenda serves as an appointee to the Kansas State Board of Nursing, charged with assuring safe and competent practice by the state’s 70,000+ nurses and mental health practitioners. Over the course of her career, she has accepted numerous state and local appointments and served on national and local Boards, including Grantmakers in Health, MOSAIC Life Care, and the United Way.

Brenda’s recent appointment to the Kansas City Federal Reserve Community Development Advisory Council is a testament to her ongoing commitment to equitable growth and development opportunities for marginalized communities. In this role, she provides insights into the economic development challenges faced by low- to moderate-income communities. She also remains active in civic life, serving as a Trustee with both the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the Johnson County Community College Foundation. In 2021, at the height of the pandemic, Brenda was appointed to the Johnson County, KS, Charter Commission, tasked with reviewing and making recommendations to voters on county government operations once a decade.

Brenda is most proud of her high-performing team of diverse professionals and thought leaders who provide best practice stewardship of the foundation’s approximately $150 million in assets. She credits this currently all-woman staff and a talented and passionate Board of Directors with making REACH a great place to work and knowing that their collective work makes a difference. Together, they are on a mission to create more just and equitable systems of healthcare for all people.

Pioneers in Health Episode 22, April 24, 2025 – Ton Mirás Neira, Community Health Worker Project Manager, Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE), Department of Family Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center.

Antonio (Ton) Mirás Neira was born and raised in Galicia, Spain. He studied sign language interpretation at the Universidade de Vigo and graduated with a specialized degree in the psychosociology of the Deaf community and interpretation for the Deaf-Blind. He worked actively as an interpreter with the Deaf and Deaf-Blind community and became an official sign-language interpreter for the Spanish Parliament. He taught non-verbal communication and body expression at the University of Vigo, in collaboration with the university's Dramatic Arts department.

In 2012, Mirás Neira moved to the U.S. and began working as a Community Health Worker (CHW) with KC CARE Health Center. His enterprising work with patients in the emergency room at University of Kansas Hospital earned him the honor of KC CARE Health Center’s Employee of the Year for 2015.

Since 2016, he has been supervising a team of CHWs whose focus has been to assist the underserved population in Wyandotte County by empowering patients to get access to care and to address social needs among the African American, Refugee and Latino communities.

Mirás Neira has been the Co-Chair of the Kansas Community Health Worker Coalition for three years, empowering other CHWs across Kansas, promoting education for CHWs and networking with different programs within the state.

Currently, he is the Project Manager of the COPE project at The University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) and is currently managing 60 CHWs in 20 different counties throughout Kansas to address clients’ social determinants of health. Mirás Neira has developed and taught CHW and Supervisory training for his employees and co-designed a tailored database for CHWs to capture their outcomes and successes.

Pioneers in Health Episode 21, April 10, 2025 – Julie Lorenz, Senior Managing Consultant, 1898 & Co.

After leading the Kansas Department of Transportation for four years, Julie joined 1898 & Co., the business and technology consulting arm of Burns & McDonnell, where she serves as a senior managing consultant. With more than 25 years of experience, she’s known as a national leader in policy development, collaboration and implementing vision initiatives.

Julie was appointed Secretary of KDOT and Director of the Kansas Turnpike Authority in January 2019. While at KDOT, she spearheaded the development and passage of the $10 billion Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program and led the Kansas Recovery Office, responsible for administering over $1 billion in CARES Act COVID-19 relief funding in six months. She was honored to receive the George S. Bartlett Award for leading development of a national vision for transportation for state DOTs, which was unanimously approved by all 52 state and territory departments of transportation in October 2022.

Julie was appointed as a Commissioner for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, representing Johnson County, Kansas in 2024. She received a 2024 Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) Regional Leadership Award for “exemplary leadership at KDOT, advancement of regional transportation goals and commitment to engaging local governments in positively transforming the systems that form the backbone of our economies and communities”.

With the need to move the vision of the Kansas Water Plan to implementation, Governor Kelly’s administration engaged Julie and her team to support the development of an additional funding package proposal, draft new water policies and programs and streamline existing water programs and services. Julie has led statewide engagement in all regions of the state with public and private stakeholders, and facilitated investment scenario tradeoff discussions to build understanding of the interconnected nature of water in the state where the Ogalla aquifer is rapidly being depleted but is needed for irrigation and to support the agriculture economy.

Julie recognized the need for and led the development of the first statewide infrastructure hub in the US to support generational infrastructure investment opportunities through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) grants. The Kansas Infrastructure Hub brings state agencies, including water programs, together to collaborate on and match community needs and grant opportunities. The Hub also provides a clearinghouse of resources to help Kansas communities and organizations make the most of federal grants available under BIL.

Lorenz holds a master's degree in organizational planning and bachelor's degrees in business administration and psychology.

Pioneers in Health Episode 20, March 27, 2025 – Kathleen Kelly Daughety, Vice President of Campaigns and Civic Engagement, Inseparable

Inseparable is the only mental health advocacy organization focused on building a social movement with the power to win major federal and state reforms that will save lives and improve care for millions of Americans.

Inseparable recognizes that the health of our minds is inseparable from the health of our bodies. The organization sees that the rise in mental health issues, stigmas surrounding mental illness, and the lack of durable funding to address crises and long-term challenges has created an urgent need for stronger policy & funding solutions and greater understanding.

Inseparable knows that we all go through hard times. We lose jobs and loved ones. We get anxious and depressed. We feel like we’re barely hanging on sometimes. For some, it’s clinical. For all of us, it matters. And when we care for our minds, it’s no less urgent than the care we need for our bodies. Each affects the other — just like us. Together, we are inseparable.

Established in 2020, Inseparable is a growing coalition of people from across the country who share a common goal to fundamentally improve mental health care policy — to take care of ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities. The organization fights for a future where mental health policy, no longer an afterthought, helps our country thrive.

Kathleen Daughety has over 15 years of experience in campaigns, strategic planning, project management, and stakeholder engagement across the political, private, and tech sectors. To Inseparable, Kathleen brings an undefeated electoral record; a keen interest in mental health, addiction abatement, and suicide prevention; and a commitment to making mental health an urgent priority for elected officials.

Kathleen began her career in Kansas politics, campaigning to elect Governor Kathleen Sebelius twice. She continued her career with the Democratic Governors Association, Governor Jay Nixon (MO), U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (CO), and Priorities USA, setting fundraising records in three states. Kathleen also spent several years in in the private sector, helping to launch the Women’s eCommerce Network at Liberty Media and McDelivery at Uber Eats, as well as, founding Well Technologies, a startup that aimed to leverage behavioral science and technology to help users achieve healthier alcohol use.

Kathleen serves on the NYC leadership board of Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement to end gun violence; the junior board of Shatterproof, a nonprofit dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis; and as a counselor for CrisisText. Kathleen holds a BA from the University of Kansas and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. A native of Kansas, Kathleen resides in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and baby daughter.