Achieved key advocacy wins in the State legislative session, including: aviation tax credits, child care tax credits, computer science education, CNA training, and economic development tools. Partnered on a one-hour webinar with subject matter experts on the new aviation tax credits legislation and its application to local workforce development in the aviation sector.
Hosted Dave Isay of StoryCorps at our annual Chair’s Lunch, inspiring guests to “trust + transform” their organizations and community after Wichita is selected as one of four communities to participate in the One Small Step conversations bringing people of opposing political views together for conversations to gain understanding.
Hosted Diversity, Equity and Inclusion events including CEO Roundtables, bringing together leaders to talk about challenges, opportunities and successes in broadening understanding; an Employee Resource Group panel, providing tips to create processes and establish support for ERGs to be an asset for employee retention; and worked toward establishing common language around DEI for the community in partnership with Visit Wichita through information gathering events.
Hosted two webinars educating the business community on two important health topics – managing the impact of COVID-19 as an endemic disease and the Fentanyl crisis in the broader community. These webinars provided information to help the business community be prepared to address these issues in the workplace and community.
Kicked off Campus Wichita, an initiative to retain college-aged and recent college graduate talent in the Wichita region through connecting students with internships in the community and supporting the interns with activities and leadership development opportunities. More than 300 students attended a summer kick-off event, and 12 completed an intensive leadership development program while fulfilling their internship requirements.
Celebrated 9 finalists for the 2022 Small Business Awards in May and named 3 winners: Shaken or Stirred Bartending, Leslie Coffee Company and Wichita Brewing Company.
Completed a successful City to City Visit to Minneapolis, MN, where participants learned about building a cohesive regional approach to economic development and establishing a dashboard of metrics to measure success in areas that will impact the business community.
Established the Vets ICT project in partnership with the South Central Kansas Workforce Alliance and the Greater Wichita Partnership with a goal of filling the talent gap by recruiting retiring airmen with connections to the Wichita area to return to the community to pursue new careers.
Hosted two Board of Advisors meetings focusing on important issues facing local businesses. The first featured two speakers from Wichita State University on the economic impact of Russian’s invasion of the Ukraine and how Wichita businesses are impacted. The second featured Colonel Nate Vogel from McConnell Air Force Base speaking to the economic impact of the base and the base’s role in keeping the country safe.
