mcre Media
Sunday, August 16, 2026
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Thursday, August 13, 2026
This is who runs Topeka -
According to the Greater Topeka Partnership’s 2026 Governance & Leadership Guide / Board Book (versions from early-to-mid 2026), here is the current GO Topeka (Growth Organization of Topeka/Shawnee County) Board of Directors structure.
Executive Committee
- President: Rhiannon Friedman (staff)
- Chair: Joe Caldwell (Bartlett & West)
- Chair-Elect: Kevin Hahn (Ivaoes / Ivaoes Animal Health)
- Immediate Past Chair: Neal Spencer (Ernest-Spencer Metal Fabrication)
- Treasurer: Travis Morris
- Non-officer Directors: Daina Williams (GrayBeard Construction & Maintenance LLC); Philip Bacchus (FHLBank Topeka)
Elected Directors
Term expires December 31, 2026
- Michelle Whitehead (Capitol Federal)
- Joe Caldwell (Bartlett & West)
- Calla Haggard (Community Bank)
- Shane Hillmer (Moore Digital Print & Mail Center)
- Kurt Kuta (CoreFirst Bank & Trust)
- Scott Campbell (The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus)
- Daina Williams (GrayBeard Construction & Maintenance LLC)
- Sam Al-Murrani (LifeTech Sciences LLC)
Term expires December 31, 2027
- Neal Spencer (Ernest-Spencer Metals)
- Chris Faulk (McElroy Electric)
- Marvin Spees (Capital City Oil)
- Cassandra Taylor (HTK Architects)
- Jacob Wamego (Prairie Band, LLC)
- Sherry Hunsicker (S Hunsicker Investments)
- Josh Gorrell (Electronic Life)
- Marc Welsh (Evergy)
Term expires December 31, 2028
- Dan Chavez (Chavez Restoration & Cleaning)
- Joe Hishmeh (Fellowship Bible Church)
- Chris Quintanar (Kansas Gas Service)
- Manny Herron (IPG Building Co, LLC)
- Darin Stephens (Stone & Story Real Estate Group, LLC)
- Kevin Hahn (Ivaoes Animal Health)
- Dawn McWilliams (The Boys and Girls Club of Topeka)
- Michael Odupitan (Omni Circle Group)
Directors Appointed At-Large (term expires December 31, 2026)
- Philip Bacchus (FHLBank Topeka)
- Travis Morris
- Matt McGivern (Senne & Company, Inc.)
- Tony Emerson (Emcon, Inc.)
- Savannah Moore (Hoyt’s Truck Center)
- Mark Slyter (Stormont Vail Health/Cotton O’Neil Clinic)
- Brett Klausman (Midwest Health)
- Braden Dimick (TK Business Magazine)
GO Topeka also includes Directors by Virtue of Position Held (ex-officio-style seats). These typically include the Mayor of Topeka (currently Spencer Duncan), designated Shawnee County Commissioners, the Shawnee County Counselor, a City Council member, the City Manager, MTAA representation, Washburn University representation, and others. Exact current holders of these seats can shift with elections/appointments.
This reflects the most recent publicly available Board Book materials from the Greater Topeka Partnership (mid-2026). Board composition can change with mid-year appointments, resignations, or updates, so checking the latest materials on topekapartnership.com or contacting GO Topeka/GTP staff is recommended for the absolute latest roster.
Fw: Important Topeka Datacenter Info
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Kansas Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc. | 435 S Kansas Ave Suite 200 | Topeka, KS 66603 US
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Fw: Back-to-School Safety & Brave Talk
Sent: Wednesday, August 12, 2026 1:27 PM
To: Henry McClure <mcre13@gmail.com>
Subject: Back-to-School Safety & Brave Talk
Hi Henry,
As kids head back into classrooms this month, it's a good time to reopen a conversation that matters all year long: body safety. Simple, age-appropriate talks about safe and unsafe touches, and about who counts as a safe adult, give children the tools to speak up if something feels wrong.
That's the heart of BraveTalk, our prevention education program for elementary students from PreK through 6th grade. One lesson kids come away with is learning that they are "the boss of their body," a phrase that gives even our youngest students language to set boundaries with confidence. We're excited to share that we're expanding BraveTalk's reach into private schools across Topeka and into Wabaunsee County, bringing this education to more classrooms than ever before.
If you're a school or community partner interested in bringing BraveTalk to your students, or you'd like to support the campaign that makes this growth possible, we'd love to hear from you.
Warmly,
If you'd prefer not to hear from me by email, please reply back and let me know and I'll update my records accordingly.
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
At this point the only way this gets more conflicted is if the family dog starts reviewing the drainage studies.
City Manager Robert Perez has achieved peak Topeka conflict-of-interest form.
He’s on the GO Topeka board. GO Topeka holds title to the land the data center wants. His wife is the county’s planning & zoning administrator — the very office that reviews land use, zoning, and development for that same project.
So the man who runs the city sits on the economic-development board that owns the dirt, while his spouse works in the county office that will decide what can be built on that dirt… and the whole thing is the single hottest political potato in Shawnee County right now.
And we’re all supposed to believe the line will be: “I will remain neutral and continue to run the city appropriately.”
At this point the only way this gets more conflicted is if the family dog starts reviewing the drainage studies.
Transparency isn’t just requested at this point. It’s the only thing left that isn’t already in the same household.







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