RE: public comment

Mr. McClure,

Thank you for your message.  This message serves as confirmation that your email has been received by the council members. 

 

Tonya L. Bailey

Sr. Executive Assistant to the City Council

City of Topeka

215 SE 7th St. Rm 211

785-368-3710

 

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From: Henry McClure <mcre13@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 3, 2026 2:42 PM
To: MCRE Media <mcre1.9999@blogger.com>; Governing Body <governingbody@topeka.org>
Subject: public comment

 

Notice: -----This message was sent by an external sender-----

 

**GO Topeka** (formally the Growth Organization of Topeka/Shawnee County, Inc.) is the economic development arm of the **Greater Topeka Partnership**, which also encompasses the Topeka Chamber of Commerce, Visit Topeka, and Downtown Topeka, Inc. It maintains its own independent board of directors (distinct from the Partnership’s overall Chairs Council governance).

 

The current board (as listed on the official Greater Topeka Partnership website) consists of the following members, grouped by role/category. No voting vs. non-voting distinctions appear on the public board page itself.

 

### Board Chair

- **Neal Spencer** (Ernest-Spencer Metals)

 

### Chair-Elect

- **Joe Caldwell** (Bartlett & West)

 

### Treasurer

- **Travis Morris** (Summit Materials)

 

### Past Chair

- **Calla Haggard** (Community Bank)

 

### Elected Directors

- Martha Bartlett Piland (MB Piland Advertising & Marketing)

- Dr. Robert Kenagy (Stormont Vail Health)

- Sam Al-Murrani (LifeTech Sciences LLC)

- Shane Hillmer (Southwest Publishing and Mailing Corp)

- Marvin Spees (Capital City Oil)

- Sherry Hunsicker (S Hunsicker Investments)

- Darin Stephens (Stone & Story Real Estate Group, LLC)

- Kevin Rake (HME, Inc.)

- Daina Williams (L&J Building Maintenance)

- Cassandra Taylor (HTK Architects)

- Josh Gorrell (Electronic Life)

- Sara Girard (Central National Bank)

- Scott Campbell (The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis)

- Michelle Whitehead (Capitol Federal)

- Jacob Wamego (Prairie Band, LLC)

- Manny Herron (Haus Property Partners)

- Troy Simoneau (Kansas Gas Service – A Division of ONE Gas Inc.)

- Kurt Kuta (CoreFirst Bank & Trust)

- Chris Faulk (McElroy Electric)

- Jeff Martin (Evergy)

 

### Director At-Large

- Ryan McMichael (Walmart Fulfillment Center)

- Jim Klausman (Midwest Health)

- Dr. Kevin Hahn (Ardiah Group)

- Dawn McWilliams (The Boys and Girls Club of Topeka)

- Michael Odupitan (Omni Circle Group)

- Megan Bottenberg (Cox Communications)

- Dan Chavez (Chavez Restoration & Cleaning)

- Joe Hishmeh (Fellowship Bible Church)

 

### Directors by Virtue of Position (Ex Officio)

- Shawnee County Counselor: **Rich Eckert**

- Washburn University: **Marshall Meek**

- City Council: **Neil Dobler**

- 190th Air Refueling Wing: **Lt. Col. Chris Hill**

- Mayor of Topeka: **Michael Padilla**

- Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority (MTAA): **Curtis Sneden**

- Shawnee County Commissioner: **Kevin Cook**

- Topeka City Manager: **Robert Perez**

 

According to the Greater Topeka Partnership’s 2025 Governance & Leadership Guide (which applies to GO Topeka’s board structure), **all directors on the GO Topeka Board are voting members**. This includes elected directors (3-year staggered terms), appointed at-large directors (1-year terms), and directors by virtue of position (1-year ex officio terms). Voting follows standard majority rules (with a quorum of a majority of the full board); proxy voting is allowed, and certain actions require a supermajority.

 

The only potential nuance is that the 190th Air Refueling Wing representative is described in governance materials as an “ex officio observer” in some contexts (e.g., related to the broader Partnership Chairs Council), but the person is still listed on the GO Topeka board page without explicit non-voting status there. No other non-voting members are designated for the GO Topeka Board itself.

 

This information comes directly from the official Greater Topeka Partnership website (board page) and the publicly available 2025 Board Book PDF. Board composition can change with elections or appointments (typically effective January 1 after votes in the prior fall), so for the absolute latest or to confirm any individual, check directly at topekapartnership.com (under About > Board of Directors) or contact GO Topeka / the Partnership. Staff leadership (e.g., President Rhiannon Friedman or Partnership CEO Matt Pivarnik) is separate from the board.