The Kansas Chamber

NEWS RELEASE

Leadership Kansas

For more information, contact:

John Federico

Executive Director

Leadership Kansas

785-290-0017

785-554-6866

Leadership Kansas Class Visits the Wichita Metro June 24-26

TOPEKA , KAN. (June 19, 2009) – The Wichita metropolitan area will host the 2009 Leadership Kansas class on June 24-26. The 40 members of the class will begin their training session with a reception at the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson on Wednesday evening. Following the reception, the class will engage in a question and answer dialogue with Kansas Speaker of the House Mike O'Neal, a 1985 graduate of the Program.

Additional Leadership Kansas session locations in the Wichita Metro include: Spirit AeroSystems, McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita State University, Koch Industries, and Butler Community College. On Friday, the class will also have the opportunity to tour the El Dorado Correctional Facility.

Over the course of the six-month regional meetings, the class will engage in discussions with top experts on the key issues facing Kansas. While in the Wichita area, many topics will be covered, including: transportation, health care, education, entrepreneurship, military operations, workforce development, and criminal justice.

The Wichita Metro is the second of six communities to host the 2009 Leadership Kansas class. Other locations include Garden City, the Kansas City Metro area, Colby/Goodland, Pittsburg/Chanute and Lawrence/Topeka.

Leadership Kansas is one of the oldest and most prestigious statewide leadership programs in the country. Established by former Governor Robert Bennett and Gary Sherrer, and supported and administered by the Kansas Chamber, the program is celebrating its 31 st year of educating and motivating Kansas leaders from all four corners of the state. The Leadership Kansas program remains committed to its original mission to inspire persons to maintain involvement in the social, business and political fabric of our Kansas communities.

The Kansas Chamber, with headquarters in Topeka , is the leading statewide pro-business advocacy group moving Kansas towards becoming the best state in America to live and work. The Chamber represents small, medium and large employers all across Kansas . For more information on the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, go to www.kansaschamber.org .

###