Our board members are representative of the communities and patients we serve. Each is a highly respected professional with demonstrated leadership in his or her field, representing careers in medicine, human resources, investment banking, law and more.
Linda R. Adkison, Ph.D.
Director since 2014
Linda Adkison is Dean of Trinity School of Medicine in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Previously, she was the Associate Dean at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.
She earned her Ph.D. at Texas A & M University and received a Master of Science degree from Georgia Southern University.
Jack Cannon III, CFA, CTP
Director since 2017
Jack Cannon is the founder and president of ViSáRes Retirement Plan and Trust -- a self-directed, federally recognized 401k plan.
Prior positions include Vice President of Revenue Enhancement for CAST Management Consultants and Senior Consultant for the Dallas, TX-based Carreker Corporation.
He received a BS/Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin/Madison and an MBA/Finance from the University of Iowa.
Marvin E. Carolina, Jr.
Director since 2021
Marvin Carolina is President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Greater Kansas City. Previously, he worked at JE Dunn Construction Company as the Diversity Manager and Vice President of Corporate Diversity. He was also the National Sales Support Manager for Sears in Chicago, Illinois.
He earned a Master of Arts Degree in Community Development from North Park University in Chicago, Illinois and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia.
Aaron G. Ellison, MD
Director since 2021
Dr. Aaron Ellison is currently a physician at Midwest Metropolitan Physicians Group in Kansas City, MO. Previously, he served as Medical Director at Riverbend Family Practice on Mountain Island in Charlotte, NC.
He received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Morehouse College and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Missouri School of Medicine.
Tresia Franklin
Director since 2015
Tresia Franklin is currently the H.R. Director, Total Rewards and Employee Relations for Hallmark Cards, which includes responsibility for Hallmark’s compensation, benefit programs, human resource information systems and employee relations.
She previously founded a web-based human resources communication business and also served as a benefits and human resources consultant for Mercer.
Melika T. Harris
Director since 2021
Melika Harris is currently an attorney at Rasmussen Dickey & Moore, LLC, in Kansas City, MO. Previously, she worked at Jefferson Capital Systems, LLC, Kansas City, MO and Kessinger Law Firm, P.C. in Gladstone, MO.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering from the University of Missouri/Columbia and her Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri/Kansas City School of Law.
Tom Kokjer
Director since 2017
Tom Kokjer started his professional career in 1978 with the Commerce Bank’s Capital Markets Group (CMG) trading desk. He has 39 years of fixed income market experience as a trader and trading manager.
His past experience includes senior management roles with two primary dealers in Chicago. He was also the CMG Managing Director from 2008 - 2017.
Kokjer received his degree in Business Administration from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri.
David P. Lisbon, M.D.
Director since 2017
Dr. Lisbon is both Residency Program Director and Clinical Assistant Professor of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and the University of Kansas Hospital.
Previously, Dr. Lisbon was Staff Physician and Medical Director of Emergency medical Services at Independence Regional Medical Center.
Jack McCanna
Director since 2016
Jack McCanna is Vice President of Global Programs & Operations for Children International.
Previously, he was the Executive Director of the Geneva Family YMCA in New York. He is a graduate of Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Liz Preston
Director since 2016
Liz Preston is the Clinical Nurse Coordinator at Kansas City Rescue Mission.
She is a Registered Nurse in both Kansas and Missouri.
Juan Manuel Rangel Jr.
Director since 2018
Juan Rangel is currently the Director of the Gateway to College Program at Donnelly College.
Previously, he was Director of Business & Workforce Development and Community Engagement at Metropolitan Community College.
He also served as the Greater Kansas City Region Executive Director of The National Conference for Community & Justice.
Zoraya Rowlands
Director since 2021
Zoraya Rowlands is the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at JE Dunn Construction. Prior positions include Vice President of Operations at the Port Authority of Kansas City, MO and Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities Underwriter at PNC Bank.
She earned an MBA from Baker University and a Bachelor of Arts in Management and Administration from City College in New York, NY.
Dred Scott, EdD
Director since 2019
Dr. Scott is President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City.
Previously, Dr. Scott served as Deputy Superintendent for the Independence School District.
He received his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Baker University and an MS in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Central Missouri State University.
Michelle Searcy
Director since 2021
Michelle Searcy serves as a Research Analyst in Intellectual Property at SHOOK, HARDY & BACON, LLP, supporting clients in the procurement of patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Previously, she worked at Lucent Technologies, Inc. and AT&T Bell Laboratories in various capacities including Business Manager, Engineering Manager and Software/Engineer Developer.
She received an MBA from Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Chicago, IL., and an MS degree in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology, also in Chicago.
Yolanda Sims, Chair
Director since 2014
Yolanda Sims is a graduate of Saint Louis University School of Law with a certificate in health law.
She is a loss prevention and risk management advisor for Kansas Medical Mutual Insurance Company.
Lisa Vansaghi, MD
Director since 2022
Lisa Vansaghi was raised in the Kansas City area and attended William Jewell College before completing her medical school and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
She joined the faculty at KU Med in 2004 and served in clinical roles as a hospitalist and primary care physician in addition to pursuits in research and education of medical students and residents.
In 2015, she transitioned to full-time clinical research, focusing on medical monitoring and design of global clinical trials in immunology and rare diseases. She currently works for Ascendis Pharma and will soon transition to serve as Senior Medical Advisor in Immunology at Eli Lilly and Company.
