Meet Our Team

Growing Futures is made up of people who care deeply about kids, families, and this community. Together, they help guide the work and support the families we serve.

A chain of hexagons with arrows pointing to the right, alternating between light blue and black backgrounds.
Illustration of a process flow with three steps, each represented by an arrow pointing to the right, connected sequentially.

our leadership team

Man smiling and speaking into a microphone outdoors at an event.

Larry Lewis

Executive Director
larry@growingfutures.org

Close-up portrait of a woman with short hair wearing large hoop earrings and a black and white top, smiling at the camera.

Tanesha Thompson

Program Director
tanesha@growingfutures.org

A smiling young man with light brown hair, a beard, and blue eyes, wearing a blue denim shirt, posing outdoors in front of a brick wall.

Chris Stibbs

Director of Development
chris@growingfutures.org

A woman with curly brown hair standing outdoors with greenery in the background, wearing a black top and jewelry.

Suzanne Handlin

Human Resources Director
suzanne@growingfutures.org

A smiling woman with blonde hair outdoors, wearing a blue top and a silver necklace, surrounded by green trees and sunlight.

Tama Byrnes

Director of Finance
tama@growingfutures.org

Board of Directors

A smiling woman with shoulder-length brown hair and bangs, wearing a black blazer against a gray background.
A woman with dark hair and a bright smile wearing a red long-sleeve top standing in a hallway with artwork on the wall.

Taylor Limoges

Leawood Chamber of Commerce

Jake Barnes

FAS Wealth Partners, 
Past President

Brian Savoy

BOK Financial

Moira Holland

A.L. Huber

Marc Shaffer

Searcy Financial
Vice President

Chris Davis

PGAV Architects

Deanna Ferrante

Ferrante Consulting

Tarena Terry

CommunityAmerica

Kendall Burr

Blue Valley School District,
Secretary

Jennifer Miller

McCownGordon

Brian Zickefoose

Husch Blackwell,
At Large

Antoinette Redmond

Neuru

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a navy blue shirt against a plain white background.

Justin Calhoun

Turner Construction

Beauty Henecke

Granite Peak Associates

Debra Peterson

Comm365,
President

Headshot of a man with short gray hair, smiling, wearing a black suit, white shirt, and blue tie.
A smiling young woman with blonde hair wearing a green floral dress outdoors with trees in the background.
A smiling woman with glasses and short blonde hair in front of a bookshelf with children's books and stuffed animals.
A man smiling, wearing a blue blazer and white shirt, standing in front of a wall with children's books.
A man with glasses and short hair, wearing a pink shirt, smiling with his arms crossed, sitting in a bright room with large windows and greenery outside.
A smiling man in a dark suit and white shirt standing in front of a green background with text.
A man with short light brown hair and glasses, wearing a blue blazer and pink checkered shirt, smiling in front of a blue door.
A woman with long dark hair smiling outdoors, wearing a blue blazer and teal top.

Paul Stephens

Propio Language Services,
Treasurer

Morgan Shandler

AdventHealth

A smiling woman with curly hair wearing a pink sleeveless top with black and white checkered collar, standing with arms crossed next to a green plant against a beige background.
A woman with curly dark hair smiling, wearing a blue collared shirt and a necklace.
Portrait of a woman with dark curly hair wearing a white blazer and a gold necklace, smiling against a white background.
A smiling woman with long dark hair and earrings in front of a plant.
Professional woman with long brown hair, wearing a dark blazer and smiling
A woman with shoulder-length dark hair smiling outdoors in a park with trees in the background.

Kate Allen

Johnson County Community College
At Large

Valerie Escobar

BMG Advisors

A woman with short blonde hair smiling, standing in front of a brick wall.
A young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and a bright smile, wearing a colorful patterned dress, sitting against a black background.

Carol Gonzales

MARC,
Advisory Committee Chair

Jessica Nollett

Bank Midwest

Portrait of a smiling woman with dark hair in a bun, wearing a green blazer and black top, standing against a light gray background.
Professional portrait of a man in a suit with a dark background

advisory board

Allison Coulson

Amy Goosetree

Ann Kenney

Anne Mills

Anne Sheehan

Art Ruby

Betsy Allen

Betty Barton

Caitlin Dale

Carol Heil

Caroline McKnight

Cheryl Entzminger

Cheryl Hunt

Erika Cundiff

Edward Wilson

Gale Hansen

Gene Wilson

Holly Douglas

Jim Lisson

Jennifer Sawyer

John Tongier

Jyoti Mukharji

Lillian Hall

Larry Oleksa

Laura Scott

Leslie Whitaker

Matt McCaffree

Mark Falls

Margie Harden

Mary Fugate

Melissa Ryan

Michelle Hunter

Nancy Wallerstein

Patricia McMahan

Paul Stephens

Sara Whalen

Scott Campbell

Scott Holsoppie

Sherry Hutchinson

Skip Tichenor

Stephanie Sheehy

Susan Brown

policy council

Officers

President- Samantha and Patrick McCune 

Vice-President- Payton Steffens

Secretary- Jessamyn Flores

Treasurer- Anette Lopez 

Representatives

Rita Carr
(United Community Services)

Kelly Main
(Mainstreet Credit Union

Allison Wiley
(Safety Heroes with Johnson County Health & Environment)

Katie Schatte
(SafeKids Representative)

Nicole Brown
(Safety Heros with Johnson County Health & Environment)

Andrew Levi
(Band of Angels)

Sendy Romero
(WIC)

Members

Paola Arguello

Juan Carvajal 

Alexus Scover

Kayla Porter

Alexis Shinstine

Vanessa Hernandez

Zahraa Alshaikhli

Lindsey Ray

Selamawit Weldemariam

Laurel Assignon

Kathy Ward

Delilah Carmona

Anais Parra Perozo

Madison Todd

Jordan Carter

Makenzie Kinsella

Jennifer Cornett

Fany Caste sllon

David Villegas

Shereill Bradford

Jordan Randle

Rainellys Hernandez