Contact Women for Kansas State Leadership group at womenforkansas@gmail.com.

Barbara Coats is a retired physician in Wichita, KS.  Her hometown is Hutchinson.  She received an Associate degree from Hutchinson Community College, a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kansas, and her Medical Degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine.  Her residency was at St. Francis Regional Medical Center in the specialty of Family Medicine.  During her years of practice in Wichita she also taught medical students in the office, and in 2009 was honored with the national Exemplary Teaching Award for Volunteer Faculty by the American Academy of Family Physicians. Since her retirement she served on the board of Bike Walk Wichita and is currently on the Women for Kansas Education Foundation Board.  She volunteers at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, the Medical Society of Sedgwick County, the League of Women Voters, and Women for Kansas.

Tai Edwards is a history professor and director of the Kansas Studies Institute at Johnson County Community College. Her teaching focuses on helping students understand how themes like American identity, hierarchy, and the role of government impact people past and present. Her activism involves assisting with fundraising at Kansas Public Radio and Deerfield Elementary where she serves as PTO co-treasurer. She is also secretary for the Kansas Association of Native American Educators, a member of the Barker Women’s March Huddle, and she has served as Women for Kansas Northeast chapter co-leader since 2017. She lives with her family in Lawrence and hopes to be of service to all of the wonderful work Women for Kansas is doing in our state.

Mary Knecht [Operations Chair] is a native of Sterling and graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in Secondary Education — English and Theatre. She has worked as an arts administrator with the Continental Theatre Company and the Wichita Art Museum. She retired after sixteen years as a Project Manager for Willard Garvey. One of her responsibilities was working as General Manager for the Garvey low power community television station KTQW-TV 49. She is an ordained deacon and elder at First Presbyterian Church. She is active in the community having served as president of InterFaith Ministries, Wichita-Metro League of Women Voters, Kids Vote, Counseling and Mediation Center and American Red Cross Blood Services. She has been a board member of the YWCA, Sunshine Coalition, KPTS Public Television, The Global Learning Center and the Broadcast and Media Professionals of Wichita.

Jan Manlove Jan Manlove grew up in Wichita KS. While working at Cessna putting skins on Cessna 340’s she took the civil service test and was hired by the US Postal Service. She joined the American Postal Workers Union Local 735 and found her calling in union activism as a union steward and was elected to her Locals’ administration as Secretary/Treasurer. After retiring from the USPS, it was a natural move to activism in community issues and local politics. Working to ensure what the Declaration of Independence says “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”, is applied to all citizens.

Susan K Osborne is a retired professor of business administration and marketing and administrator, having taught at Wichita State University, Newman University and Friends University. She served as the State Director of the Kansas Small Business Development Centers in the mid-1980s. As a young instructor at WSU, she had the opportunity to become a member of it’s Women Studies program and meet national Women’s Rights leaders Gloria Steinem and Bella Abzug. They became life-long inspirations to her. Her last 2 years prior to final retirement were spent as the Community Liaison at Wichita Catholic Charities. Susan served on many city boards – Served 10 years on the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, and also served on the Board of Zoning Appeals, the Wichita Park Foundation, and the USD 259 Middle School Exploration Committee. While attending the 2014 Women for Kansas Conference, she made the decision to become active in local politics and ran for office (94th District, State Representative). She enjoyed that experience and was honored to accept a leadership position with Women for Kansas. She is not done fighting for equal representation and voting access for Kansans. 

Tammy Smith [Communications Director] is the owner and principal of TS Designs. Since its inception 34 years ago, the firm has offered a variety of marketing services, specializing in graphic design, and serves a wide range of clients, including community and political service organizations, for which she has provided pro bono work. Prior to starting TS Designs, she was employed by Associated Advertising Agency for nearly seven years with responsibilities in graphic design and production. She earned a Clarus Award for coordination of the elements of the agency’s “Laissez Faire” project.

Lynn Stephan [Chair of Women for Kansas] is a retired advertising executive and former Wichita Ad Woman of the Year. During her 20-year career, in addition to overseeing the creative output of Stephan Advertising Agency and servicing accounts, she received dozens of awards for advertising excellence. Lynn is a community volunteer, having served on many boards, including the Kansas Humane Society and KPTS, where she is the past chair. She also served on the advisory boards for the WSU Elliott School and the WSU Alumni Association. She holds a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Wichita State University.

Kathy Webb is a practicing attorney in Wichita. She grew up in Independence, Kansas graduating from Independence Community Junior College and completing her Bachelor’s degree in Education and Master’s in Speech Communication and Human Relations at the University of Kansas. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree at Washburn University School of Law.  She has served on the Board of Governors of the Wichita Bar Association and Kansas Bar Association which recently awarded her the Christel Marquardt Trailblazer Award, and she is a past President of the Wichita Women Attorneys Association and the Kansas Women Attorneys Association.  She has been active in the community serving on the boards and as an officer of Music Theater Wichita, Wichita Symphony Orchestra, KPTS, and YWCA. She currently serves on the Women for Kansas Education Foundation.

Deanna Zitterkopf grew up in the south central farm town of Caldwell. She is a graduate of Kansas State (BA in Speech and English), and the University of Maryland (MA in Comparative Literature and a PhD in English Literature). After returning from Maryland to Kansas, she taught for 25 years at Newman University in Wichita, where she retired as a Professor Emerita. During her teaching career, she published scholarly articles in various academic journals. She has a special interest in Children’s Literature. She has served on the Foundation Board of The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. Over the years, she has volunteered in a variety of local election activities, ranging from voter registration to canvassing. She is married and has 3 children and two grandchildren.