ReconnectThe Alumni Magazine of JCCC

Spring 2011

CareerDevelopmentCenter

4 Career Development Centertransforms an iceberg into a tornadoStudents make the Career Development Center one of their first stops to self-evaluate, explore majors and discover career options.

6 JCCC is a leader in HITECH trainingThe Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Actmandates that every U.S. citizen have an electronic health record by2014. JCCC is poised to do its part by training the next generation ofhealth care and IT professionals.

7 Passing it onAlum Nick Gentry wants to teach what he learned at JCCC.

8 College grads come to JCCC to continue their educationHaving a bachelor’s degree doesn’t mean you can’t come to JCCC for continuing education training and certificates.

9 Space to connectNew student spaces open at JCCC, encouraging interaction andlearner engagement.

10 JCCC offers services to veteransThe college puts into place a network to assist veterans.

11 ECAV Radio has a new general managerWant to know what’s happening on campus? Check out JCCC’s Internetradio station, ECAV.

12 Sustainability reaches a watershed moment JCCC completes its $700,000 green stormwater treatment project onthe southeast corner of campus, paid for in part by stimulus money fromthe American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

2 | Reconnect

CoverRenee Arnett directs the CareerDevelopment Center on the second floorof the Student Center.

Contents

ReconnectThe Alumni Magazine of JCCC

Reconnect is published two times a year by Johnson County Community College 12345 College Blvd. Overland Park, KS 66210-1299 913-469-8500 fax 913-469-2559www.jccc.edu

Reconnect is produced by the JCCC Foundation, College Informationand Publications, and the Office of Document Services.

Editor: Christy McWard

Reporters: Peggy Graham, Diane Carroll

Photographer: Bret Gustafson

Designer: Randy Breeden

For more information about JCCC Alumni, call the Foundation office at913-469-3835.

14 Meet Kate AllenKatherine Allen heads the JCCC Foundation as the executive director of institutional advancement.

15 New association helps JCCC employees and retirees stay connectedAnyone who has retired from Johnson County Community College or is a college employee over the age of 55 is invited to join a newgroup to stay in touch and explore new opportunities.

16 Foundation AwardsJCCC Foundation honors three for outstanding work on behalf of the college.

17 Small businesses start up with help from JCCCThe Kansas Small Business Development Center at JCCC increaseseconomic prosperity in Kansas by helping entrepreneurs and smallbusiness owners start and grow their businesses through professionalconsulting, training and resources.

18 Some Enchanted EveningThe Johnson County Community College Foundation celebrated its 24th annual Some Enchanted Evening gala and named its JohnsonCountian of the Year.

Connect with JCCC alumni on Facebook –www.facebook.com/jccc.alumni

Spring 2011 | 3

CalendarSave the DateMarch 4Opole, Philharmonic of Poland – Under thedirection of Maestro Boguslaw Dawidow, the orchestrawill undertake its first transcontinental tour of the U.S.

March 5Hot Tuna Blues – Big Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of FamersJorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane),blues icon Charlie Musselwhite and two-timeGrammy-winner Jim Lauderdale have been carrying onan affair with rock and the blues for almost 40 years.

March 12Janis Ian – Unwind and relax with folk icon JanisIan and enjoy an intimate concert in Polsky Theatre.

March 24An Evening with Vince Gill – Country musicsuperstar Vince Gill will perform hits from his 30-yearcareer backed by a live band.

April 2The Joffrey Ballet – Come see why The JoffreyBallet is one of the most revered and recognizable artsorganizations in America and one of the top balletcompanies in the world.

April 4Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain and EdgarMeyer – Three masterful genre-benders and theleading virtuosos on their respective instruments joinforces for a night of magical music.

April 15Dollars for Scholars – Hosted by JCCC friends,alumni, faculty, staff and students at JCCC, theauction includes hundreds of items, ranging fromvacation getaways to sports memorabilia.

May 1Spamalot – This Tony Award Winner for BestMusical in 2005, lovingly ripped off from MontyPython archives, assures a Spamtastic time!

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The Career Development Center wasformerly the last place a student

stopped when leaving JCCC – a place tolook for a job, write a résumé andpractice an interview. Now, the Center isone of the first places a college studentneeds to visit – a place to do self-evaluation, explore majors and explorecareers.

Formerly called Career Services, theCareer Development Center, located inSC 252, opened under its new name infall 2010 with an official open house theweek of Nov. 15, National CareerDevelopment Week. Changes to theCenter were implemented as the result ofa career services’ summit involving 20members from across campus in fall2009.

Renee Arnett, director/career counselorof the Career Development Center, usesmeteorological metaphors to summarizethe Center’s shift in focus.

“Before the Center was an iceberg withonly the jobs’ portion visible above thewater, and underneath was the careerdevelopment piece,” Arnett said. “Now Isee the Center as a tornado where theopen end of the funnel cloud is where thecareer planning process begins. As anindividual goes through the process oflearning more about themselves, lookingat college majors and educationalprograms and participating in volunteerwork and clubs, the process starts tofunnel down into a decision about ajob.”

Arnett says the Center was formerly“enabling” students instead of teachingthem skills to navigate a lifelong careerplanning process.

“Statistics indicate that during a lifetime,an individual will have two to threecareers, five to seven career transitionsand 10 to 12 jobs. You can’t make adecision and be set for life. The process isongoing,” Arnett said.

So the summit set the goal of teachingskills to decide on a college major,research and select a career, and learnhow to find a job. The top priorities in2010-2011 are reaching undecidedstudents, developing relationships withliberal arts faculty and initiatingoutreach across campus. The Centerserves students, alumni, prospectivestudents, faculty and staff.

In spring 2009, 12 of the center’s staffwent through 13 weeks of intensivecareer development facilitator trainingtaught by the University of Wisconsin-Madison to become eligible ascredentialed career developmentfacilitators.

The transformed center is turning itswebsite into a virtual front door wherestudents can be guided through thecareer decision-making process. TheCenter offers fee-based formalassessments (like the Myers-Briggs TypeIndicator Profile) and many free

CareerDevelopmentCenter transformsan iceberg into atornadoRenee Arnett directs the Career Development Center on the second floor of the Student Center.

informal assessments. Since January2009, the Center has tripled the numberof offerings of its no-cost ChoicesWorkshop to college or high schoolsecond-semester juniors or seniorsbetween ages 17 to 35 as a starting pointfor decisions about college majors andcareers.

“Sometimes students come in and say, ‘Iwant to take that test that tells me whatI should do, what I should be.’ There isno such test,” Arnett said. “These testsgive basic information about interests,personality, values, skills and strengths.”

JCCC data has shown that as many as66.6 percent of students are in somephase of “deciding about a college majoror career goal” and could benefit fromcareer development intervention. A senseof direction about majors and careersincreases students’ retention andachievement, according to Arnett.

The website also directs students to 20

CareerSpot’s videos, five-minute videosthat give tips on topics from interviewmistakes to the perils of socialnetworking. For the last three years, theformer Academics Major Fair,showcasing college majors and transferschools, has been part of the fall CampusKickoff in order to integrate the entirecollege experience.

“Our career counselors are not going towait in their offices for students,” Arnettsaid. “We are going to make intentionalconnections through Campus Centerworkshops and collaboration with ourpeers across campus.”

At the end of the funnel cloud is the jobdecision. Students can visit the CareerDevelopment Center to learn job-searchskills, explore job listings, meet with on-campus recruiters, research internships,receive a résumé critique and schedule amock interview.

“Students who are witnessing the in-

crease in unemployment are much moreaware of how important it is to succeedwith their career goals,” Arnett said.“We’re seeing more students who are de-termined to go to school and find a careerthat has longevity and one that satisfiestheir interests, values and supports theuse of their natural talents.”

Spring 2011 | 5

The Career Development Center isopen 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursdayand 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday on thesecond floor of the Student Center.

Contact the Center atwww.jccc.edu/career-developmentor 913-469-3870.

Last fall, Ron Frigault, counselor, taught a Career and Life Planning class in the Career Development Center, where students could learn about its manyresources.

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U.S.community colleges are expected to train 10,500

students each year for the next five yearsto meet requirements by the HealthInformation Technology for Economicand Clinical Health Act, which mandatesthat every U.S. citizen have an electronichealth record by 2014. JCCC is poisedto do its part.

JCCC received $292,247 as part of theAmerican Recovery and ReinvestmentAct of 2009 (aka stimulus act) to be used to implement two components ofthe health information technologyworkforce training that will be needed inphysicians’ offices and medical centers tomeet the 2014 deadline.

In September 2010, JCCC began offeringsix-month training for two career roles:1. technical/software support staff, and 2. practice workflow and informationmanagement redesign specialists.

JCCC is one of 17 community collegesin the Midwest consortium, headed by

Cuyahoga Community College inCleveland, Ohio, responsible fordelivering HIT training. Eachconsortium across the United Stateswill be required to deliver training insix career roles that will serve toimplement and support electronichealth records. In addition to the two roles listed above, designatedcareer roles are clinical/practitionerconsultants, implementation supportspecialists, implementation managersand trainers.

Eventually coursework in all six careerroles will be available to communitycollege students nationwide through theregional consortiums – either online orin the classroom. As the only Kansascommunity college to be part of theMidwest consortium, JCCC ispartnering with Hutchinson CommunityCollege and also with MetropolitanCommunity College on the Missouri sideto deliver training.

Last fall, JCCC offered its two trainingprograms through the Workforce,Community and Economic Developmentbranch, with credit classes available inspring 2011, according to Dr. BillOsborn, associate vice president,Instruction. Right now, there are noprerequisites, although HIT is expectedto attract people who have either an ITor health care background.

The greatest need for HIT workers willbe with office-based physicians and ruralmedical centers.

JCCC students who complete either of thetwo six-month programs will receive acertificate of completion. In the meantime,Northern Virginia Community Collegehas been awarded a grant to develop acompetency examination.

Deb Elder is JCCC’s HITECH grantprogram director. For more information,contact Elder at 913-469-8500, ext.4270, or e-mail delder6@jccc.edu.

JCCC is a leader in HITECH trainingJCCC offers HITECH training for health information technology

Deb Elder (front, far left) leads the team that developed JCCC’s HITECH program within a larger Midwest consortium of community colleges.

CareerConnection

Spring 2011 | 7

What Nick Gentry experienced fromJCCC’s faculty members years ago

is what he hopes to bring to a highschool classroom when he lands his firstteaching job.

“I would not be where I’m at today – witha master’s degree in education andprepared to teach high school business –if not for JCCC,” Gentry said. “I neverfound a JCCC instructor I couldn’t getalong with. They all seemed to care, andthat is what I’m determined to bring intomy teaching style – a true sense of caring.”

Gentry got a late start with his collegeeducation. After managing a Sears storefor many years, Gentry wanted to dosomething different – something thatwould touch people’s lives. So, at age 42,he enrolled at JCCC.

“I needed a small, intimate setting to getstarted and to build my confidence,” hepointed out.

One of Gentry’s first JCCC classes wasIntroduction to Writing.

“My instructor taught me how to write … really write,” he recalled. “Shetaught me how to write a sentence thatmade sense. She gave me the confidenceand the praise I needed to continue andthe desire to increase my knowledge.”

Gentry said math classes at JCCC gothim interested in the business world.

“Math is one of those things where rulesnever change, but I had to learn the rulesagain because I hadn’t played the gamein such a long time,” he said. “Beforeattending JCCC, the last time I had a

math class was in 1968. I found that ifyou don’t use it, you lose it.”

Looking back, Gentry credits NancyCarpenter for the confidence to get anassociate’s degree from JCCC, go on toget a bachelor’s degree from theUniversity of Kansas and ultimatelyreceive a master’s degree in educationlast May from Rockhurst University.

“Nancy instilled in me a love for math,”he pointed out. “She inspired me andkept telling me I needed to be a teacher.”

Carpenter’s enthusiasm was what Gentrybenefited from the most.

“Nancy had a very high enthusiasmlevel,” he said. “She was able to talk tome and make sense. I realized she knewa lot more than me, but she talked in alanguage that I understood.”

Gentry said that at a very early age hisfather and even his school principal toldhim that he wasn’t very smart.

“My principal tried to get me into automechanics classes, and that’s not what I

wanted to do,” Gentry said. “That wasthe old form of teaching, and I ended upjust out of high school with very littleconfidence. I didn’t think I was going toamount to anything. But throughmarriage and opportunity, I was able toprove that wrong.”

Now with a master’s degree and ready toteach high school, Gentry wants to repaywhat he learned at JCCC by encouragingstudents to never give up.

“You always learn something new everyday,” he said when asked what advice hewould give high school students.“Knowledge changes your wholeviewpoint on life.”

Gentry said he is definitely not going tofollow in his father’s and principal’sfootsteps by discouraging students.

“Times have changed,” he said.“Teaching styles have changed. There arenow different ways of learning for alltypes of learners.”

Alumnus Nick Gentry says he wouldn’t be where he is today without JCCC.

NickGentry:Passingit onJCCC alum wantsto teach what helearned at JCCC

AlumniConnection

You may think that after receiving abachelor’s degree, one doesn’t have

a need for a community college. Butaccording to Brett Hettrick, that’s nottrue. Hettrick received his BA in businessadministration from UMKC, but comesto Johnson County Community Collegefor continuing education training andcertificates.

Hettrick works at PageOne as a directorof consulting. His résumé is impressive,with extensive experience in humanresources, sales and businessdevelopment. He has years of experiencein his field and affiliations with well-known organizations such as the Societyfor Human Resources Management(SHRM), Association of CareerProfessionals International (ACPI),American Society for Training andDevelopment (ASTD), and many more. 

So what can this guy achieve fromattending a community college?

Hettrick sums it up saying, “Thereputation of the continuing educationbranch, the college in general, includingthe instructors, in the community isoutstanding, so being able to referencetraining received from the college hasalways been beneficial.” 

The workforce and economic develop-ment branch’s project managementcertificate is what Hettrick is currentlyseeking.  “The instructors in the programare excellent, as is the content and thematerials provided. I have already usedinformation I have learned in the pro-gram to perform better on existingcontracts for my business,” he said.

The project management certificate isnot the first continuing educationprogram Hettrick has attended through

JCCC. He has also taken effectiveproject scheduling and control andproject risk management classes.  “Theinformation I learned I was able to apply(to my business) and saved myselfmultiple hours of time based on what Ilearned,” he said.

Hettrick offers advice for other JCCCstudents, “Talk with and get to know theinstructor(s) and your classmates. Theyare both a great pool of knowledge toaccess and to network with. Theinstructors and classmates both have realworld experiences that can be extremelybeneficial.”

JCCC’s continuing education coursesoffer a myriad of training focuses. To seewhat JCCC can do for you, check outour website at http://jccc.edu/CE to viewclass schedules and learn more about ourtraining and certificate programs.

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College gradscome to JCCCto continuetheir education

Brett Hettrick sharpens his professional skills at JCCC.

CareerConnection

Students at commuter campuses likeJCCC often head for the parking lot

when their classes are over. That changedlast fall, as new spaces encouragestudents to linger on campus, meetingand interacting with each other and withfaculty and staff.

Construction on the new spaces wascompleted just as classes began for thefall 2010 semester. For the first time,JCCC students have a dedicated place oftheir own to just hang out.

The third floor of the Commons housesthe Center for Student Involvement,home base for student clubs andorganizations at JCCC. In this spaciousroom, each group can take care ofbusiness at a desk with a computer,storage and access to office supplies.There’s a conference room that studentgroups can schedule for meetings, andeven a meditation room available forstudents of any faith to pause for quietcontemplation.

Next door, the Campus Center providesspaces for small groups to meet or study.Student groups can hold meetings thereas well, and study groups can gettogether to review their lessons. That willalso be the place where the college canoffer orientations or workshops ofinterest to students, or faculty can offersupplemental instruction to help

students in their classes. Individualstudents can plug in their laptop andstudy alone if that suits them best.

And when they’re done with studying,students can head to the nearby StudentLounge to play ping-pong or foosball;they can also play games or watchprograms on one of three 52-inch TVscreens. The spaces will be staffed by ninenew student engagement ambassadors.

“It’s an opportunity for students to havea place to gather,” said Pam Vassar,assistant dean, learner engagement.“Students need to connect with otherstudents in order to connect with theinstitution. We know such connectionslead to success.”

One floor below these new rooms isremodeled space for student media.Gone is the collection of battered desksonce used by the staff of the CampusLedger, the college’s student newspaper.In their place are sleek counters andcomputer monitors. ECAV, the college’sWeb-based student radio station, alsohas offices and rooms where DJs canplay music and reporters can broadcastinterviews. 

“For media students, this is anopportunity to work in a consolidatedconvergent environment,” Vassar said.“Sound no longer means just radio –

these interviews can be used online. Andwords no longer mean print on paper –the reporters’ work will appear in theonline version of the paper.”

As students get to know one another, thenew Commons’ spaces will become theliveliest place to be on campus.

Spring 2011 | 9

Space to connectNew student spaces open at JCCC

CampusConnection

JCCC has in place a network to assistveterans, starting with the Veterans

Services office, staffed by Kena Zumalt,Veterans Administration adviser. Zumaltserves as JCCC’s point of contact forveterans (which includes all active,reserve and retired military as well asdependents).

JCCC was named to the 2010 and 2011list, Military Friendly Schools, by GIJobs, a magazine for military transition.The list honors the top 15 percent ofcolleges, universities and trade schoolsthat are doing the most to serveAmerica’s veterans.

As the VA certifying official, Zumalt’sprimary responsibility is to administerthe enrollment certificate process ofveterans to the Veterans Administation.Almost all JCCC programs are approvedfor GI Bill certification, including somecertificate programs in continuingeducation.

JCCC is a member of the Servicemem-bers Opportunity Colleges, a consortium

of colleges and universities accredited forservice members and their adult depend-ent family members. The college iscommitted to evaluating and awardingacademic credit for military training andexperience, transfering coursework fromother institutions and awarding creditfor nationally recognized testing programs.

Keeping abreast of new initiatives andbenefits is sometimes complicated forservice members as they make thetransition from active to veteran status.JCCC is serving as a pilot for a newsearch engine, VetLink, which will allowveterans to enter their era of service andZIP code in order to obtain a list ofservices in their area – includingeducation.

“This is an exciting time to be servingveterans because there is so much we cando to assist this group of Americans,”Zumalt said.

The newest education benefit is the post-9/11 GI Bill, effective Aug. 1, 2009, and

designed for service members andveterans who have qualifying active dutyservice since Sept. 11, 2001. Billed “asthe most comprehensive educationbenefit package since the original GI Billof 1944,” the post-9/11 GI Bill can paythe cost of tuition and fees, not to exceedthe most expensive in-stateundergraduate tuition at a publicinstitution, monthly housing allowanceand a book stipend of up to $1,000 ayear.

Zumalt says veterans have to decidewhich benefits are most advantageous touse first if they have eligibility for morethan one. It may be they want to save thepost-9/11 GI Bill benefit to further theireducation at a more expensiveinstitution. Zumalt can assist with thatdecision as well with a new tool on theVeterans Administration website,“Which Benefit Is Best for Me?”

“I admire our military students. Theydeserve excellence in return for theirservice to our country,” Zumalt said.

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JCCC offers services to veteransJCCC has in place a network to assist veterans

Kena Zumalt (right) is JCCC’s Veterans Administration adviser.

StudentConnection

Want to know what’s happening oncampus? Marvita Oliver suggests

that you check out JCCC’s Internet radiostation, ECAV. Oliver is the 2010-2011station manager.

Oliver came to JCCC in summer 2009.She had thought first about attending anonline school. Her son was applying toJCCC though, and so she decided toapply as well. Her first summer class,Acting I, led to two more courses in thefall and then to four courses in spring2010, including journalism classesfunded by a Rose Family Scholarship forjournalism students. She worked for theCampus Ledger, the student newspaper,in the fall and spring.

“I kept seeing the radio staff betweenshows in the Ledger office and becameinterested in what they were doing onthe air,” Oliver said. Though not knownas much of a talker, Oliver finally got upthe nerve and joined ECAV, the college’sInternet radio station, in the spring. “Itwas a chance to do something different,and it became a lot of fun.”

This year, Oliver will be in charge of theradio station. “I want ECAV to get outthere and be known on campus,” Oliversaid. “We want people to look to ECAVfor information and find it as an onlineresource that answers students’ needs formusic, news, sports, school events andinteresting programs.”

During ECAV’s second year, Oliver plansto add to the fun by improving thestation’s visibility with students and thecommunity, both on campus and outsidethe college, as well as establishing a regularprogramming schedule. Programs willinclude such topics as health, inspiration,politics, sports, pop and local music andcomedy. She encourages students who areinterested in joining ECAV’s diverse anddynamic programming staff as DJs,reporters or marketing representatives toapply for jobs online or to volunteer.

“If students have ideas for shows, theyshould feel free to pitch them with me,and if you’re committed to showing up,ECAV radio will help make it happen,”Oliver said.

Internet radio wasn’t part of Oliver’srésumé in the past. She graduated fromShawnee Mission South High Schooland went to Tougaloo College inMississippi, earning a bachelor’s degreein physics. After earning a master’sdegree in electrical engineering fromHoward University, she went to work intelecommunications. She traveled toGhana to do ministry work and later didsome consulting. After living in Ghanafor 12 years, she returned to the UnitedStates in 2009 and wanted to update herskills.

“I want to learn more about the mediabusiness and technology,” she said.“Things change so fast in media as awhole. JCCC offers great opportunitiesfor students to stay competitive with thechanges in the media business and itstechnology. JCCC also providesopportunities to meet key players in theKansas City market and to have hands-on journalism experience.”

Spring 2011 | 11

ECAV Radio has anew general managerMarvita Oliver wants you to check out JCCC’s Internet radio station, ECAV

Station manager Marvita Oliver positions ECAV radio as an information source for students.

StudentConnection

JCCC completed its $700,000 greenstormwater treatment project on the

southeast corner of campus in August2010, paid for by stimulus money fromthe American Reinvestment andRecovery Act and a 20 percent match bythe college, including funds from astudent green fee.

The project allows water runoff from502,500 square feet of imperviousparking and driving surfaces to drain toa constructed wetland on the south sideof the parking areas. Before entering thewetland, the stormwater runoff filtersthrough a sequence of treatment systems,planted with native vegetation, designedto treat diverse pollutants –manufactured filtration tanks, bioswales,bioretention cells and a rain garden.

“The process both filters the water frompollutants and slows the release ofstormwater into the city’s stormwatersystem,” said Jay Antle, executivedirector, JCCC center for sustainability,who secured funds for the project.

Previously unfiltered rainwater,containing vehicle oil and residue, wouldgo into drains around the four parkinglots, enter the city’s stormwater pipesand dump into Indian Creek.

“This is one of the most ambitious greenstormwater projects in the Kansas Citymetropolitan area,” Antle said. “Ourengineers with Burns & McDonnell andlead designer Scott Bingham, landscapearchitect, Bowman Bowman Novick, are excited about making this ademonstration project for others in thearea to look at and emulate.”

The wetland, incorporating native plantsto promote ecological activity andprovide habitat for animals andbeneficial microbes, will be used forstudent education and for thecommunity as a recreational andlearning environment. Students will testthe quality of water as the water goesthrough the entire system, and aninterpretive sign describing the system tothe public is in the works. Two rows of

limestone seats are available as anoutdoor classroom, and a perviousconcrete walkway lines the wetlandperimeter.

The wetland is at the site of an old farmpond that was later converted to adetention basin. By expanding the basin’sfootprint and adding gravel, topsoil andnative plantings adaptable to suchconditions, water is allowed to standunder a layer of gravel to avoid theproblems of an exposed pool of waterand to provide one last cleaning beforethe water leaves the campus and makesits way to Indian Creek.

“The project is significant in themetropolitan area by the mere fact of theamount of surface area addressed and bythe number of best managementpractices utilized at a location accessibleto the public,” Bingham said.

Agri Drain Corporation donated a seriesof wick drains, specifically designed soas not to plug with debris, as field-inlets

12 | Reconnect

Installation of drainage from the “Clock East” parking lot began in March 2010.

Sustainability reaches a watershed moment

SustainableConnection

for water. Native and drought-tolerantplants were custom grown by KATNurseries, Olathe.

Depending on funding availability, Antlesays the college would like to pursuestormwater treatment projects at othersites.

For a complete list of JCCC’s Center forSustainability initiatives to reduce JCCC’scarbon footprint, recycle, implementsustainability curriculum and meet thegoals of the College and UniversityPresident’s Climate Commitment, visitthe Center for Sustainability’s website atwww.jccc.edu/sustainability.

Spring 2011 | 13

A sign identifies the project for the public. Two rows of limestone seats create an outdoorclassroom.

A dry spell leaves the wetland ready for rain. Native grasses assist in stormwater filtration.

Katherine Allen, Overland Park, wasnamed the executive director of

institutional advancement at JohnsonCounty Community College inSeptember 2010.

At JCCC, she is responsible for alumniand community relations, grant writing,JCCC Foundation, and resource andfunding development for scholarships,academic programs, capital projects, thePerforming Arts Series at JCCC and theNerman Museum of Contemporary Art.

Allen comes to JCCC after serving as theexecutive director of the Blue ValleyEducational Foundation for five years.During that time, she more than doubledthe Blue Valley Educational Foundationendowment, developed successful newfundraising events, initiated a capitalcampaign to support the district’sinnovative Center for Advanced

Professional Studies, awarded more than$500,000 in teacher grants andexpanded volunteer support andcommunity awareness for thefoundation.

Allen earned her bachelor’s degree inpolitical science and a master’s ofbusiness administration degree from theUniversity of Nebraska, Lincoln, whereshe played varsity women’s basketballduring her undergraduate years, 1995-99. She received a juris doctor from theUniversity of Kansas School of Law,earning a University of Kansas LawScholarship, NCAA Women’sEnhancement Postgraduate Scholarshipand Big 12 Postgraduate Scholarship.

She worked previously as the plannedgiving manager, Children’s MercyHospital, Kansas City, Mo., and the lawfirm of Bond, Schoeneck & King.

Allen is a member of the CenturionsLeadership Program, Greater KansasCity Chamber of Commerce, 2009-2011; chair, Philanthropy MidwestConference, 2010; board of directors,Mid-America Planned Giving Council,2006-present; and Nonprofit Connect,2003-present.

Allen replaces Joe Sopcich, who left theposition to become JCCC’s executivevice president, finances andadministrative services.

“We are thrilled to have Kate Allen onour JCCC team,” Sopcich said. “Shebrings with her a terrific record ofaccomplishment as well as a strongcommitment to student success. We’revery excited about the future of theJCCC Foundation.”

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MeetKateAllenJCCC announcesnew executivedirector ofinstitutionaladvancement

Kate Allen leads institutional advancement at JCCC.

StaffConnection

Spring 2011 | 15

Anyone who has retired fromJohnson County Community

College or is a college employee over theage of 55 is invited to join a new group.

The Johnson County CommunityCollege Retirees Association adopted aset of bylaws in September andestablished a board of directors. Theassociation expects to be ready to beginaccepting members and their dues earlyin 2011, President Carolyn Neptunesaid.

Dues will be $12 a year; a lifetimemembership will cost $100.

The group was formed to help retireesmaintain relationships with their formercolleagues and stay in touch with what’shappening at the college, Neptune said.Any JCCC employee over the age of 55

also is welcome to join to learn about theretirement process.

“People have talked about doing this forthe last five years and a concerted effortgot underway a year or two ago,” saidNeptune, who retired in 2006 after morethan 30 years as a math professor.

With the college getting older – it openedin 1969 – and with more employeesretiring with many years of service, morepeople seem interested in finding a wayto stay connected to the college, she said.

“It just seemed that the timing wasright,” Neptune said.

The association expects to provideeducational programs and perhaps helpmembers connect with volunteeropportunities at the college. Memberswill have a say in the group’s activities.

Information about the association waspresented during the college’sprofessional development week inJanuary.

Other association officers are DennyKurogi, vice president; Dick Stine,recording secretary; Sally Gordon,communications secretary; and EllenMohr, treasurer. Members of the boardof directors are Chuck Bishop, HelenBurnstad, Matt Campbell, Gene Haun,Pat Jonason, Dick Randolph and PatSchroeder.

Anyone who wants more informationabout the association may contact anyofficer or board member. Neptune can be reached at cneptune@jccc.edu or at 913-236-9033.

New association helpsJCCC employees andretirees stay connectedRetired JCCC employees Dick Scott, Dorothy Friedrich and Helen Burnstad maintain friendships and connections.

RetireeConnection

16 | Reconnect

Joe Sopcich once pulled into Hallbrookin a tractor-trailer rig to catch the

attention of a potential donor in that upscaleJohnson County neighborhood.

Mary Davidson Cohen hosts a weeklytelevision program at Johnson CountyCommunity College that features peoplefrom the college and the community.

And Brad Bergman persuades people tosupport the college financially by sharinghis enthusiasm for all that the collegeoffers.

The Johnson County Community CollegeFoundation honored the three in October2010 for their work promoting the college.The foundation raises money to supportthe college and provide scholarships to itsstudents.

Sopcich received the Colleague Award,which recognizes a staff or faculty memberwho strives to improve the college’sprograms and the lives of its students. Heserved as the college’s executive director ofinstitutional advancement for 17 years,until Sept. 27, 2010, when he became thecollege’s executive vice president offinances and administrative services.

Cohen received the Hugh Speer Award,which pays tribute to the former college

trustee and recognizes a foundationdirector, college trustee, college employeeor community leader who has had aprofound impact on education.

And Bergman received the Open PetalAward, which recognizes a foundationdirector who has been open to new ideas,pursued greater visions and made asignificant contribution in the area offundraising. The award’s name refers to anopen petal on the college’s sunflower logo,which serves as a reminder that the collegeleaders remain open to new ideas.

Sopcich gained a reputation for promotingthe college in entertaining ways whileleading institutional advancement. At onefoundation event, Sopcich recalled, hepresented pictures of colleagues ininteresting poses next to objects of art oncampus. That got a laugh, Sopcich said,and helped highlight the art collection. Atanother event, at the college’s automotivetechnology building, he persuaded bankpresident Bob Regnier to swing from anengine pulley.

Early in his tenure, Sopcich arranged to meetwith Norman Polsky at Polsky’s home inHallbrook in hopes of securing a donationto the college’s capital campaign. To getPolsky’s attention, Sopcich arrived in a

tractor-trailer rig filled with staffers andpresentation materials.

“It scored a lot of points,” Sopcichrecalled, but Polsky didn’t agree tocontribute that day. Eventually, Polskydid donate $1 million to the capitalcampaign for the Regnier building, hesaid.

During Sopcich’s tenure in institutionaladvancement, the endowment grew from$1 million to nearly $15 million andscholarship dollars distributed grewfrom $153,000 to more than $557,000.

Cohen, who won the Hugh Speer award,hosts, “It’s Our Community with MaryE. Davidson.” It airs weekly on JCCCChannel 17.

She previously served as a regionalrepresentative for the U.S. Secretary ofEducation, a dean at Saint Mary Collegein Leavenworth and a vice chancellor atthe University of Kansas Regents Center.

Cohen said the award means a lot to herbecause she and Speer, who died in 1996,were friends. Cohen and Speer shared abirthday (Speer was 30 years older) androde horses together.

Speer served as a college trustee for 29years and was a former dean ofeducation at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He testified againstsegregation in the landmark U.S. schooldesegregation case, Brown v. Board ofEducation, and wrote a book about itentitled, The Trial of the Century.

“I had great admiration for him,” Cohensaid.

Bergman, who won the Open PetalAward, joined the foundation’s board ofdirectors in 2000. In 2009, he and hiswife Libby served as co-chairs for SomeEnchanted Evening, the foundation’sannual black tie fund-raising gala.

Bergman said his children have attendedthe college and he sees his work with thefoundation as a way to give back to thecommunity.

“I look at the awesome people who havewon the Open Petal Award in the pastand I want to hold up my end,” he said.

Foundation AwardsJoe Sopcich (left) received the JCCC Foundation’s Colleague Award. He is pictured with Bob Regnier,a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

The Kansas Small BusinessDevelopment Center at JCCC

increases economic prosperity in Kansasby helping entrepreneurs and smallbusiness owners start and grow theirbusinesses through professionalconsulting, training and resources.

Elizabeth Demas is the owner of a top-producing Avon retail store located inOverland Park. The business survived aslow start in 2004, when she had tochange locations after seven months.Now she gets calls from coast to coastabout how to do it right. She agrees thatluck and timing play a part in success,but she also knows that success is theresult of “preparation meetingopportunity.”

Demas sold Avon products before sheearned bachelor’s and master’s degrees.An information technology professional,she was laid off from Sprint during therecession of 2002-2003. An optimist bynature, she saw this as an opportunity.She took business workshops, researchedsome ideas, discarded some and actedupon others, and eventually opened anAvon training facility in Olathe. Businesswas weak, however, and she feared shemay have misjudged both theopportunity and location.

Demas knew she needed help; “I justdidn’t know how anyone could help me,”she said. A turning point came when she

recalled information from a Dun &Bradstreet study that “90 percent of smallbusiness failures are due to the owner’slack of skills and knowledge and that 90percent of small businesses were still inbusiness after five years when they soughthelp from an SBDC or other businessexpert.” She typed this word for wordand keeps the quote on her cork board.

Demas contacted JCCC’s Kansas SmallBusiness Development Center to “seewhat, if anything, could be done to helpme.”

“Right away, the SBDC helped acquire abusiness loan and set me up with a retailmerchandising consultant to help withmy store layout,” Demas said. “BobKolich has been a steady support overthe years. I know if I need anything, I cango to him and his department for helpanytime.” Later the KSBDC helped hersecure a second loan to expandmerchandising capability, décor andlayout.

Revenues have grown 400 percent sinceDemas’ first year and continue to rise.She and her store participate in severalcharity events during the year includingthe Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, SafeHome and “Back in the Swing” breastcancer awareness. It’s no wonder Avonstores around the country seek her out.

“Set your goals and develop your plan

to achieve them,” Demas said. “Thenaccept the fact that there’s nothingwrong with changing the plan as you go,as long as you keep the goal in mind.”

If you’re already in business in Johnson,Miami and Wyandotte Counties inKansas, you can schedule an appointmentto take advantage of confidential andcomprehensive business consulting at nocharge. The KSBDC consultants areskilled small business professionals withexpertise in many areas, includingmarketing and sales, accounting, financialanalysis and cost control, humanresources, time management, inventorycontrol, business acquisition, and businessliquidation or sale.

If you’re thinking of starting your ownbusiness, pick up a packet of generalbusiness start-up information in theKSBDC office in Room 240 of theRegnier Center on the JCCC campus.Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday. You can also takeadvantage of low-cost start-upworkshops offered by the center and freecounseling sessions with the smallbusiness consultants by appointment.

For more information about JCCC’sKansas Small Business DevelopmentCenter or to make an appointment, e-mail ksbdc@jccc.edu or call 913-469-3878.

Spring 2011 | 17

KSBDCmakesbusinessbeautiful

Business owner Elizabeth Demas received steady support from the KSBDC when starting up her Avon retail store in Overland Park.

CareerConnection

18 | Reconnect

Some Enchanted Evening

Past Johnson Countian of the Year Honorees: Front Row: Betty Keim, Floriene Lieberman, Shirley Rose, Peggy Dunn, David Wysong. Standing: Dick Shull, Barbara Shull, Terry Dunn, SuEllen Fried, Bob Regnier, Ben Craig, Mary Birch, Fred Logan, Dick Bond, George Lieberman, Dr. Charles Carlsen, Ed Eilert, Steve Rose

Honoree David Wysong, Kathy Wysong, Corey Paris, JCCCStudent Senate president

Dick Bond, Governor Mark Parkinson, Honoree David Wysong

The Johnson County Community College Foundation held its 24th annual Some Enchanted Evening gala on Nov. 13, 2010,at the Overland Park Marriott Hotel.

David Wysong, Mission Hills, was honored as the Johnson Countian of the Year for 2010.

Spring 2011 | 19

Johnson Countian of the Year 2010, David Wysong

Carol and Fred Logan, Kathy and Honoree David Wysong

Corey Paris, JCCC Student Senate president, Dick and Sue Bond Kate Allen, executive director of the JCCC Foundation, Lesa and Cal Kleinmann, Some Enchanted Evening co-chairs

Jon Stewart, JCCC trustee, Christi Stewart, Marlene Calaway, TerryCalaway, JCCC president

Johnson County Community College12345 College Blvd.Overland Park, KS 66210-1299

www.jccc.edu/alumni

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDJohnson County

Community College

The fourth annual

presents

An Evening with

Vince Gill8 p.m. | March 24, 2011Yardley HallJohnson County Community College

Tickets $50-$100

Purchase tickets online atwww.jccc.edu/cohenseries or by phone at 913-469-4445.

Photo by Jim McGuire

All proceeds benefit JCCC scholarships and educational programs.