Leadership Series

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS FOR MAKING THIS EVENT POSSIBLE:

PRESENTING SPONSOR CommunityAmerica Credit Union

MAGIS SPONSOR Anonymous

RECEPTION SPONSOR Tria Health

JESUIT SPONSOR Kansas City University

KANSAS CITY SPONSORS Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City George J. Shaw Construction Co. and Site Rite Construction Co. Husch Blackwell LLP JE Dunn Construction Lynn & Tom DeBacco

(From left) Lisa Ginter, ’87, Kathy Nelson, John Sherman, Clark Hunt and the Rev. Thomas B. Curran, S.J. KC Sports Leaders Share Challenges From a Tough Year

The year 2020 wasn’t easy for anyone. That’s especially true for sports leagues whose business model revolved around having large crowds.

But as three of Kansas City’s sports leaders told an audience at “Leadership Lessons From the Toughest Competition in 2020” event June 17 in Arrupe Hall auditorium, the year would bend but not break them.

Clark Hunt, chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs; Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission; and John Sherman, owner of the Kansas City Royals, sat down for a panel discussion led by Lisa Ginter, ’87, CEO of CommunityAmerica Credit Union, touching on everything from the pandemic to the reckoning over racial injustice to the everyday pursuit of excellence.

Their experiences were in some ways vastly different — Hunt is an experienced sports executive, Sherman a new owner of the Royals in 2020, and Nelson and her organization coordinate a host of events, from the Big 12 Tournament to the Kansas City Marathon. As a result, each were faced with unique challenges, but all three agreed they were positioned to come out stronger on the other side because of strategic decision making and the teams around them who helped guide them.

“Billie Jean King said, ‘Champions adjust,’” Nelson said. “And that’s all we did, every day, every hour, we were adjusting and we had to have that championship mentality.”

Rockhurst Community Welcomes Three Jesuits

Rockhurst University welcomes three members of the Society of Jesus to campus this year to serve in a variety of roles.

The Very Rev. Derrick Weingartner, S.J., and the Rev. Michael Sheeran, S.J., will serve part-time with the Office of Mission and Ministry, accompanying faculty and staff and supporting mission integration and animation.

Fr. Weingartner comes to Kansas City from Grand Coteau, Louisiana, where he served as superior of the Jesuit community and pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church. In addition to serving at Rockhurst University, he is the new superior of the Kansas City Jesuit community, recently formally named the St. Peter Claver Jesuit Community.

A graduate of Rockhurst High School, Fr. Sheeran relocated to Kansas City from St. Louis. He formerly served as president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) and, prior to that, as president of Regis University in Denver, Colorado.

The Rev. John Thiede, S.J., joins Rockhurst as the inaugural recipient of a yearlong executive leadership exchange program

(From left) The Very Rev. Derrick Weingartner, S.J.; the Rev. Michael Sheeran, S.J.; and the Rev. John Thiede, S.J.

— the Currie Fellowship Program — sponsored by AJCU. Fr. Thiede is an associate professor of systematic theology at Marquette University. Through the fellowship, Fr. Thiede will gain experience working closely with the president, board of trustees, administrators and faculty at Rockhurst throughout the academic year.

Familiar Face Retires After 35 Years

For 35 years, Susan Janet provided a friendly and familiar face to generations of Rockhurst students in the dean of students office. From the same desk for the better part of four decades, her duties went far beyond “administrative support” for the vice president, director and assistant director of student life — she was the department’s direct connection to the student body.

“Rockhurst has always had wonderful students and watching them grow from freshman year to graduation was amazing. Students were energetic, thoughtful and caring. I was able to get to know them on a more personal level and I stay in touch with many of them today.”

Moving from job-to-job has become commonplace in today’s society, but Janet said she was drawn to, and remained with, Rockhurst because of the values the university stands for to this day.

“I appreciated working in a Catholic institution, one driven by mission and values to make a difference in the lives of students, staff and faculty. Having attended Catholic schools all my life, I liked knowing that the place where I worked reflected many of the values I was taught and have tried to live up to since I was a child.”

Susan Janet with her sons Ben (Left) and Sam

Thirty-five years of creating lasting relationships with countless students, faculty and staff who walked into Massman 1 leave Janet with a lot to reflect on.

“Most memorable for me are the service immersion trips to Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Jamaica, New Orleans and Joplin,” Janet said. “I discovered new things about myself, the country I was in and the students I was with.”