In communities across Kansas, grassroots leaders and coalitions are doing the hard work of building healthier, stronger places to live, hosting meetings, chasing grants, rallying volunteers, and showing up even when it’s hard. Too often, these efforts are under-supported, isolated, or unsustainable. Elevate Kansas was created to change that.
Elevate Kansas is a statewide initiative dedicated to equipping coalitions with the tools, training, and connections they need for success. We believe that local leaders are the backbone of thriving communities, and they deserve support, recognition, and a strong network to lean on. That’s why Elevate provides resources and opportunities that strengthen, not overwhelm, leaders already stretched thin.
The design of Elevate Kansas was guided by a launch team of funding partners, coalition leaders, and statewide changemakers, including universities, technical assistance providers, and other committed organizations, who recognized a growing need for shared infrastructure and consistent support. Together, they shaped Elevate into a collaborative initiative that honors local ownership while connecting leaders across the state.
At its heart, Elevate Kansas is about showing what’s possible when local wisdom is supported by statewide collaboration. By building capacity, fostering peer connection, and amplifying impact, we are creating a healthier, more connected Kansas- starting with the people already doing the work.
The Elevate Kansas Steering Committee leads strategic planning and program implementation in response to the evolving needs of health coalitions across the state. Composed of four coalition representatives, two statewide systems partners, and one funding partner, the committee is intentionally structured to elevate coalition voices while drawing strength from cross-sector collaboration. This deliberate imbalance ensures that community perspectives drive the work with on-the-ground insight and experience, while the diverse expertise of all three groups enhances decision-making and amplifies statewide impact.
Candace Davidson received a Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Physiology from Washburn University. This led her to work in Community Health in a variety of capacities within gyms around Kansas. Candace started her Public Health journey in2 018 as a Health Educator, mostly working with youth coalitions and tobacco cessation as well as policy development and systems change. After a brief hiatus in 2020, she returned to Public Health and the Reno County Health Department in 2022 as the Health Education Supervisor. She enjoys the variety of opportunities that public health holds, from health equity to food access to working with multiple coalitions taking on a variety of topics, and all the work in between.
Jody Love is the President and CEO of the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team (HBCAT), bringing more than 20 years of community and economic development experience across rural Kansas. With an MBA and a background in social work, regional planning, and small business ownership, she is a systems thinker dedicated to advancing equity through entrepreneurship. As HBCAT’s founding president, Jody has led transformative initiatives, including a grant-funded business hub in Fort Scott that expanded from 3 to 160 small business clients in three years and generated $3.3 million in capital investment. Her work centers on trust, inclusion, and partnerships that integrate health, workforce, and entrepreneurial supports to strengthen community resilience. Driven to address food insecurity and expand economic opportunity, Jody is currently scaling a regional mentorship network designed to uplift startups and foster long-term, community-led economic vitality across Southeast Kansas.
Mary Marrow is an attorney and partner with Seed 2 Roots, a legal and policy consulting enterprise. Mary, and her business partner Natasha Frost, work in partnership with community members, health coalitions, and other public health partners. She provides legal technical assistance to help identify and advance community public health policy solutions. Mary has worked with Kansas communities and health coalitions across the state of Kansas for over a dozen years as part of several local and state public health initiatives.
Lisse Regehr is the President and CEO of Thrive Allen County, a nonprofit dedicated to improving health, quality of life, and economic conditions in Allen County, Kansas. Under her leadership, Thrive has helped develop more than 60 miles of new trails, reduce the county’s uninsured rate from 21% to 9%, expand public and safety-net transportation, create a free rural bike-share program replicated nationally, open Allen County’s first Recovery House, and lead efforts to establish Kansas’ newest state park—Lehigh Portland. Since 2019, Regehr has secured more than $16.5 million in grants for local organizations and oversees the statewide Kansas CARES program supporting uninsured residents. Thrive also administered Allen County’s SPARK and ARPA funds during her tenure. Regehr co-created Thrive Kansas to build capacity and support revitalization in rural communities. Prior to becoming CEO, she directed multiple departments at Thrive, coordinated communications during the county’s 2017 RWJF Culture of Health Prize recognition, and contributed to major economic development projects. Before returning to Iola, she spent nine years with the Sisters of St. Joseph Ministries Foundation in St. Paul, MN, growing its planned giving society and managing all online communications.
Travis Rickford serves as the Executive Director for LiveWell Northwest Kansas, a regional non-profit with a focus on making Northwest Kansas a healthier place for all to live, work, and play. Travis collaborates with communities to enhance their capacity to develop systems that improve the overall quality of life for residents in Northwest Kansas. This includes activities such as community engagement, building strategic partnerships, and leading projects aimed at enhancing community vitality. Travis also serves as an adjunct faculty member for the Political Science Department at Fort Hays State University. Travis holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Missouri and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Fort Hays State University. He is currently a PhD student in Leadership Communications at Kansas State University. Travis serves as a board member for the Greater Northwest Kansas Community Foundation, Kansas Action for Children, and the Rawlins County ACE Foundation. Travis resides in Rawlins County, Kansas, with his wife, Melissa, and their children, Ashton and Olivia.
Lindsay Wilke is the Associate Director of Network Mobilization at the Kansas Health Foundation, where she works with partners to tackle key civic and health challenges. Previously, she served as the backbone coordinator for two collective impact initiatives in Cowley County, Kansas and helped introduce “data walks” statewide. Wilke holds a master’s in Community Development from Vanderbilt University and taught courses in nonprofit leadership and service learning at Southwestern College. She has enjoyed serving on the boards of a federally qualified healthcare center, community foundation, and faith-based institution in her rural community, and believes deeply in progress through community collaboration.
The Elevate Kansas Steering committee has a vacancy for a coalition representative. If you are part of a community health coalition in the Elevate Kansas network and are interested in helping to shape the future of coalition support in Kansas, click below!