Communities In Schools of Kansas

Malissa Martin
President
malissa [@] ciskansas.org

Malissa began her CIS career with Communities In Schools of Houston in 1999, progressing from grants writer to Director of Resource Development by the time she departed in late 2005 when her family moved to Lawrence, Kansas. From that time until she took the helm of Communities In Schools of Kansas in 2007, she worked as a consultant with a number of CIS affiliates in multiple states.

Since coming to CIS of Kansas, she has significantly strengthened and increased the organization’s resources, has been named by Governor Mark Parkinson to the Kansas Commission on Graduation and Dropout Prevention and Recovery, and serves on several education- and youth-related governing and advisory Boards.

Malissa has dual careers; she is also a visual artist working primarily in the field of encaustic painting, is an officer and volunteer for art-related organizations, and is a founder of the women’s collaborative art collective Four Rooms.  Malissa has two sons and the world’s most incredible grandson, and is always thrilled to share countless pictures of him.

Nancy Baker
Director of Operations
nancy [@] ciskansas.org

January of 2012 started the New Year with Nancy joining the staff at Communities In Schools of Kansas.  Her professional experience has focused on providing leadership and organizational management of needed services, programs, classes and events, catering to a varied realm of communities, from the hospitality industry, city government, higher education and both the private and non-profit sectors.

She enjoys lifetime activities such as running, swimming, hiking, traveling, exploring, cruises and some day would like to take up golf.  She is a member of RunLawrence and enjoys supporting those local fundraising running events, from 5k’s to half marathons.  She celebrated a momentous birthday one year by tandem skydiving and would highly recommend it!

Nancy spends her leisure time walking her golden retriever, reading, watching movies and KU Basketball, strolling downtown Mass Street, and volunteering with local non-profits with fundraising development support through special events.

Favorite quote:  “You don’t stop playing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop playing.”

Polli Kenn
Director of Affiliate Operations
polli [@] ciskansas.org

Joining the Communities In Schools of Kansas staff in December of 2009, Polli Kenn brings a sixteen year history in non-profit program management and service to Kansas children and young adults. A sociologist, researcher and advocate at heart, Polli draws on her background to supervise the Total Quality Systems implementation for the state, the AmeriCorps program, the Reality U financial literacy program and she oversees training and technical assistance to Kansas affiliate programs. Polli holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology from KU and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Emporia State University.

In her down time, Polli, along with her long-suffering husband and three children, tries to keep miniature urban farm going in the heart of the city, complete with a few dozen chickens. Polli is an amateur triathlete and a champion reader. She is a Girl Scout leader, an enthusiastic (and appalling) player of indoor soccer and volunteers more than is wise but less than she’d like.

Terry Leatherman
Director of External Affairs
terry [@] ciskansas.org

In his role as Director of External Affairs, Terry introduces people to the important work of Communities In Schools of Kansas. These introductions take the form of performing fund raising activities, directing government affairs functions, and leading replication efforts into new areas of Kansas.

Terry is founder and President of Leatherman Consultancy, a Lawrence-based business that provides organizational management solutions. Prior to starting his business in 2008, Terry enjoyed a 20 year career in a series of management positions for the Kansas Chamber of Commerce.

Terry is a Kansas City, Kansas native and a graduate of the University of Kansas, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism.

Lauren Krivoshia
Resource Development Associate
lauren [@] ciskansas.org

Lauren joined Communities In Schools of Kansas as an AmeriCorps VISTA in 2008. After two years of VISTA service, she became the Marketing and Operations Manager. Raised in Lawrence, Lauren left Kansas for college to attend DePauw University in Indiana. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art in 2007, and moved back to Lawrence after a brief stint in San Francisco. Outside of work, Lauren bikes for leisure, follows KU basketball, enjoys cooking and gardening and is currently learning the art of metalsmithing.

Ashley Ferguson
AmeriCorps Member, Reality U Coordinator
realityu [@] ciskansas.org

A Kansas native, Ashley graduated in 2009 from the University of Kansas with a BA in Communication Studies and International Studies as well as a graduate certificate in Peace & Conflict Studies. Since 2008 she has been a volunteer advocate for Lawrence’s GaDuGi SafeCenter with duties of providing crisis services to sexual assault victims/survivors. Outside of her employment at a local, natural food co-op, Ashley works as an AmeriCorps Member at the Communities in Schools of Kansas state office. Since August 2010, she has been able to further use her knack for helping others as she becomes more involved with CIS and its mission.