KU discoveries gain ground in KUCTC’s FY26 report

Majed Al-Ghafry previously served as the City Manager for the City of DeSoto, Texas. He has served in several local government roles, including Assistant City Manager/Chief Economic Development Officer with the City of Dallas, Texas, from 2022-2024, and Assistant City Manager-Infrastructure from 2017-2022. 

Majed holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Texas and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington, is a Registered Texas Civil Engineer, a Registered California Traffic Engineer, a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer, and is a Credentialed Manager (ICMA-CM) with the International City/County Management Association.

Jack Gaines is a rising senior at the University of Kansas, studying finance. A passionate learner, he plans to pursue an MBA after graduating. During the school year, he is the manager of the Scholars Club on Mass. Jack describes himself as a hard worker and, most importantly, as someone who always stays driven to achieve impactful things.

Aimee Cummings is a rising senior pursuing degrees in political science, global and international studies, and East Asian languages and cultures at the University of Kansas. She is the president and founder of the KU Chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society. In her free time, she enjoys reading, oil painting, and hiking.

Carson will be a senior at the University of Kansas this fall, finishing his last year in finance and economics. When he's not in the office or diving into books, you can find Carson outdoors in the garden, staying active, or working on his latest painting.

Calvin Schenk is in his final semester at the University of Kansas, where he is completing degrees in finance and management. He's back at the KU Innovation Park after spending last summer on the team, and has run three businesses of his own — a shaved ice truck, a pressure washing company, and a 3D printing e-commerce store. Next up is New York City, where he'll join a consulting firm full time after graduation. When he's not in the office, you can find Calvin cooking, building small software tools, or thinking about his next business idea.

Sarah Plinsky was hired as the County Administrator in September 2019 after serving in the interim position for nine months. She is currently a member of the board for KU Innovation Park. Before becoming the administrator, she had served as the Assistant County Administrator since December 2010. Previously, Sarah was the Assistant to the County Manager in Johnson County, Kansas. In Johnson County, she also served as the Interim Assistant County Manager for the Community Services Team and Interim Director of Public Health. Sarah is a graduate of Leadership ICMA (International City and County Management Association) and the Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia. She holds a B.A. in political science and a Master’s in public administration from the University of Kansas.

Bonnie Lowe has been the president and chief executive officer of The Chamber of Lawrence since January 2019. In that role, she is responsible for leadership, strategic planning, and management functions. She had earned her Bachelor of Science in Finance from Fort Hays State University. Before her current position, Bonnie was the chief operations officer for the Chamber. For four years before working with the Chamber, Bonnie was a senior civil investigator for the US Attorney’s Office. In Lawrence, from 1998 to 2008, Bonnie worked as the Community Bank President. She also served on the Lawrence City Commission.

Dr. Steve Stites joined the hospital’s leadership team as senior vice president of clinical affairs in February 2012 and became executive vice president and chief medical officer for the health system in July 2018. He serves a dual role as vice chancellor for clinical affairs at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Stites received his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He completed his residency and chief residency in internal medicine at the University of Rochester and a fellowship at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Dr. Mark Shiflett is a Distinguished Foundation Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of Kansas (KU), where his research focuses on developing environmentally friendly, energy-efficient processes and products for the chemical industry. He retired from the DuPont Company after 28 years in 2016 as a Technical Fellow in the Central Research and Development Organization at DuPont’s Experimental Station in Wilmington, Delaware. Mark is an inventor on 46 U.S. patents and has published over 130 articles on his research at DuPont. He is also the co-founder and chief science officer of Icorium Engineering Company, a KU spin-out company revolutionizing refrigerant reclamation with efficient, complete separation of even the most complex mixes.

Derek Kwan serves as the Lawrence Chamber Board Chair and secretary of KU Innovation Park’s Board of Directors. He has served as the Executive Director of the Lied Center of Kansas since January 2014. Derek previously worked for Interlochen Center for the Arts as the Executive Director of Interlochen Presents. At the Lincoln Center in New York City, Derek served as the Vice President of Concerts and Touring for Jazz and the Associate Director of Programming & Concert Operations for Jazz. A voting member of the Recording Academy, he has production credits on over 60 albums. Derek also serves as a board member for the LMH Health Foundation.

Michele received her Master of Accounting and Information Systems from the University of Kansas in 2001. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Kansas Society of CPAs and the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts. She is the past Chair of the Board of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and A past President of Junior Achievement of Douglas County. In 2019, Michele received the KSCPA/AICPA ‘Women to Watch’ Experienced Leader Award.

Karen Willey earned her Ph.D. in Geography from KU before starting and operating several successful businesses in Douglas County. Her latest company, FarmTender, LLC, is producing an online application geared toward expanding regenerative farming practices in Kansas. Currently, Dr. Willey leverages her 25 years of nonprofit board experience through her work as a professional consultant and grant writer with Futureful, a local consulting group serving health, housing, and human services nonprofits, mainly in urban Kansas City. In 2022, she was appointed to fulfill an unexpired term on the Douglas County Commission. Additionally, Dr. Willey serves as the President of BRAC, a local housing nonprofit, as a volunteer firefighter with Willow Springs Fire District, as a member of the NAACP Legal Redress Committee, and in many other community roles.

Douglas Girod, M.D., has been the Chancellor of KU since 2017, where he established a bold vision for the University of Kansas to be a destination for top scholars from across the world, an engine of economic growth for Kansas, and one of the nation’s leading research universities. Chancellor Girod received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of California at Davis and his M.D. from the University of California at San Francisco. He is involved with several other organizations, including as a board member of the AAU, Civic Council of Kansas City, chambers of commerce in Lawrence and Greater Kansas City, and MRI Global. Chancellor Girod was recognized with a Regional Leadership Award from the Mid-America Regional Council in 2016 for his work with KC Rising.

Mike Dever was elected to the Lawrence City Commission in 2023 and serves as Vice Mayor. Mike is the president and CEO of GuideWire Consulting, LLC. He supervises the entire staff and all departmental services and oversees a wide variety of environmental and property assessment services.

Kate Chinn is the chair-elect for The Chamber’s Board of Directors. Kate owns Express Employment Professionals in Lawrence, a leading staffing provider helping job seekers find work with a wide variety of local businesses.

Kerri Johnson manages the Park’s day-to-day operations, including all administrative and front office matters, managing activities, handling scheduling, and working with service providers to maintain and improve building efficiency and Park staff productivity.

Mike Smithyman manages plant operations and construction, handles leasing and related client interfaces, and works with tenants and prospective tenants to meet various business growth, management, and operational needs. He brings years of experience in the commercial real estate industry to the Park. Additionally, Mike tracks and manages the Park’s economic metrics.

Chris Rehkamp is an experienced entrepreneurial ecosystem builder and has supported the launch and growth of new businesses for nearly a decade. An entrepreneur himself, Rehkamp most recently served as associate director of the Technology Venture Studio at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Innovation Center. Chris has a Master of Professional Studies in Technology Entrepreneurship from the University of Maryland. Startland News named him a Community Builder to Watch in 2022.

Lindsey Slater oversees strategic communications for the Park, raising brand awareness to drive business development and expansion while providing support to resident companies. An experienced communications professional with a knack for storytelling, Lindsey highlights the strengths of the Park and its companies through the written word, video and beyond. She most recently was the director of communications and storytelling for the Association of Chamber of Commerce Professionals. She has a journalism degree from Northwestern University's Medill School.

As CEO, Adam Courtney provides strategic and operational leadership of the Park, including overseeing business operations, strategic initiatives and resource management, and fostering the Park’s culture, mission and vision. Adam previously worked for the Federal Housing Finance Agency. He served as the Park’s chief financial officer for ten years before being named CEO and president of the Board in March 2024.