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Oilseed can be used to support regenerative agriculture

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As reported in High Plains Journal Syngenta Seeds, LLC, Downers Grove, Illinois, part of the Syngenta Group, and Sustainable Oils, Inc., Great Falls, Montana, a subsidiary of Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc., have entered into a new agreement.

The agreement is sell camelina sativa (camelina) seed—an ultra-low carbon oilseed crop that can be used as feedstock, an ingredient in sustainable animal feed, or for sustainable aviation fuel and renewable fuels.

The collaboration reflects Syngenta’s commitment to enabling farmers to economically adopt regenerative practices around the world. Camelina can be planted on fallow land or land left idle between crop cycles.

It is valued for its low water usage, quick maturity, and resilient yields. Camelina protects land like a cover crop providing a range of environmental benefits, including soil health and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

By offering farmers a new cash crop in high demand, the commercial partnership promotes a more diverse and resilient agricultural system. That can help deliver direct economic benefits to farmers from their otherwise idle or fallow farm acres.

Camelina seed will be sold through Syngenta’s AgriPro dealer network in a vertical marketing model. Farmers who buy camelina seed will have a harvest purchase contract. There is no marketing risk for the farmer since there is already an integrated value chain model.

In addition, producing camelina is an attractive option, providing farmers with quick soil cover and improved soil structure, without displacing another crop or requiring new equipment.

Camelina seed will be marketed in select areas of western Kansas, Colorado, Montana and the Pacific Northwest. It can be included as a spring crop in a wheat-fallow rotation in Montana and the Pacific Northwest, and as a winter crop in Kansas and Colorado.

2024 wheat crop already faces challenge

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Guest Columnist
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As reported in High Plains Journal on the heels of planting his 2024 wheat crop, western Kansas farmer Ron Suppes lamented a rather bleak future, with equal shares of blame for the weather and politics.

Based in Lane County, with an operation that reaches into Scott and Finney counties, Suppes guessed in early October there was just enough moisture for the crop to emerge and achieve adequate top growth before winter dormancy.

But with a relatively dry subsoil, regular doses of rain will be necessary on the long journey to the early summer 2024 harvest.

“Farmers are hustling right now. They know the moisture is leaving,” he said. “They need to get with it if they’re going to have a stand.”

Many perils await Suppes, a Kansas Wheat commissioner who is on a number of agriculture-related state and federal committees.

Worries include the high cost of inputs—fertilizer, herbicide, insecticide, machinery, interest on operating capital, and inadequate crop insurance coverage—commodity markets, and other global issues.

Price a big unknown

Looking forward, Suppes fears chances are grim for a competitive price when combines begin to whir next summer.

Daniel O’Brien, a Kansas State University Research and Extension agricultural economist, based in Colby, projected the full economic cost breakeven price for a decent wheat harvest next year—with yields of 45 bushels to the acre—at $9.01 a bushel, factoring in the full cost of cash rent and machinery costs. This compares to direct or cash costs—less cash rent and machinery costs—of production at $5.70 per bushel.

The local cash price in Dighton was hovering just below $6 a bushel early this month, Suppes said.

Most farmers make their cropping decisions based on these “direct costs” O’Brien said, which considers fertilizer, seed, fuel, labor and other cash costs, but not cash rent and machinery investments.

In this case, he said direct costs of production for wheat in wheat-summer crop-fallow rotations are estimated to be $5.70 per bushel at the 45-bushel yield level in southwest Kansas.

In comparison to currently available new crop July 2024 wheat bids of $6.29 a bushel offered by local grain elevators on Oct. 4, there would be a profit of 59 cents a bushel over the $5.70 direct cost breakeven, O’Brien said, that would be available to go toward paying cash rents and replacing farm equipment.

“From a long term full economic cost perspective, you would be operating at a loss,” O’Brien said. “That said, in the drought- and weather-challenged areas of western Kansas, our farmers don’t consistently meet the financial goal of covering full economic costs for the crops we grow here.” In this case, to cover total expenses at the $6.29 selling price, farms would need yields of 64-bushel per acre to cover expenses—rather than the 45 bushel per acre average currently estimated in the K-State crop budget.

Other crops in similar straits

Same goes for all major crops—wheat, sorghum, corn, sunflowers, and soybeans.

“All of them would be challenged to cover full economic costs at average yields and current selling prices,” O’Brien said. “That’s what is driving us to fewer, but larger, farms in Kansas and elsewhere. It’s a major problem we have with agriculture in western Kansas, that we have a difficult time covering our true full economic costs with the crops we produce.”

How those facts affect farmers “depends on what value you put on your own income, how leveraged you are in land and equipment, and interest rates, which are not very friendly right now,” Suppes said. “We’ve got a lot of different things going right now, including a global influence. When you’ve got Russia and Ukraine exporting 30% of the wheat in the world, and they don’t care much about the profits they receive, that makes our stuff pretty cheap.”

Export picture

Naomi Blohm sides with Suppes’s concerns. The senior market advisor with Total Farm Marketing expects typical changes to occur this month.

“I can tell you that our exports are only average, as Russia is undercutting wheat prices and is gaining some global business because of that,” Blohm said.

“However, now that wheat prices are so low, I would think that we will see an uptick in U.S. wheat exports, soon.”

Thus, some of the gloom could ease temporarily.

“Seasonally, both Chicago and Kansas City wheat futures prices have a tendency to increase for a few weeks in early October—then fizzle out,” Blohm said.

The war between Russia and Ukraine has played a role in price spikes, Suppes said.

“Every time Russia makes a move into Ukraine, it improves the prices, but when the wheat price is high, inputs follow, and they stay up while the wheat price is falling,” he said. “What I’m concerned about right now is the way Russia is manipulating the price. They flood the market. Part of it could be Ukraine wheat, too.”

Meanwhile, Suppes said, “farmers hear in the news about the aid we’re giving to Ukraine, especially farmers and even shop keepers, and their fertilizer is getting subsidized. That’s a hard pill for us to swallow. We’re not in the best shape either.”

Tim Unruh can be reached at [email protected].

White wheat revival could benefit High Plains growers 

By Tim Unruh 

Ron Suppes favors ramping up production of hard white winter wheat in Kansas, “so we’re not competing so much with Russia.” 

Categorized as “the newest and the smallest class of wheat in the United States,” according to uswheat.org, advantages exist in milling and baking. 

“There is little difference in kernels, with the exception that hard white’s outer covering is thinner, making it more conducive for whole grain,” Suppes said. “The bitterness is less and you’re able to mill the whole kernel. We’re trying to convince the industry.” 

Hard white winter wheat is primarily grown in the central Plains, Montana, Idaho and California—with a heavy smattering in western Kansas, eastern Colorado and southwest Nebraska. 

Domestic production ranged from 0.7 million metric tons in 2021 to 0.5 mmt in 2022, versus 14.1 mmt of hard red winter wheat. 

“Hard white was starting out to be a big deal 30 years ago, but we got our cart in front of the horse, produced a bunch of white wheat and didn’t have much of a market for it,” Suppes said. 

A healthy market for hard white exists today in Nigeria, Taiwan and Mexico, he said, but now there is not enough production in the United States to meet those countries’ needs. 

“We not only have domestic customers for hard white winter wheat, but for years, international buyers have been clamoring for our product. Rather than to continue to lose white wheat acres we need to grasp the situation. This would be possible and is within reach only if all the U.S. wheat industry gets on board,” Suppes said “There is not enough critical mass. Hard white wheat needs its own market on the board of trade. It should be treated as its own commodity.” 

Separating the traditional hard red winter wheat from the hard white winter wheat at the grain elevators proved problematic, he said. Today, the gradual increase in identity-preserved hard white winter wheat is primarily in farmer-owned storage. 

“Elevators are docking (price) for hard white,” Suppes said. “We’re trying to increase the percentage of hard white to have more flexibility. We’ve kind of given that market to Australia, and the other competitor is Canada. 

“If we could turn about a third of Kansas into hard white wheat and a third of Oklahoma and Texas, we could go into a higher end market—Asia. We would get into more markets.” F

Digital Edition 10.25.23

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tammiehoeme
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digital edition

Digital Edition 10.25.23

Lettuce Eat Local: Something’s fishy around here

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tammiehoeme
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Amanda Miller
Columnist
Lettuce Eat Local

 

“One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.” 

Does any parent of small children not know this classic book beginning penned by Dr. Seuss? We go in spells around here of which books make the Top Hits list; newly received or library-borrowed books typically have some period of popularity, and sometimes the sheer ease of reach for books that didn’t get put away yet renders them most likely to be picked again, but other times there seems to be no rhyme or reason for what literature appeals most to Benson at any given time. 

I take that back: sometimes there is rhyme, or at least rhyming cadence, to his best books, and the reason often involves tractors, dinosaurs, or Curious George. This week has been strongly about an old Winnie the Pooh (and Tigger too!) book we found, and if Brian and I have to read it fewer than five times a day currently, we’re winning. Benson also pages through it daily, either “reading” to himself or his baby doll.

A week or two ago, though, we had One Fish Two Fish out in the limelight, probably not unrelated to the fact that Brian was gone for the weekend on a fishing trip with some guys from church. Except for the weekend before, when we were on our anniversary trip, Brian has done nothing but farm for what feels like an inordinate amount of time. He loves fishing and has never done a guided tour like this before, and hasn’t even taken the time for any “regular” fishing for the last several years, so I was very pleased he made it work for him to go. 

His son, however, wasn’t quite so impressed. Benson had a very hard time understanding why he couldn’t go with Daddy, and while we are used to Brian being out of the house from early until late these days, we at least see him for a few minutes here and there. It was a very good reminder of how intentional Brian has been to swing by before he heads to the field or between jobs: a great perk of living right on the farmstead. (Plus, living on the property means I’m the one in Brian’s absence who found myself late at night pushing feed and finding a new baby calf that needed to be fed — which was perfect, just enough to make me feel like a real farmer without having to do any actual work.)

“Train wreck” was the best way to describe Benson’s attitude most of the time Brian was gone, and mine also was starting to deteriorate towards the end; me and this ballooning belly were very ready to have someone else be this feisty two-year-old’s wrestling and blanket-cave-crawling partner. 

Fortunately, Brian’s absence was short, and he brought atonement in the form of fresh striped bass fillets, so we’ve been eating fish even more than we’ve been reading about them. I’ve never had much experience cooking fish, as growing up my Dad didn’t like it and now landlocked Kansas is not the best locale either for price or freshness; but I’m delighted to experiment. I know best pan-frying with cornmeal and creole seasoning, but I tried another very simple pan-frying with just flour and lots of pepper finished with capers and fresh lemon that was fabulous. 

To really venture into new waters, however, I made a Thai-inspired rice and fish dish with ginger and coconut milk. It was nothing like Seuss’s red or blue fish, and it was neither sad nor glad nor bad; it was just fully delicious. We have two more packs of fillets in the freezer, and I’m already looking forward to them. 

Creamy Coconut Rice and Fish Packets

The bass cooked up so flaky and tender, the rice so bright and flavorful. For some reason it feels labor intensive to make foil pouches, especially if I refer to it by the cooking term “en papillote,” but honestly it’s so hands-off and with less clean-up than pan-frying. I used brown rice for its nutty notes and pleasant chew, but white rice would be fine — just note it needs to be cooked before being cooked again with the fish, a detail I almost missed when referencing the initial recipe. You can make these in individual-portion packets (4 or so), or 2 large packets. 

Prep tips: as mentioned, I used striped bass, but any nice white fish fillets should work great. You can substitute soy sauce for the fish sauce…but you shouldn’t. 

⅓ cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar or brown sugar

1 jalapeño, sliced thinly (deseed if desired)

two handfuls of chopped fresh cilantro

1-2 tablespoons fish sauce

1” piece fresh ginger, grated or minced

½ cup canned coconut milk

1 – 1 ½ pounds striped bass fillets

3-4 cups cooked rice

Heat vinegar, sugar, and jalapeño just until sugar is dissolved. Stir in one handful of cilantro and the fish sauce, ginger, and coconut milk. Separately, season fish with salt and pepper. 

Lay out a piece of foil (see note) and mound on some rice. Top with fish, and spoon on sauce. Fold edges of foil up and crimp to seal. Repeat as necessary.

Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes, until fish flakes easily and at least some of the sauce has been soaked up by the rice. Serve with the remaining cilantro and more salt as necessary

 

KU News: KU Alumni Association, Black Alumni Network to honor innovators, emerging leaders

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Guest Columnist
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From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

Headlines

KU Alumni Association, Black Alumni Network to honor alumni leaders and innovators
LAWRENCE — Eleven alumni will receive the University of Kansas Alumni Association’s Black Alumni Network Mike and Joyce Shinn Leaders and Innovators Award for their contributions to the university, their profession and their communities. The recipients will be honored Oct. 26 on the first evening of the network’s biennial reunion, during KU’s Homecoming weekend. The honorees have ties to the Greater Kansas City area, Lawrence and Wichita.

KU Alumni Association, Black Alumni Network celebrate young alumni with Emerging Leaders award
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Alumni Association’s Black Alumni Network will honor seven young alumni for their professional achievements and community service with Emerging Leaders awards at the network’s biennial reunion Oct. 26-28 during Homecoming weekend. The award recipients have ties to the Greater Kansas City area, Lawrence and Topeka.

Full stories below.

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Contact: Jennifer Sanner, KU Alumni Association, 785-864-9782, [email protected]; @KUAlumni
KU Alumni Association, Black Alumni Network to honor alumni leaders and innovators
LAWRENCE — Eleven alumni will receive the University of Kansas Alumni Association’s Black Alumni Network Mike and Joyce Shinn Leaders and Innovators Award for their contributions to the university, their profession and their communities. The award is named for the late Mike Shinn, a 1966 School of Engineering alumnus, who helped found the Black Alumni Network and the Leaders and Innovators Project, and his wife, Joyce.
The 11 recipients will be honored Oct. 26 on the first evening of the network’s biennial reunion, during KU’s Homecoming weekend:
• Maj. Gen. Kevin Admiral, Fort Cavazos, Texas, who earned his bachelor’s degree in cellular biology in 1994;
• Val Brown Jr., Wichita, who completed his bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1975 and graduated from the KU School of Medicine in 1979;
• J. Erik Dickinson, Kansas City, Missouri, who earned his bachelor’s degree in personnel administration in 1991;
• Jarius Jones, Kansas City, Kansas, who earned his mathematics education degree in 1999 and his doctorate in education in 2019;
• Ngondi Kamatuka, Lawrence, who earned his master’s degree in higher education in 1983 and in 1987 completed his doctorate in educational evaluation;
• Jerrihlyn Miller McGee, Kansas City, Kansas, who completed her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2002, her master’s in nursing and organizational leadership in 2005 and her doctorate in nursing practice in 2015;
• Col. Robin Montgomery, Valrico, Florida, who earned his master’s in public administration in 2010;
• Milt Newton, Minnetonka, Minnesota, who earned his education degree in 1989 and his master’s degree in education in 1993;
• Loleta Robinson, Wilmington, North Carolina, who completed her microbiology degree in 1993 and graduated from the KU School of Medicine in 1999;
• Reuben Shelton, Chesterfield, Missouri, a 1978 journalism graduate;
• Brenda Marzett Vann, Kansas City, Kansas, who earned her speech pathology education degree in 1971 and her master’s in speech pathology in 1972;

Maj. Gen. Kevin Admiral
Admiral commands the U.S. Army’s largest and most modern armored division, the historic 1st Cavalry Division, with over 21,000 soldiers stationed at Fort Cavazos, Texas. He previously served in the Pentagon as the Army’s director of force management. He has earned numerous military honors, including the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, four Bronze Star medals, the Purple Heart, seven Meritorious Service medals, an Army Commendation Medal and four Army Achievement medals.

Admiral commissioned from the KU Army ROTC program as an active-duty armor officer. He holds a master’s degree from the National Defense University’s Joint Advanced Warfighting School, and he is a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies in London.

Val Brown Jr.
Brown, a third-generation Wichita physician, was one of the first two African American students to graduate from the KU School of Medicine’s Wichita campus. Although he retired from his private internal medicine practice in 2016, he continued to work in emergency rooms. He also served for 18 years as volunteer medical director for the EC Tyree Health and Dental Clinic at St. Mark United Methodist Church.

He has served on the boards of Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the Urban League, and the city and county health departments. He also mentored numerous students. For his community service, he received the Golden Eagle Award from Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, the NAACP Community Service Award, and the Urban News Best Doctor and Best Health Care Provider awards.

J. Erik Dickinson
Dickinson is president of the Urban Ranger Corps, a youth development agency founded in 2003. He previously served as director of the Boy Scouts of America: Heart of America Council and executive director of the Cleaver Family/Linwood Centers YMCA of Greater Kansas City.

His community involvement includes the Kansas City-Plaza Rotary Club, which he led as president in 2020. He was appointed to the Public Improvements advisory committee and the Housing Trust Fund advisory board of Kansas City, Missouri. He is currently president of the Kansas City, Missouri, alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.

Jarius Jones
Jones directs classified human resources for the Shawnee Mission School District. He previously served as principal of Center Middle School and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Kansas City, Missouri, where he also was vice principal of Northeast High School. In 2001, he was among the first Kansas City Teaching Fellows, which led to his seven-year tenure as a teacher at Wyandotte High School in his native Kansas City, Kansas. A graduate of Schlagle High School, he was inducted into the school district’s Reasons to Believe Alumni Honor Roll.

Jones is a board member of the Start a Smile Foundation, the Pentecostal Church of God in Christ and The Good Work. He previously served on the Kansas National Education Association board and on several Kansas Department of Education committees. In 2017, the Friends of Yates named him a Black Man of Distinction.

Ngondi Kamatuka
Kamatuka is the assistant dean for diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging in the KU School of Education & Human Sciences, where he has taught for 15 years. He also directs KU’s Achievement & Assessment Institute’s Center for Educational Opportunity Programs. He earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Tabor College in Hillsboro.

He served as president of the Mid-America Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel and chair of the Council for Opportunity in Education. Through the University of Liverpool, he advised the European Commission’s Science in Society Catalyst project at universities in Austria, Germany and Slovakia. His KU honors include Unclassified Employee of the Year, the School of Education & Human Sciences Achievement Award for Professional Staff and the Phi Delta Kappa chapter’s Outstanding Educator Award. He also received the Council for Opportunity in Education’s Walter O. Mason Award.

Jerrihlyn Miller McGee
McGee is a nurse and clinical associate professor in the KU School of Nursing. She also is the inaugural vice chancellor for diversity, equity & inclusion and the chief diversity officer for KU Medical Center’s three campuses in Kansas City, Salina and Wichita. Before earning her three KU degrees, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University in New Orleans.

Her scholarly work has focused on civility, healthy work environment, cultural intelligence, emotional intelligence, underrepresented students’ perceptions of nursing as a career, perceptions of health in urban settings, health and educational equity, and professional development. She facilitates seminars, webinars and workshops in Kansas City as well as nationally and internationally. She co-wrote the 2019 State of Black Kansas City report and has published numerous other peer-reviewed journal articles.

Col. Robin Montgomery
Montgomery is chief of strategic plans and policy for the U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. He also has served the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon and the Allied joint headquarters of NATO in Naples, Italy. He has played a pivotal role in shaping contemporary military force dynamics and foreign policy frameworks.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in zoology from the University of Washington before completing his KU master’s degree. He also graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth and the U.S. Army War College, where he served as a national security fellow at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Milt Newton
Newton is assistant general manager of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and previously served as an executive for the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Washington Wizards. He also helped establish the NBA Developmental League and was assistant director for the USA Basketball Men’s National Team. As a Jayhawk, he was a starter on KU’s 1988 NCAA national championship team and captain of the 1989 team.

He was a member of the NBA’s “Basketball Without Borders” delegation that held clinics in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Dakar, Senegal. In Washington, D.C., he volunteered as a mentor for adolescents through the National Center for Children and Families, and he serves on a committee that provides college scholarships for students at his alma mater, Calvin Coolidge Sr. High School. Newton grew up in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he helped create the Emerald Gems Foundation Inc. to benefit teenagers. The government renamed the playground of his youth as the Milton M. Newton Recreational Park.

Loleta Robinson
Robinson is president and CEO of Fortis Industries, providing investment insights and strategic guidance to venture capital firms. She formerly held leadership positions at Thermo Electron Corp and MedImmune Vaccines, and she served as an entrepreneur in residence at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska and the National Institutes of Health. While at the NIH, she supported the development of rapid COVID tests. As a co-founder and chief medical officer at Syan Biosciences, she helped develop a new point-of-care diagnostic test for underserved populations.

In addition to her KU degrees, she holds a master’s in business and health administration from the University of Colorado Denver and a certificate in venture capital finance from the University of California-Berkeley School of Law. She has served on advisory boards for the KU School of Medicine, the University of North Carolina department of digital health, the Springboard Enterprises Life Sciences Council and several startup companies.

Reuben Shelton
Shelton earned a law degree from St. Louis University and a master’s in business administration from Washington University in St. Louis. He retired as lead litigation counsel for Monsanto Co. Before Monsanto, he was special chief counsel in the Office for the Missouri Attorney General, where he co-led the state’s lawsuit against the tobacco industry, which resulted in a $6.7 billion settlement for Missouri, the largest in state history.

Shelton recently concluded his term as the international president of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. after serving on the board for 16 years. He also has served on the boards of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, the NAACP and the Fathers & Families Support Center, as well as the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Development Board and the St. Louis University Board of Regents. His numerous awards include St. Louis University Law School’s Order of the Fleur de Lis Hall of Fame, the highest honor the school bestows.

Brenda Marzett Vann
Vann is a retired speech-language pathologist and educator. She began her career at KU as assistant director of Supportive Educational Services and director of Urban Affairs, now known as the Office of Multicultural Affairs. As SES director, she helped obtain the first federal grant for the program. She later became coordinator of speech, occupational and physical therapy for the Kansas City Public Schools in Missouri and a faculty member at Rockhurst University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

She received the American Cancer Society’s Outstanding Volunteer Award and the Terese Lasser Award, the highest honor for service to the Reach for Recovery Program. As a longtime volunteer for the KU Black Alumni Network and the KU Alumni Association, she served on the association’s national board of directors from 2010 to 2015. She received the association’s Mildred Clodfelter Alumni Award in 2009 and the Black Alumni Network’s Distinguished Service Award in 2015. She continues to advocate for KU as a member of the association’s Jayhawks for Higher Education, and she co-chairs KU Endowment’s Women Philanthropists for KU.

Since 2006, the Black Alumni Network has honored 94 Leaders and Innovators. For information about the network and the 2023 Reunion Weekend Oct. 26-28, visit kualumni.org/ban.

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Contact: Jennifer Sanner, KU Alumni Association, 785-864-9782, [email protected]; @KUAlumni
KU Alumni Association, Black Alumni Network celebrate young alumni with Emerging Leaders award

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Alumni Association’s Black Alumni Network will honor seven young alumni for their professional achievements and community service.

Seven Jayhawks will receive the inaugural Emerging Leaders awards at the network’s biennial reunion Oct. 26-28 during Homecoming weekend:

• Steven Johnson Jr., Lawrence, who earned his doctorate in educational leadership & policy in 2022;
• Olivia Jones, Lawrence, a 2022 psychology and applied behavioral science graduate who is now a second-year doctoral student in counseling psychology;
• Chanté Martin, Phoenix, who earned her master’s in public administration in 2018;
• Whitney Morgan, Kansas City, Missouri, a 2011 architecture graduate who earned his master’s in urban planning in 2013;
• Stanton Parker II, Kansas City, Missouri, a 2012 graduate in accounting;
• Keon Stowers, Lawrence, who earned his sociology degree in 2015;
• Derrick Williams, New Orleans, a 2017 business graduate.

Steven Johnson Jr.
Johnson currently serves as the interim director of KU’s Student Involvement & Leadership Center and the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life, roles he has added to his responsibilities in the School of Business, where he is assistant dean of diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging. He’s also involved in the American College Personnel Association as past chair of the Pan African Network. He earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering at Iowa State University and his master’s in student affairs administration at Michigan State University before completing his KU doctorate.

Olivia Jones
Jones works as a graduate research assistant for the Juniper Gardens Children’s Project in Kansas City. As an undergraduate, she was a Ronald F. McNair Scholar, and she received an Undergraduate Research Award for her work titled “Cross-Cultural Code-Switching: Its Relationship to Black Americans’ Adaptability and Identity.” As a member of the Applied Masculinities and Positive Psychology lab, she hopes to pursue research that uses positive psychology principles to create a more inclusive and accessible therapy culture for marginalized people, specifically for Black men.

Chanté Martin
Martin directs strategic partnerships for Polco, a company focused on elevating the voice of community members in government decision-making. She grew up in Topeka and rural Arizona and now lives in Phoenix. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Washburn University before completing her KU master’s in public administration. She is the incoming president of the Kansas University City Managers and Trainees Alumni Organization, and she previously worked in local governments in Minnesota and Texas.

Whitney Morgan
Morgan works for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, where he is the civil rights program manager and the liaison to the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program. He previously served as a transportation planner at the Mid-America Regional Council. He is the immediate past president of the Kansas City chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, and he received the 2020 Rev. Jerry Moore President’s Leadership Award.

Stanton Parker II
Parker is a certified information systems auditor and director of internal audit for MacroSource. In addition to his full-time role, he provides accounting services to entrepreneurs and other business owners. A Kansas City, Kansas, native, he is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and served in leadership roles for the organization as a student and an alumnus, including undergraduate grand board member and undergraduate chapter adviser.

Keon Stowers
Stowers is an associate development director for KU Endowment, where he assists the KU Alumni Association in cultivating major gifts, including the commitments that funded the $29.5 million Jayhawk Welcome Center and Adams Alumni Center renovation. He previously worked for the association as assistant director of student programs, helping the Student Alumni Network become the largest organization of its kind in the Big 12. He began his career with KU Admissions, recruiting first-generation students and those from underrepresented groups. As a student-athlete, he led the Kansas football team as captain during the 2013 and ’14 seasons. He serves on the board for K-Club and is the finance and fundraising chair for the Black Alumni Network. In addition, he is a board member of Special Olympics Kansas and the American Red Cross Lawrence chapter.

Derrick Williams
Williams is a wealth manager and financial planner for Creative Planning in New Orleans. He recently obtained his certified financial planner designation; only 1.9% of these professionals are Black. As a KU student, he was a Multicultural Scholar, and he tutored student-athletes. He began his career at Renaissance Financial before moving to Morgan Stanley and U.S. Bank. He now offers guidance on various financial topics through a monthly broadcast segment on WWL-TV in New Orleans, and he is involved in Pathway Education, providing financial education for underrepresented communities. He is treasurer of the Black Sports Professionals New Orleans chapter.

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KU News Service
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Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

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