Meet Your Board Members

If you have questions or comments regarding Board members or policy, you may email Leslie Smith, Clerk of the Board.

Randy Lopez

Board President

Randy Lopez currently serves as Vice President of Community Programs for the Wyandotte Health Foundation in Kansas City, KS. He is responsible for program development and grants administration in the Foundation's funding priority areas of Primary Care, and Early Childhood Trauma, as well as for special initiatives. In addition to grant-making, Lopez plays an important role in increasing collaborative partnerships as well as community awareness and engagement.

Randy currently serves on the Boards of the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Development Fund, The United Way of Wyandotte County, Central Avenue Betterment Association, the Children's Campus of Kansas City, and Vibrant Health Wyandotte Neighborhood Clinics Advisory Board. Lopez has also served on the board of the REACH Healthcare Foundation in Kansas City, serving on the executive committee and chair of the Program and Policy Committee.

Randy was named the 2018 NFL & Kansas City Chiefs Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award and in April of 2019 was presented the Champion of Character certificate by the Office of the Governor's Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission. Lopez was selected to The Funders Network National 2018 PLACES Fellowship, a yearlong journey to incorporate the values of racial, social and economic equity into the workplace.

A son of Mexican immigrants, Lopez was born and raised in Kansas City, KS, graduated from Sumner Academy of Arts & Science, and earned his undergraduate degree from Rockhurst University. Later, Randy was selected into the National Urban Fellows Program where he received a Master of Public Administration from the Baruch College, including time as a fellow with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Contact Randy Lopez.
Term Began: 01/9/2024
Term Ends: January 2028

 

Rachel Russell

Board Vice-President

Rachel Russell is a fierce and fun non-profit professional with a strong dedication to volunteerism and service in both her professional and personal life. Rachel currently serves as the Director of Community Engagement for Cross-Lines Community Outreach where she is responsible for community partnerships and collaborations that benefit the organization and Wyandotte County as a whole. As a strong advocate for parent and community engagement, she looks forward to identifying ways to create a stronger and better school-community-parent partnership as we achieve excellence for every child. 

Ms. Russell is the proud mother of 3 beautiful children, Kaiya, Halle, and Josiah. She and her children currently reside in the Rosedale Community. Rachel is the daughter of Kipchoge and Lisa VanHoose. Rachel is the oldest of her siblings, Raven, Kiah, and Kipchoge Jr.  

 Born in Little Rock Arkansas, relocating to Kansas City KS in 1999, and graduating from Piper High School in 2007. Rachel has been active member in many local and statewide community groups with most of her experience serving in many capacities for the local, district, and state PTA. She also serves in a leadership role for the following civic groups: Our Spot KC, STEM-Connect KC, COVID-19 Regional Response and Recovery Fund, and the KC Chamber of Commerce Steering Committee. Rachel is 2022 Kauffman Education Fellow and a graduate of the Inaugural Parent Leadership Training Institute-KC Class. 

What does Rachel love most about Kansas City KS Public Schools? “I appreciate the diversity that our district has and the opportunity to see that diversity and culture displayed in each of our buildings uniquely.”  

Contact Rachel Russell.
Term Began: 01/11/2022
Term Ends: January 2026

 

Yolanda Clark

Ms. Clark is a lifelong resident of Wyandotte County, and has been in the financial industry over 20 years, specifically with Commerce Bank for the last 14 years. Ms. Clark manages staff of various levels, establishes and implements procedures to enhance quality assurance, spearheads and participates in various mentoring initiatives, specializes in career development, and directionally manages based upon proactive and reactive situations.

Ms. Clark is also the Chair of Inclusion and Diversity Council, a mentor to several, a life member of a Roswell Church of Christ, and works with our youth in a variety of capacities. She attended White Church Elementary, Eisenhower Middle and Washington High School (Class of 1995). She received her Associates from KCKCC, her Bachelors from Friends University, and graduated from the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative (2018).

Ms. Clark is married to Donnie Clark, Jr. and has 3 children; one child is currently serving in the Navy and two students in the district. She is the daughter of Randy and Linda George has one brother and both a niece and a nephew.

What does she love most about Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools? "Our students,  staff and families. Being a lifelong resident of Wyandotte County, I enjoy making the family connections."
Yolanda is a firm believer in the quote to "to whom much is given, much is required."

"I believe in the power of our community and want to see every student leverage and benefit from what is offered."

Contact Yolanda Clark.
Term Began: 01/9/2024
Term Ends: January 2028

 

Maxine Drew

Maxine Drew prides herself on being a spiritual person who listens, learns and always tries to do her best.

She retired from the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS) after 35 years of service. Thirty-four of her years with KCKPS, she was employed as a social studies teacher, teaching one year at Eisenhower Middle School and 33 years at West Middle School. Her first year with the district, she served as a paraprofessional at Coronado Middle School.

While at the school district, she was heavily involved in the family advocacy program working with parents to set goals for the academic and emotional success of their children. She trained in the Behavior Intervention Support Team program to implement behavioral changes for middle school students and also trained as an instructional coach.

Since retiring from KCKPS, she devotes most of her time to serving as secretary and church clerk at New Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. Vernon DeBose, Jr. In this role, she keeps records of meetings, calendar dates and functions of the church, as well as creates, designs and maintains the church bulletin for Sunday morning services.

A lifelong resident of Kansas City, Kansas, she loves the family connection exemplified by residents. My mother taught us family means everything. I see the family concept connection always wherever I go in Kansas City, Kansas.

A 1971 graduate of Sumner High School, she attended Northeast Junior High School, Douglass, Grant, Stowe, Kealing and Abbott Elementary schools. She has a master's degree in teaching curriculum & instruction, and a bachelor's degree in history from Park University, Parkville, Missouri. She also attended Kansas City Community Junior College.

She is the recipient of the Office Max Star Teacher Award in 2011 and the Friends of Yates Black Men & Women of Distinction honor in 2010.

What does she love most about Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools? "I have always loved seeing the look on the students faces when they make the connection between knowing and understanding what is being taught to them," she said.

She has passed her love of KCKPS and the teaching profession to her son, Jason L. Drew, who is currently teaching at Wyandotte High School.

Contact Maxine Drew.
Term Began: 01/9/2018
Term Ends: January 2026

 

Reverend Robert L. Milan, Jr.

Robert L. Milan, Jr. was born in Kansas City, Kansas to Robert L. Milan, Sr. and Ruth Lorene Stewart-Milan.  He is a 1970 graduate of Southeast High School, Kansas City, MO, where he participated in numerous school activities.  He also attended Douglass Elementary and Northeast Junior High School, Kansas City, KS. After high school, he became involved in organized children’s and adult community sports.  For his athletic ability, he was recognized by the City Coaches Association as an All-City Football Player in 1970.

A member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, he attended Emporia State University majoring in Economics and later joined the United States Army and graduated from the U. S. School of Finance. Upon returning home from the Army, he coached Little League Football at Douglass Elementary School in Kansas City, KS for fifth and sixth grade students from 1975 to 1979.

Some accomplishments include:

• Kansas State High School Official in football and basketball

• First African American to host a local radio program in Emporia, KS (Station 1380 KVOE)

• Recognized in the Bowlers Hall of Fame, St. Louis, MO (three perfect bowling scores of 300)

He is married to Minnie Mitchell-Milan of 43 years, and they have five children.  After 30 years of employment from 1976 to 2006, he retired from the federal government (Social Security Administration).

He accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior at the age of ten.  Early in his Christian life, he attended Mason Memorial United Methodist Church, Kansas City, KS.  He was a member of the Young Adult Choir, Usher Board and President of the Pastor Parrish Committee.

In November of 1993, he accepted his calling to preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He received his preaching license from the Southern Baptist Association in 1995 and was an Associate Minister at New Horizons Baptist Church from 1995 to 1998. Ordained in May 2000, the Greater Faith Missionary Baptist Church in Kansas City, KS unanimously voted to accept Reverend Milan as Pastor in October of 2000. He received theological education from Carver Baptist Bible Institute, Kansas City, MO.; Certification in Christian Counseling; Outreach in Pastoral Studies and Leadership from the Urban Alternative, Dallas, TX, 2023-2024.  He received a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies from Andersonville Theological Seminary, Camilla, GA in 2005 and is currently seeking a master’s degree.

Ministry and Civic Involvement

2023 -- Present Treasurer – Kansas City, KS Baptist Ministers Union

2018 – Present  Member of the Executive Board – Shepherd’s Center (Services for Senior Citizens)

2016 - Present   Certified Instructor – National Baptist Convention USA, Inc.

2022 – 2023      President – Minister’s Council Missionary Baptist State Convention of Kansas

2017 – 2022      First Vice President – Missionary Baptist State Convention of Kansas

2012 – 2014      President of Baptist Ministers Union of Kansas City, Kansas

2011 – 2013      Executive Board NAACP Wyandotte County Branch

2010 – 2011      Chairman of Civil Rights/Political Action Committee & Missionary Baptist State Convention of Kansas

2010 – 2011      Treasurer - Kaw Valley District Association

We cannot always build a future for our students, but we can always build our students for the future. Education is our greatest opportunity to give a permanent gift to the next generation.

Contact Robert Milan, Jr.
Term began: 1/9/2024
Term ends: January 2028

 

Wanda Kay Paige

Wanda Kay Paige attributes her personal and professional success to focusing on family and community.

She is a retired social studies teacher with 30 years of service to the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS). She was a teacher at Argentine Middle School for 24 years, Coronado Middle School for one year and at Central Middle School for five years. During the majority of her tenure with the school district, she taught the subjects of World History, Geography, Kansas History and American History.

Before retiring from KCKPS in May 2012, she was responsible for several tasks both inside and outside the classroom that included:

• tutoring students before and after school,

• serving as an advisor for the Peer Mentoring Program,

• coaching basketball, track and volleyball teams,

• sponsoring Cinco De Mayo, Black History Month, Women's History Month and Asian History Month activities,

• participating on the Teacher's Social Committee, and

• working with the Book Club.

A lifelong resident of Kansas City, Kansas, she has lived in the community for more than 61 years, where she loves the people and the entertainment aspects of the city.

She is a 1974 graduate of Wyandotte High School and a former student at Hawthorne Elementary School and Northwest Middle School. Paige has a master's degree in teaching social studies and a bachelor's degree in history from Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa. She has also completed adult education courses at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and English as a Second Language courses at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.

She is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., Heart of America Sisterhood, Inc., and Tabernacle Baptist Church.

She is the recipient of several awards over the years including:

• • Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Royal Leadership Award, 2017 & 2008; The Mentorship Award, 2010; and Kansas Educator Award, 2012

  • YWCA, Woman of Distinction Award, 2016

  • Oldies 95  Teacher of the Year, 1997 - 1998

  • University of Wisconsin, Minority Student of the Year, 1980

• Simpson College, George Washington Carver Award, 1976; and Concerned Minority Student Award, 1977

Paige is the daughter of Eddie and Aser Lee Brownlee. She has four brothers, four sisters and a host of nieces and nephews.

What does she love most about the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools? "I love the children, teachers and parents," she said.

Contact Wanda Paige.
Term Began: 01/9/2018
Term Ends: January 2026

 

Dr. Valdenia Winn

Dr. Valdenia C. Winn (Persley) is a member of USD 500 Board of Education, the 34th District Kansas State House of Representative, a Kansas City Kansas Community College history professor and a community volunteer.

In April 2015, Dr. Winn was elected to the USD 500 Board of Education, Kansas City, Kansas for a four-year term. Dr. Winn works tirelessly to promote, support and strengthen K-12 education for all students. Furthermore, she is also committed to helping the Administration, faculty and staff navigate the Kansas School finance formula.

Since earning her PhD in History and International Relations from the University of Kansas in 1993, Dr. Winn has been involved in the Greater Kansas City community serving on numerous community neighborhood associations and until recently coordinated an after-school computer/tutorial lab for K-12 students residing in northeast Kansas City, Kansas. Currently, she serves on the Board of the Greater Kansas City Women's Political Caucus.

Dr. Winn has been a Professor of history at Kansas City Kansas Community College for over four decades. Her specialty is Twentieth-Century United States History and African American History.

In 1999, she received the prestigious Fulbright-Hayes Group Projects Study Abroad Award sponsored by the United States Department of Education. As director of 16 secondary education/university faculty, she led the curriculum development team as they conducted research for six weeks at the universities in Dakar, Senegal and St. Louis, Senegal (West Africa). Upon return to Kansas City, each member presented workshops throughout the Kansas City metro area and developed curriculum that infused concepts of West African history and culture into the core curriculum in their respective disciplines.

Currently, Representative Winn is completing her 10th term in the Kansas House of Representatives, serving the citizens of the 34th District, Kansas City, Kansas. Rep. Winn serves as Assistant Minority Leader of the House Democrats, the Ranking Democrat on K-12 Education Budget Committee, a member of the Capital Preservation Committee; and a member of the Children's Cabinet and Trust Fund. One of her legislative successes was securing the passage of SB 54. SB 54 (2011 session) commissioned a mural commemorating Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, et al. for the walls of the newly remodeled Kansas State Capital. The House leadership objected, and the bill was stalled. It was only because of Rep. Winn's tenacity and knowledge of House rules that SB 54 passed the House and was later signed into law. When appointed as chairperson of the Capital Preservation Committee by then Governor Mark Parkinson, Rep. Winn became the first African American female member of the Minority Party (Democrat) to serve as chairperson of a Legislative Committee. While no longer the chairperson, Rep. Winn still serves as a member of the Capital Preservation Committee. Since May 2018 the mural commemorating Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, et al is showcased on the 3rd floor of the Kansas State Capital.

In 2017, Rep. Winn, along with a fellow representative, designed curriculum for a Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Summer Seminar, held at Washburn University. Focused on "teaching the trainer," 2019 marked the second year that the Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Seminar was offered to K-12 teachers of Kansas. The Seminar is sanctioned by the Kansas State Board of Education as well as the Kansas State Department of Education. Upon completion of the seminar the participants will be certified to facilitate training of other K-12 teachers in culturally relevant pedagogy.

In her spare time, Valdenia and her husband Keith Persley enjoy sporting events and traveling throughout the United States and internationally.

Contact Dr. Valdenia Winn.
Term Began: 1/9/2024
Term Ends: January 2028