LEADERSHIP
Club directors, which are drawn from our membership, provide general and active control of the Club’s business. Their primary responsibilities are setting the Club’s strategic direction, assisting and overseeing the development of each year’s calendar of programs, recruiting new members, and providing financial oversight. The president and executive director, who also serves as a Club director, directs and implements programs and activities approved by the board.
Mark Bluhm
Partner
Lathrop GPM LLP
Mark Bluhm is a partner at Lathrop GPM LLP. He has been with that law firm and its legacy firms since receiving his degree in Economics from Stanford University and his Juris Doctor and Masters in Business Administration from Washington University. Mark is a Chambers-rated business lawyer who represents clients in acquisitions, divestitures and strategic alliances.
He has served as the Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Marketing Partner of Lathrop Gage LLP (now Lathrop GPM) and on its Executive Committee. Mark was a co-founder of a startup healthcare company and served on the Board of Directors of a bank for 25 years and on the Boards of Directors on several nonprofit organizations.
ChairPamela Breuckmann
President and Chief Executive Officer
Ferrell Capital
In leading Ferrell Capital, a privately held, diversified holding company with investments in real estate, private equity and other assets owned by the Ferrell family (Ferrellgas), Pam's efforts are focused on carrying out the Family's long-term strategic plan, sourcing and developing new investments opportunities and guiding existing business investments. Prior to becoming the President & CEO of Ferrell Capital, she was the Chief Financial Officer at Ferrell Capital.
Ms. Breuckmann also actively serves on the Board of Directors of Ferrellgas, Inc. which is the General Partner of Ferrellgas Partners, L.P. (NYSE: FGP). Ms. Breuckmann also is an Advisory Board Member and Manager for Challenger Sports and Challenger Teamwear.
Previously she has held financially focused roles including: President and Chief Operating Officer of Samson Capital Management; Board of Directors Member and Executive Loan Committee Member of KCB Bank; Chief Financial Officer of a $500 million loan portfolio specialty finance company; Vice President of Finance for the publicly traded financial services company parent; and Accounting Director and Accounting Manager at Kansas City Life Insurance Company. Ms. Breuckmann started her career in 1998 at Deloitte & Touche, LLP as an auditor.
Ms. Breuckmann graduated from the University of Kansas with Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Administration and Accounting. She also holds a Master of Accounting and Information Systems degree from the University of Kansas and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Ms. Breuckmann was named as one of Kansas City Business Journal's 2014 Women Who Mean Business and as one of Ingram's 2016 We-KC (Women Executives Kansas City) honorees. Since 2015, she has also served on the Board of Directors for the Economic Club of Kansas City, serving as Chairman of the Board since 2016. In addition to her career contributions, she is passionate about the Women's Employment Network (WEN) organization in Kansas City, serving on the Board of Directors and the Finance Committee 2009-2017. Outside the office, Ms. Breuckmann enjoys spending time with her two young boys, Oliver and Davis.
Esther George
Former President and Chief Executive Officer
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Esther George served as president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 2011 - 2023, when she faced mandatory retirement from the Federal Reserve. As the ninth president of the Kansas City Federal Reserve, she led a workforce of close to 2,000 employees in the Kansas City headquarters and its branch offices in Omaha, Denver and Oklahoma City.
The Kansas City Fed is responsible for conducting monetary policy, providing financial services to depository institutions and the U.S. Treasury, and supervising nearly 1,000 banking organizations within the Tenth Federal Reserve District, a seven-state region that includes western Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming and northern New Mexico.
As the region's representative on the Federal Open Market Committee in Washington, President George participated in monetary policy deliberations and provided a perspective based on three decades of experience as a banking supervisor. Regular contacts with the region's business leaders, workers, financial institutions and community leaders shaped her policy views.
President George also led the development of the FedNow Service, which provided financial institutions with the ability to settle payments in real-time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition, she hosted the annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium in Wyoming, which continues to bring together international central bankers, researchers and policymakers to discuss issues affecting the global economy.
She is a native of Missouri.
Wendy Guillies
FORMER President and Chief Executive Officer
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Wendy led the Foundation's work to boost student achievement in the Kansas City region and to accelerate entrepreneurship across the country. With more than $2.5B in assets, the Kauffman Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. The Foundation approaches its work from the middle of the country with a solid Midwest mindset – working to build practical and workable solutions to today's challenges. Before becoming CEO, she played an instrumental role in building the Foundation's local, national and global reputation as a thought leader and innovator in its fields. Wendy worked at the Foundation since early 2000 and was named President and CEO in 2015.
Wendy has deep expertise in communications, marketing, organizational development and talent management. She serves on the boards of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, KCSourcelink, MRI Global, Folience and the Enterprise Bank Advisory Board. The Kansas City Business Journal has named her to the Power 100 list since 2016, and TechWeek KC named her to the Tech 100 list. She was also selected for the 2017 class of the KC Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business.
Wendy is a native of Kansas City, Kansas and a graduate of the University of Nebraska, but don't hold that against her. She currently lives in Overland Park, Kansas, where she and her husband are the proud parents of five daughters, three of whom are of the four-legged variety.
Brian Klaas
Dean, Henry W. Bloch School of Management
University of Missouri—Kansas City
Brian joined the Bloch School of Management as Dean in June 2017. Since coming on board with Bloch, Klaas has been focused on ways to grow the Bloch School's awareness and engagement in the Kansas City metro. His key initiatives include modernizing the Professional MBA program, increasing overall enrollment and elevating the Bloch School brand.
Klaas most recently served as Senior Associate Dean for Research and Academics and Director of the Riegel & Emory Human Resource Center at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. Klaas is also a Professor of Management and previously served as Chair of the Department of Management and Faculty Director for the Master of Human Resource program. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Illinois State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin.
Klaas has published extensively in such areas as human resources, dispute resolution and labor relations. His work has been published in some of the leading journals in his field, including Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology and Human Resource Management, among others. He also has served on the editorial boards for a number of these journals and has had his research funded by organizations such as the Society for Human Resource Management, the Upjohn Institute and the Gevity Institute.
Jeanette Hernandez Prenger
Founder, CEO and President
ECCO Select
Jeanette Hernandez Prenger serves as the Founder, CEO and President of ECCO Select. She leads one of the Top Hispanic businesses in the country, with over 500 employees serving clients across North America. ECCO Select is a talent acquisition and consulting company, specializing in providing people, process and technology solutions.
She leverages her expertise in quickly assessing situations, identifying issues and developing the right solutions to help businesses strengthen operations, revenue, profitability and competitive advantages. Jeanette has put these skills into practice at ECCO Select since 1995. Beginning with a single client, ECCO Select has grown into a leading provider of technology talent for Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies, with offices in Kansas City, MO, Washington, D.C., and St. Louis, MO.
Jeanette advocates for business and economic growth through her leadership and involvement in organizations around the country. She serves on the national boards of The Latino Coalition (Chair), Junior Achievement USA, Boy Scouts of America, Women Impacting Public Policy and Orphaned Starfish Foundation, as well those closer to home – Missouri Tourism Commission (commissioner), Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association (Visit KC, Chair), the American Royal, Police Foundation, the Heart of America Council of Boy Scouts, Command and General Staff College Foundation, and Park University (Immediate Past Chair). She is a former chair of the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and former vice chair of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC).
Follow Jeanette Prenger: www.linkedin.com/in/jprenger
Follow ECCO Select:
www.linkedin.com/company/ecco-select
Chad Rock
Managing Director, Commercial Banking
BMO Harris Bank, Kansas City
Chad has over 19 years of banking experience and during that time has worked with companies in numerous industries across the Midwest. His particular area of emphasis is helping companies with financing needs driven by M&A transactions, succession planning, and business growth. He currently oversees a team of bankers that work with middle market and mid corporate companies in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas and the surrounding areas. Chad currently serves on the board of The Children's Place, the Association for Corporate Growth, and the Economic Club. He and his wife Tracy, and their two sons, Landon and Graham, reside in Overland Park, KS.
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President & Executive DirectorAmy Hawley Rose
The Economic Club of Kansas City
Amy is an Emmy Award winning broadcast journalist. She’s spent more than 20 years anchoring and reporting as a television journalist. She’s covered politics, high profile court cases and investigative reporting. Her reports have aired both in local and national newscasts. She earned both broadcast journalism and political science degrees from the University of Kansas. Amy is married to a Kansas City aerospace manufacturer. They have four children.
Jeff Stanton
President & COO of Labconco Corporation
Jeff Stanton is President & COO of Labconco Corporation, a privately held manufacturer of Laboratory Equipment operating in Kansas City since 1925. Jeff’s formal training was in accounting and finance, earning a BS in Accounting from the University of Kansas before starting a career in 1985 at Arthur Andersen & Co. He worked at Andersen for seven years as a CPA in the firm’s Tax division before accepting a position at Labconco, which had been one of his clients for many years. Roles Jeff has held at Labconco include Director of Accounting & Finance, VP Finance, and Executive Vice President prior to being named President in 2021.
Jeff has been active in the laboratory products industry and currently serves as a director on the board of the Laboratory Products Association, the industry’s largest trade association. He served as a director for Alterra Bank, in Leawood, KS from 2011 - 2017 until it was acquired by First Business Bank (Nasdaq: FBIZ) in 2014 and eventually merged into FBIZ in 2017. Jeff has been actively involved with several outside interests, including his church, the National Kidney Foundation, home projects, and all things Jayhawk. However, his passion has been working at Labconco, helping to grow the business, set strategy and develop people.
Personally, Jeff is a Kansas City native, where he and his wife, Sarah of 37 years, make their home and together have three adult children all living in the area.
SecretaryPaul Thompson
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Country Club Bank
Paul J. Thompson is the Chairman & CEO of Country Club Bank, a $1.9 billion commercial bank with 21 locations in the greater Kansas City area.
Country Club Bank also operates a wealth management division, which includes Country Club Trust Co. with $2.1 billion in assets under administration as of June 30, 2020; Country Club Financial Services; CC Capital Advisors; The Capital Corporation; Asset Management Group; and Tower Wealth Managers.
During his 30-year banking career, Paul has served in various industry leadership roles. From 2014-2018, Paul served as a Class A Director on the Board of Directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. In addition, Paul served as the 2008–2009 Chairman of the Missouri Bankers Association. He has also been an active member of the American Bankers Association, having served on the ABA Accounting Committee, the ABA Community Bankers Council, the ABA Membership Committee and the ABA Government Relations Council Administrative Committee.
A licensed CPA in Missouri, Paul earned a finance degree from Creighton University and an MBA from Rockhurst University. Paul is both a graduate and former Trustee of the Colorado Graduate School of Banking, having served from 2010-2019.
Paul and his wife, Mary – parents to five adult children, and grandparents to three grandchildren – contribute their time and energies to a number of philanthropic, educational and civic organizations in the greater Kansas City area.