WICHITA, Kan. - 8/4/2014 – The Wichita Community Foundation (WCF), Wichita Downtown Development Corporation (WDDC), and the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Council have partnered to host the Fuel the Fire Speaker Series this fall. All three keynotes are open to the public and will be at 5 p.m. at The LUX (120 E. 1st St. N.).

• August 28 – Carol Coletta, Vice President of Community and National Initiatives at the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation

• September 17 – James Chung, President of Reach Advisors

• October 29 – Brad Segal, President of Progressive Urban Management Associates

The purpose of the series is to engage the community in discussions about national trends on the topics of talent, opportunity and place to competitively position Wichita for the future.

WCF President and CEO Shelly Prichard said her Board supports the idea of stimulating community conversation by bringing in thought leaders and subject matter experts. “We want to ensure that Wichita is retaining top talent, providing unique opportunities for our citizens, and projecting an image of a place others want to live.”

WDDC President, Jeff Fluhr, notes “National shifts in demographic trends are fueling change throughout the nation and in our community. Each of these speakers will provide valuable insight on how these demographic shifts are affecting our city and what opportunities are resulting because of them.”

“We’re not looking for these speakers to provide easy answers to our region’s challenges,” said Suzie Ahlstrand, Executive Vice President of Community Development at the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce. “But their ideas, experience, and the results of their research can ignite the type of discussions that we need to provoke
thought and help fuel the fire. We’re confident that we’ll find better and more creative solutions as a result of hearing their presentations.”

The sessions are free to attend, and those interested can RSVP at FueltheFireSpeakerSeries.com.

The Fuel the Fire Speaker Series is made possible through a grant from the Knight Foundation Fund at WCF, as well as funds from WCF, WDDC and the Chamber’s Leadership Council.

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