JCFAF/KSFAFoundation Board of Directors

 Ken S. Thomas, Executive Director  | JCFAF/KS1stAFoundation Ken Thomas is the Executive Director of the Kansas First Amendment Foundation. Ken is an award-winning Kansas Teacher Hall of Fame educator and coach, with over 30 years of experience teaching history, government, and political science at the middle school, high school, and undergraduate levels. He has also taught graduate-level classes at Rockhurst, Graceland, and Baker Universities. During this time, Ken initiated and grew the Kansas We the People program, raising support and fundraising to take 12 teams of high school students to the national stage in simulated congressional hearings on civics topics. Outside of education, Ken previously served as the CEO of Winning Directions Inc., which provided professional development and executive training for educators, corporations, and non-profit leaders. His contributions to the community were recognized in 2013 with the prestigious Johnson County Liberty Bell Award, which is given by the Johnson County Bar Association to non-lawyers who have made exceptional civic contributions.

Dr. Patrick Downs, Secretary | KS1stAFoundation Board of Directors
Assistant Professor | University of Kansas School of Business. Patrick Downes is an Associate Professor in Management at the University of Kansas School of Business, and previously taught at Texas Christian University and Rutgers University-New Brunswick. His area of study includes employees’ contexts, employee motivation, and research methods in organizations. Patrick’s work has been published in several academic journals, including the Academy of Management Journal, the Journal of Applied Psychology, and Harvard Business Review. He has also written an instructional simulation for teaching Strategic Human Resource Management and is a member of the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology and the Interdisciplinary Network for Group Research.

Will Herron, CPA, Treasurer | KS1stAFoundation Board of Directors
Senior Accountant | Ong and Company

Dr. Tina Ellsworth, JCFAF Advisory Board Member | KS1stAFoundation Board of Directors
Assistant Professor | Northwest Missouri State University School of Education Dr. Tina Ellsworth is an Assistant Professor of Education at Northwest Missouri State University and has had a wide-ranging career in education. Beginning as a Social Studies Teacher for grades 7-12 in the Harrisonville School District (MO), Tina has been an adjunct instructor at Baker University, Emporia State University, and the University of Kansas; she was also a Senior Economic Education Specialist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, MO and served as the K-12 Social Studies Coordinator for Olathe Public Schools. Tina also serves as Vice President for the National Council for the Social Studies Board of Directors and will ascend to the presidency on July 1st, 2025 for a four-year term. In 2019, Tina was selected to be a member of the Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium, a program created by the Library of Congress to share primary source materials with teachers and offer professional development to effectively use those materials in their classrooms.

Mitch Engel, JCFAF Advisory Board Member | KS1stAFoundation Board of Directors
Partner | Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. Mitchell Engel is a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon where he counsels clients on environmental law issues, including toxic tort and exposure litigation. Mitch earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in mathematics, which he then used to understand the technical aspects of environmental and regulatory law. His ability to translate complex concepts into clear, comprehensible ideas earned him a two-year clerkship with The Hon. Gary A. Fenner of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, where he drafted 150+ orders ruling on motions seeking dismissal, relief from judgment, remand, and jury instructions in both civil and criminal matters. Mitch also serves on the Board of Directors for the Kansas Appleseed Foundation.

Reshad Staitieh, KS1stAFoundation Board of Directors
The Law Office of Reshad Staitieh Formerly of Overland Park, KS, Reshad is the founder of The Law Office of Reshad Staitieh. After graduating from law school, Reshad was a Staff Attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C., where he represented individuals who had experienced discrimination in work, school, or travel, and also litigated constitutional issues in federal court. In 2016 Reshad relocated to St. Louis to begin his private practice, using his expertise in dispute resolution to find solutions for his clients. Reshad also serves as the program director for the Conflict Resolution Center of St. Louis, where he uses his experience in non-profit program development to enhance the role of conflict resolution in the community.

David R. Erickson, JCFAF Advisory Board Member
Partner and Co-Chair Environmental & Toxic Tort Litigation | Shook, Hardy, & Bacon L.L.P.

Matthew Christensen, JCFAF Advisory Board Member
Social Studies Educator | USD 229 Blue Valley Valley School District

Sara Christensen, Johnson County First Amendment Foundation Advisory Board Member
Pro Bono Attorney/Lathrop GPM

Gene Balloun, Founder and ex officio member of the Johnson County First Amendment Foundation Advisory Board
Of Counsel | Shook, Hardy & Bacon

In Memorial: The Honorable Judge David Waxse, Founder and ex officio member of the Johnson County First Amendment Foundation Advisory Board June 29, 1945-March 4, 2023
U.S. District Court, District of Kansas Judge Retired | Shook, Hardy & Bacon

Teacher Advisory Board

Nathan McAlister
Humanities Program Director | Kansas Department of Education

Jamie Dawson
Social Studies Educator | USD 253 Emporia Public Schools

Matthew Christensen
Social Studies Educator | USD 229 Blue Valley Public Schools

Blanche Wulfekoetter
Social Studies Educator | USD 340 Jefferson West Public Schools

James W. McCrossen
Journalism and English Language Educator| USD 229 Blue Valley Public Schools

Janeal Schmidt
Social Studies Educator | USD 435 Abilene Public Schools