Ingram's April 2024

CLASS of 2024

NATALIE MORRISON Priorities? For all her achievements as financial planning and analysis manager for Johnson County’s WaterOne, Natalie

Morrison puts obligations on another plane: “The most important part of my life is my family,” the 39-year-old says. “I have two young boys (Dean and Eric) and a supportive husband (Karl). I have been volunteering to coach soccer, t-ball, and basketball for my boy’s teams for the past four years. I thoroughly enjoy this responsibility to teach the teams about sportsmanship and being a positive role model. As a member of Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church, I am part of the Christian Nurture Committee, planning the youth service activities and Sunday School programming. I have taught Sunday School, led the children’s sermons during the Sunday service, and launched a parent’s night out program.” All of that is a framework for her success, William & Mary in Virginia. But when the call came, she was ready to answer: “Within my first-year post-law school, I managed a docket of 60 cases and conducted a dozen civil bench trials” as assistant city attorney for Kansas City. “By the second year, I won my first appeal against an attorney who later became a Federal District Judge, helped pioneer a city program addressing blighted properties, and co-chaired two major civil jury trials.” That led to a coveted federal judicial clerkship, where Moss drafted more than 400 pre-trial litigation orders and authored more than 60 substantive opinions on constitutional and federal statutory issues—everything from criminal suppression motions and Social Security appeals to mental-health Mission accomplished: The company was coming off $18 million in revenue from the previous year and is now bar reling down on $244 million in rev enue—on track for an 80 percent bump, year over year. That performance has placed the company well up on the list of the region’s fastest-growing enterprises, Ingram’s Corporate Report 100, in each of the past two years. The 39-year-old Murrell is a senior executive business coach who has spearheaded transforma tive initiatives to alter that growth arc. “From the inception of the Southwind Podcast to the establishment of execu tive-coaching programs,” he says, “these endeavors have not only elevated our brand but also fostered a culture of con tinuous learning and growth.” His contri

with the water utility serving 475,000 customers. There, she says, “I lead a team of talented financial analysts, preparing a $150 million annual budget and managing an investment portfolio of over $130 million,” work that has earned the Government Finance Accountability Office’s Distinguished Budget Award for seven consecutive years under her leadership. She also pulled in more than $5 million in grant funds for WaterOne projects, and participated in Leadership Overland Park and UNC’s Water Leadership program. “I am proud to work for an employer with a mission that makes a difference in the world,” says Morrison, who holds three professional certifications and an MBA from Baker University. commitments. Impressive stuff in its own right, but consider this: At the same time, she served nearly a score of organizations on boards, coaching athletes, mentoring students, developing DEI policies, and organizing more than two dozen educational programs on implicit bias and women's issues. That, she said, led to the Justice Department, where in less than three years as assistant U.S. attorney, she has, among other achievements, represented the interests of the United States in more than 200 cases, solo-chaired a four-day federal tort trial, co-chaired two other federal jury and bench trials, and mediated more than a dozen cases. She’s a mother of two children with husband Maurice, himself a 40 Under Forty alum. bution extends to shaping the next gen eration of leaders at Southwind through a comprehensive, seven-level tiered development structure that has reached more than 400 young and aspiring lead ers this year alone. Murrell’s role within the leadership team has him working directly under CEO Josh Herron, trans lating his vision into tangible results. To bridge the gap between aspiration and achievement, he says, and to trans form concepts into concrete realities, he relies on his commitment to nurturing a culture of collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity. “By fostering an environ ment where every voice is heard and val ued, we've cultivated a sense of purpose and belonging that fuels our collective success,” Murrell says.

CHRISTA MOSS A future in politics, not courtroom combat, was on Christa Moss’ mind when she first set foot into law school at

LaDREW MURRELL LaDrew Murrell joined home-services specialist Southwind because he saw an opportunity to ride a growth rocket.

I ng r am ’ s 55

Kansas City's Business Media

April 2024