Ingram's May 2024

Kathleen Sebelius It’s no stretch to suggest that leadership was a family value for Kathleen Sebelius: Her father served as governor of Ohio, and her father-in-law in the U.S. House representing western Kansas. With examples like that, no one should be surprised that she’d go on to serve as governor in her adopted state, then hit the national scene as secretary of Health and Human Services under Barack Obama. “I learned from my father and father-in-law about key principles for public service,” says Sebe lius. “Be guided in key decisions by a moral compass and don’t let polls or tactical deals blur bright lines. Always listen and learn, and try to find ethical and smart people as colleagues and empower them to do their job. Find ways to build a pipeline of young talent; that’s an important legacy.” She applied those values throughout a public-service career that began with her 1986 election to the Kansas House, where she served four terms. Her legislative acumen put her in line to become state insurance commissioner (two terms), and set her up for a suc cessful bit as governor, serving two terms in that role, as well. In the latter role, she believes the biggest contributions she made to the state were “settling school-finance litigation and developing a funding formula that both met the court criteria and was beneficial to students throughout Kansas. We also established a renewable-energy framework which has driven Kansas to become a key producer/user of renewable energy.” Her high visibility as governor put her on a short list of vice presidential candidates for Obama in 2008; instead, she was his pick at HHS. There, she said, her biggest impact came in “lead ing the passage and implementation of the Affordable care Act, which has provided health benefits to millions of Americans.” Underpinning part her success in Midwestern politics has been the ability to work with the region’s executive community. “I always found a great deal of collaboration and synergy with business leaders in both Kansas and Missouri,” she says. “Top execs wanted/needed an educated committed work force and a friendly business environment. They were eager to help with projects that achieved those goals and were interested in strong communities as well as strong companies. Their voices were powerful in the Capitol and company leaders were generous with their time and resources in the non-profit sector. There was a great partnership on many key initiatives that included public sector, private sector and non-profit leaders working closely together to achieve a shared goal.”

Danette Wilson Far more often than not over the years, women in Kansas City’s executive class have cited experiences at home in their youth as factors that drove them to succeed. And in almost every case, two stand out: examples of strong work ethic, and families that encouraged them to succeed in any venue they chose, without limits based on their gender. The latest demon stration of that: Danette Wilson, who retired as CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City in 2019. With that foun dation and a degree in business administration from the Uni versity of Nebraska, Wilson entered the job market for a couple of years with Mass Mutual before a marketing role opened with Blue KC. “I was fortunate enough to get a job here, and appreciated it because I liked working for an industry leader, in a company full of a lot of great people,” she says. “I loved the sales side of it.” Starting off in large group market sales, she advanced through the ranks and earned the top job in 2014. “I am grateful for the opportunities I had during my career at Blue KC and especially grateful for the talented and committed ex ecutive team with whom I worked when I was CEO,” she says. “I surrounded myself with others who were also committed to our members, our community and our work force. I was able to provide a clear vision and a focused approach to accomplishing our goals. With those things in mind, the executive team was able to deliver results enabling us to remain the market leader.” The immediate transition into the C-suite wasn’t a breeze, she recalls. “We were faced with many challenges. Our main goal was to improve the financial results of the company while maintaining a culture focused on our members,” Wilson says. “As a result of our efforts, we achieved the most significant financial turnaround in our company’s history and simultane ously grew our membership.” That turnaround, she said, paved the way for the company to reinvest in market offerings and launch Spira Care, a new type of service combining insurance and care, and it grew from a few hundred members at the first care center in Olathe to nine locations across the Kansas City metro area, providing care access for more than 45,000 Blue KC members. Among her bigger achievements, she says, “I was able to work with others throughout the area to support the continued growth and success in the Kansas City region. The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Union Station and the Crime Commission boards all do a tremendous job, and I was honored to be associated with them.”

36 I ng r am ’ s

May 2024

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