Young Professionals announces 2016 leadership academy class

Twenty-five professionals have been selected to participate in the 2016 Young Professionals of Wichita “Leadership Academy,” according to a news release.

Academy participants were nominated for the class by members of the community and then completed an application, which was reviewed by a selection committee. The program is scheduled to begin next month and includes six weekly sessions that include leadership exercises, self-assessments and contact with community and business leaders, according to the release.

The academy is now in its sixth year and is designed to attract those in a diverse range of sectors, including private business, government and higher education organizations and nonprofits, said Young Professionals executive director Suzy Finn in the release. Young Professionals is a networking and community action group affiliated with the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce.

The 2016 academy participants include: Tracy Anderson, Adams, Brown, Beran and Ball; Dacia Brown, Koch Industries; Maggie Butler, Via Christi Health; Chris Callen, Builders Plus Construction; Noah Coonce, Emprise Bank; Megan Davis, K Coe Isom; Daniel De Longe, Graybar Electric; Jessica Dean, Apples & Arrows; Kyle Dresbach, U.S. Air Force; Kate Flavin, Sedgwick County; Grant Good, AGCO; Kristen Hoffman, Delta Dental of Kansas; Lance Lewis, Spirit AeroSystems; Erin Manning, Riordan Clinic; Stacey Matson, Hutton Construction; Steven Peyton, Kansas Air National Guard; Christine Pileckas, Intrust Bank Arena; Shawn Schmidt, Central Kansas Clean Cities; Dorian Soto, Westar Energy; Carly Taft, CLC Lodging; Natalie Toney, Wichita State University; Tyler Walden, Allen, Gibbs & Houlik; Randy Ware, Wichita State University; Mavish Wasim, Doctors Express Urgent Care, and Abigail Winter, University of Kansas School of Pharmacy.

This story was originally published December 15, 2015 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Young Professionals announces 2016 leadership academy class."