The Eagle editorial board wants to broaden its perspective. Here’s one step it’s taking
For nearly 150 years, The Wichita Eagle’s editorial board has served as the newspaper’s institutional voice, offering perspective on local issues, training a spotlight on corruption and holding public officials to account.
Now, members of the community will join the mix.
Today we are introducing the first three members of The Eagle’s Community Advisory Board — a panel of civic-minded people who will lend their experiences and opinions to our editorial process.
Ben Davis, Liz Hamor and Lavonta Williams are the members of our inaugural advisory board, selected by the Eagle’s editors for their varied personal and professional backgrounds, skills and perspectives. They have agreed to serve a four- to six-month term, during which they will participate in regular meetings and informal discussions with members of the editorial board.
The idea is to broaden the editorial board’s insight by engaging regularly with community members. When this group’s stint is up, we will solicit recommendations for the next three members.
Here’s a closer look at the members of our first Community Advisory Board:
Ben Davis
Ben Davis, 36, is a Wichita native and chief operating officer of Fair Market Health, a company that offers bundled, transparent pricing for surgeries and medical procedures. Before starting his business, Davis worked in local business, religious nonprofits and politics, where he was a staffer for two U.S. senators — the late Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma, and Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran — and the campaign manager for former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
Ben and his wife, Lauren, have been married eight years and have a 5-year-old son, Henry. They are active members of Eastminster Presbyterian Church, where Ben serves as an elder, and Trinity Academy, where Henry attends school.
“I look forward to serving with (the board) and hopefully having some really great — and, I’m sure, tough — conversations,” Davis said.
“I am a free speech purist, a huge advocate for free speech. . . . I see the local media and the local paper as a staple for that that should be promoted.”
Liz Hamor
For Liz Hamor, 41, work isn’t just her passion — it’s her calling. Hamor grew up in Great Bend and earned a master’s in elementary education with an emphasis in bilingual education and ESOL from Kansas State University. She taught in low-income schools in Emporia and San Antonio, Texas, where she advocated for students and families who faced barriers with education, language and income.
She and her husband lived briefly in Las Vegas before returning to Kansas in 2008. In Wichita, Hamor co-founded a moms’ group at her church that grew into a ministry. In 2013, she co-founded a local chapter of GLSEN, an organization that works with K-12 schools to ensure that LGBTQ students feel safe, valued, and respected.
This spring, she will transition from her chapter director role with GLSEN Kansas to focus on Center of Daring, a leadership coaching and consulting business she launched in 2019. She lives in Goddard with her husband and two children, and volunteers on several committees and coalitions.
“I love working with people who have different perspectives and ideologies,” Hamor said. “I think it’s important with leadership that we don’t get ourselves into an echo chamber, because we can’t do a whole lot if we’re only hearing that.”
Lavonta Williams
Lavonta Williams, 71, has an expansive resume of public and community service. A Wichita native and the oldest of nine siblings, Williams earned her bachelor’s in education with a minor in business from Kansas State Teachers College (now Emporia State University).
She taught and coached at a Wichita middle school for 35 years, during which she also managed a multi-million-dollar grant that provided after-school programs in 10 middle schools.
After retiring from teaching, she served 10 years on the Wichita City Council, representing District 1, which covers a wide swath of central and east Wichita, including the downtown core. She was the first woman elected from District 1 and the first Black woman to serve as Wichita’s vice mayor. During her tenure the city built a new airport, library and Rails to Trails bike paths, and instituted a comprehensive smoking ban.
Lavonta continues to serve on several boards and committees, including the United Way, Visit Wichita, Ascension Via Christi, Historic Dunbar Theatre and the NAACP. She and her husband, Billy, have been married 49 years and have two grown children.
“I tell people, ‘If you’re not at the table, you could very well be on the menu,’” she said. “So I try to connect my community to the resources that are available.”
