Women in Leadership Conference

Chief Stacey Graves, a lifelong Kansas Citian, began her career at KCPD in 1997 as a civilian records clerk.  After joining the police academy in December of 1997, she held multiple assignments as a police officer including Central Patrol Division, East Patrol Division, the Drug Enforcement Unit and the Career Criminal Section.  Graves was promoted to Sergeant in 2007.  During her tenure as a Sergeant, she was assigned to Patrol, the Media Unit as a Public Information Officer and she was an Operations Sergeant in the Chief’s Office serving under Chief Darryl Forté.  Promoted to Captain in 2014, Graves was assigned to Internal Affairs, returned to the Media Unit and Patrol.  In 2018, she was promoted to Major. As Major, Graves was the Commander of Shoal Creek Division, Human Resources and served as the Executive Officer in the Patrol Bureau Office.

On December 15, 2022, twenty-five years after starting the police academy, Graves was selected to be the chief.  At 48 years old, Graves became the 48^th Police Chief in KCPD’s 148-year history also becoming the first woman as permanent chief.

Graves obtained her Associates Degree from Penn Valley.  Graves went on to earn a B.A. in Administration of Justice from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and an Executive Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Leadership from Benedictine College.

Wendy Doyle fearlessly advocates for women’s economic and civic advancement by amplifying women’s voices and producing results. Wendy is at the forefront of all economic policies that impact women and their families. She regularly educates and informs decision-makers and community leaders about policy solutions for women at local, county, and state levels. Translating information into action, she testifies frequently to state legislatures, publishes op-eds in state newspapers, serves as a dynamic and informative presenter, and champions systemic policy change for governments and corporations through her thought leadership.

During her ten-year tenure at United WE, Wendy has led the organization to invest in research, advocacy, and policy solutions to remove economic barriers for women, including conducting 30 meaningful research studies, advocating for issues resulting in 57 policy actions, and supporting more than 200 women in securing civic appointments. Wendy is committed to impacting hundreds of thousands of women and families through transformative research, scaling United WE’s fast-growing Appointments Project®, advocating for reforms that honor the legacies of women, and contributing to policy solutions that advance equal pay, paid family leave, affordable childcare and occupational licensing, among others.

Since 2013, Wendy has expanded United WE’s focus from serving Kansas City to all of Kansas and Missouri, and her success in the Heartland is spreading nationwide to cities including St. Louis, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh and South San Francisco. Wendy’s previous experience as an executive and strategic consultant for large nonprofits provides a unique systems approach to accelerating the pace of change through partnerships.

After releasing research on women’s issues in Missouri, Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe invited Wendy to be a part of the Early Childhood Steering Committee, which is tasked with improving childcare opportunities for Missouri women and families. In 2023, Wendy was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Women of Achievement award, which recognizes and honors the diverse accomplishments of Missouri women in conjunction with Women’s History Month.

Wendy currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Command and General Staff College Foundation at Fort Leavenworth, KS.

In 2022, Wendy was recognized for her achievements by receiving the Women Who Mean Business award by The Kansas City Business Journal. This award honors outstanding professional women who have made significant contributions to their business or industry, as well as their community.

Wendy earned a B.A. from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, and received the 2020 Rockhurst University Rashford-Lyon Award for Leadership and Ethics. She was recognized in 2021 as an Idealist of the Year by City Year and also inducted into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame in October 2021.

Anita Brooks motivates organizations to dynamic breakthroughs as a national speaker, certified personality trainer, communications specialist, certified training facilitator, and in-demand business coach. As a board member for a community bank and multiple nonprofit agencies, Anita invests herself for the greater good.

Through her P4 Power Coaching™ practice, Anita helps improve processes, performance, and profitability, by teaching leaders how to plug invisible drains and effectively maximize their people engagement. Her mission is to increase the income and strengthen sustainability for American businesses.

Anita’s P4 Personality Perspective™ delivers a fun factor when inspiring, educating, and encouraging today’s leader.

A native Kansas Citian, Kathy Nelson serves as the President and CEO of both Visit KC and the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission & Foundation. Nelson expanded her responsibilities to take the helm at Visit KC in January 2022 while continuing to lead the KC Sports Commission, a role she has held since 2011. Most recently, Kathy has been behind the success of such high-profile achievements as the 2023 NFL Draft & bringing the FIFA World Cup 26™ to Kansas City. A veteran communicator and storyteller, Nelson’s diverse background includes senior management positions in marketing, sales and promotions at Time Warner Cable and Metro Sports, in addition to a number of roles at FOX 4/WDAF-TV in Kansas City.

In recognition of her service, Nelson has been honored with several accolades over the years, including named as the 2023 USA Today’s Women of the Year Missouri Honoree and the 2022 Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe Women of Achievement award.