Donna Brake serves as the Manager of Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning with the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. Donna utilizes the knowledge gained in her 10-plus years of experience in workforce development to support the MDHEWD’s vision of “Every Missourian empowered with the skills and education needed for success.” She leads a team dedicated to fostering the growth of registered apprenticeship as a career pathway by working closely with an incredible group of apprenticeship partners statewide which have led Missouri to be a top state in the nation for apprenticeship activity. Donna also serves as the President of the Missouri Association for Workforce Development (MAWD) and has been an active member on the MAWD board since 2019.

Part educator, part problem-solver, Dr. Lance Coffman brings together academic knowledge and practical experience in his role at efactory’s Missouri SBDC at Missouri State University. Over two decades, he’s had the opportunity to work with businesses of various sizes across national markets, learning valuable lessons along the way.

Through efactory, Lance collaborates with business owners facing growth challenges, offering guidance informed by his own journey as an entrepreneur. His education—including a PhD from Oklahoma State University and degrees from Missouri State—has provided helpful frameworks that complement his hands-on experience.

In the classroom, Lance believes in learning by doing. Each semester, he works with alongside students on real-world business projects with local companies, finding as much satisfaction in their discoveries as in his own. Organizations throughout Southwest Missouri have kindly welcomed his input on marketing, strategic planning, and process improvement initiatives.

When work is done, Lance returns to what matters most—time spent on the family farm with his wife and two boys, where the complexity of business gives way to the simple joys of rural life and family connection.

Rico Conn is a Community Manager for Kansas City, MO. at Chase. He is dedicated to delivering financial health education and nurturing relationships with key community leaders, nonprofit partners, and small businesses. Rico organizes complimentary workshops, hosts community events, and delivers tailored programming to all communities.

With 15 years of experience in financial services, Rico brings a wealth of experience to his role. Prior to becoming a Community Manager, he was a Branch Manager, where he led high-performing teams, cultivated strong client relationships, and championed financial literacy within the community – empowering individuals to build confidence in their financial journey and trust in the banking system.

Rico serves as Vice President of Men and Women United, an organization that dedicated to strengthening families and building community through service, engagement, and empowerment since 2021.

Rico is currently pursuing a Business Finance degree at Bellevue University. In his spare time, Rico enjoys roller skating with his wife Suzie and two beautiful children, Parker (8) and Anylah (12).

John represents management in all facets of labor and employment law throughout the country. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, he defends clients against employment discrimination claims brought under federal and state law. John is a knowledgeable attorney who represents employers before the NLRB on cases involving unfair labor practice charges, challenges to elections, and post-election conduct. John serves as lead negotiator for many organizations involved in the collective bargaining process. He also advises companies on employment contracts, restrictive covenants and many other employment-related matters confronting human resources professionals on a daily basis.

John serves as the Director-Elect for the Missouri Society of Human Resources Professionals (SHRM) and is a frequent guest speaker for SHRM and other HR organizations throughout the country. In his free time, John serves on the City of Chesterfield Planning & Zoning Commission, is a member of a local school board, volunteers for several non-profit boards and coaches youth baseball, football and basketball.

John is a graduate of the University of Missouri and St. Louis University School of Law with an emphasis in Labor and Employment law. Prior to joining McMahon Berger, a national employment and labor law firm, John represented corporations in cases involving insurance defense litigation. He has also served as an associate in-house counsel.

Stacy Morse brings more than two decades of leadership experience in government, education, and nonprofit advocacy to her role as Executive Director of the Missouri Council on Aging (MCoA).

Her career includes 10 years in the Missouri Senate, where she served as Chief of Staff to the Senate Minority Floor Leader, leading policy and legislative initiatives that improved the lives of Missouri families. Morse also held leadership positions with the Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council, where she managed federal grant programs, advanced policy reforms, and developed statewide advocacy training.

Previously, she served as Administrator of Virtual Education for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), overseeing Missouri’s virtual learning programs and expanding access to education.

In addition to her public service, Morse is an educator, adjunct professor, and published children’s author, reflecting a lifelong commitment to education, advocacy, and community engagement. Stacy also ran a regional medical office, handling all aspects of the business.

She holds a Master of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies with an emphasis in Public Policy from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Paralegal Certificate from Ashworth College.

Edward R. O’Connor, PhD, MBA, FACHE, serves Kansas City University as provost and vice president for Academic and Research Affairs. In these roles, Dr. O’Connor provides leadership, vision, direction and advocacy to best support students in meeting their academic and career goals. He is also responsible for advancing KCU’s goals for research through continued collaboration with key partners.

Dr. O’Connor comes to KCU from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where he served as provost and chief academic officer, and professor in both the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Medicine. At Creighton, Dr. O’Connor spearheaded the merger of two academic divisions focusing on the creation of cross-campus collaboration and heightened communication. Additionally, he worked to restructure the university’s research infrastructure to better support faculty, interdisciplinary, basic science, clinical, and translational research and scholarship opportunities. While at Creighton, he also worked to establish the Center for Interprofessional Practice, Education and Research, which encourages cross-education between different doctoral and graduate programs.

Prior to Dr. O’Connor’s tenure at Creighton, he held several positions at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, including dean and professor of Biomedical Sciences for the School of Health Sciences; professor of Medical Sciences at the Frank H. Netter, MD, School of Medicine; and executive director for the National Institute for Community Health Education. While there, Dr. O’Connor also served as head coach for men’s cross country.

Dr. O’Connor earned a Doctor of Philosophy from the Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience at the Albany Medical College Graduate School of Health Sciences in Albany, New York; a Master of Business Administration in Health Care Leadership from Yale School of Management, Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut; and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from State University of New York at Albany.

Bethany Orban Chew serves as a Senior Director at The DeBruce Foundation, focusing on partnership strategy and community engagement. She brings deep expertise in cross-sector collaboration, working to align employers, educators, and public agencies around scalable solutions that expand access to economic opportunity.

Prior to joining The Foundation, Bethany led partnerships at Merit America, where she built and scaled national revenue streams to support working adults in accessing upwardly mobile careers. She developed strategic partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and philanthropic organizations.

Bethany began her career in chamber-led economic development, working in Tennessee and later in Washington, D.C., supporting regional workforce initiatives and national best practice sharing. Throughout her career, she has remained focused on building equitable pathways to opportunity and strengthening communities through strategic partnerships.

Now based in Kansas City, Bethany brings a national perspective to local impact. She leans into her top Agilities of Serving and Caring, Selling and Communicating, and Managing to build coalitions and drive meaningful outcomes.

As the Executive Director of the Missouri Works Initiative, a nonprofit sponsored and supported by the Missouri AFL-CIO, Megan Price leads five Apprenticeship Ready Programs, which have successfully placed over 400 individuals into life-sustaining careers in the skilled trades through Registered Apprenticeships. She leverages Missouri State workforce and joint-labor management board memberships and community partnerships to address barriers preventing individuals and the state from reaching their full economic potential.

Having previously served as a Chief of Staff in the Missouri State Senate, Megan brings her workforce development policy and mastery of governmental challenges to support the state in addressing its skilled workforce shortage, aligning the mission of policymakers with that of the labor movement, to forge a path for Missouri as it becomes a leader in apprenticeship expansion.

Megan was raised in southwest MO and earned a Bachelor’s degree in economics and management at Webster University in St. Louis. These experiences guide her strategy at MWI as it expands the pathway to construction careers through growing and improving Apprentice Ready Programs.

Josh Santiago has dedicated more than 15 years to helping organizations transform, accelerate growth, and unlock long-term value. As the Founder, and Managing Partner of Santiago & Company, a management and strategy consulting firm headquartered in Kansas City, he has led clients through complex transformations that have delivered over $1.15 billion in EBITDA enhancement. Under his leadership, his previous firm earned recognition as a 5x Inc. 5000 winner, a testament to the measurable impact of his work and the sustained results achieved for clients.

With global consulting experience spanning industries such as technology, automotive, telecommunications, consumer goods, oil and gas, aerospace, and the public sector, Josh has worked with organizations of all sizes, from Fortune 100 leaders to mission-driven nonprofits. His expertise lies in enterprise technology transformation, including AI adoption, strategy architecture, business modernization, and operational optimization, as well as guiding strategic initiatives that drive growth and digital acceleration.

Josh is also a sought-after global speaker, having delivered keynotes and executive sessions in London, Dubai, Amsterdam, Denmark, Lisbon, Bangkok, Oman, and across the United States. His talks have focused on enterprise AI strategies, digital transformation roadmaps, partner ecosystem development, and market growth acceleration. Beyond consulting, he is a retired award-winning photographer, avid reader, and pilot, bringing creativity and perspective to both his professional and personal endeavors.

Sue Willcox, Ph.D., joined Rockhurst University — a Catholic, Jesuit university in Kansas City, Missouri — as provost and vice president of academic affairs in 2023. Prior to coming to Rockhurst, Willcox spent 22 years in administration at Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri, where she served in roles that included provost and vice president of academic affairs, vice president for institutional effectiveness and information services, vice provost and associate vice president of academic affairs. She also has experience in the higher education accreditation field, serving as a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission. She began her career as a special education teacher in a public school setting before joining the mathematics faculty at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas. She earned her Ph.D. with a focus on mathematics education and statistics at the University of Kansas.