BNIM's Kara Bouillette, AIA, LEED AP is among 40 Kansas City leaders who were accepted into the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Centurions Leadership Program last week. Centurions is an intensive, two-year leadership development program focused on preparing greater Kansas City’s future leaders. The Centurions leadership class is composed of dynamic professionals from businesses large and small, as well as area nonprofit organizations.

Kara is an Associate at BNIM with 10 years of experience. She is currently leading the Oak Street Parking Structure at UMKC and has served as Project Architect for various projects with Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L). She currently serves on BNIM’s internal education committee and is a key part of BNIM’s Design Excellence Group.

Other members of the class include: Jamie Arnold, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City; Kate Bender, City of Kansas City, Missouri; Jessica Best, emfluence; Gordon Braun, Protiviti, Inc.; Jami Byer, Dean & Deluca; Barb Cross, Hallmark Cards, Inc.; Megan Day, Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics; Steve Erickson, M&I Bank; Leslie Fields, Saint Luke’s Health System; Mike Funkey, Grant Thornton LLP; Brett Gray, Commerce Bank; Suzy Hall, Mariner Wealth Advisors, LLC; Ashley Z. Hand, AECOM; Jessica Hembree, Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City; Phillip Hickman, Genesis School; Nikki Hininger, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.; Leah Huddleston, KCP&L; Megan Hunter, Harvesters—The Community Food Network; Jake Jacobson, Garmin International; Tricia Jaworski, Morningstar Communications; Jennifer Jordan, The University of Kansas; Russell Keller, Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP; Frank Koranda, Jr., SNR Denton US LLP; Jennifer Kraenzle, Alphapointe Association for the Blind; Troy Lillebo, University of Missouri-Kansas City; Marshall Lockton, Lockton Benefit Co., Korb Maxwell, II, Polsinelli Shughart PC; Callie Merritt-Jones, Sprint; Christopher Mitchell, McHenry Shaffer Mitchell Architects; Bud Reynolds, The Reynolds Law Firm; Jodi Robinson, CBIZ; Bridget Romero , Lathrop & Gage, LLP; Kris Ryan, AT&T; Becky Schieber, KU Endowment; Greg Sikora, The Weitz Company; John Teasdale, Haake Companies/Marsh McLennan Agency; Jason Waldron, HDR Engineering, Inc.; John Waller, Helix Architecture + Design; and Louis Williams, Bank of Kansas City, N.A.

Centurions spend two years immersed in the study of critical area issues and initiatives such as poverty, crime, education, biosciences, alternative energy, arts and entrepreneurship. The program places great emphasis on the importance of involvement with local charitable organizations through regular volunteer efforts. Each spring, the group travels to a metropolitan area in the United States to learn how that community is dealing with issues Kansas City also faces, such as economic development, transportation, etc.

The Centurions Leadership Program is the region’s oldest, founded in 1976. Alumni include CEOs, judges, chiefs of police, and other area leaders.