David Smith | President

David is the Chief Communications Officer for the Shawnee Mission School District. He has a long history of work in education, including thirteen years in the KCK Public Schools, time in the Kansas City, MO School District, and roles at the Kettering Foundation and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.

Melissa Clark | Vice President

Melissa is a Global Sales Executive for FedEx Services. She is currently involved with Junior Achievement as a Classroom Facilitator and with Village Presbyterian Church in Youth Ministries.

Erin Gould | Secretary

Erin is a long-time resident of Roeland Park and dedicated public education advocate.

Rev. LaRon Thompson | Treasurer

LaRon, a native of Kansas City, KS, currently serves as the Senior Pastor at Paseo Church. His enormous heart for the well being of all people, is evident in the ways he serves the church and community. Together, LaRon believes we can make a positive impact one step, policy or choice at a time.

Diosselyn Velasquez Tot | Director, At-Large

Diosselyn was one of the founders of the Art Squad at Community Housing of Wyandotte County. In 2018, Diosselyn joined El Centro, Inc., where she focused on integrated voter engagement, Citizenship, DACA, Preparemonos Clinics and Know Your Rights Workshops. Today, she sits on various boards in the Latino community, with a focus on the arts, voting rights, and affordable housing.

Brandon Kenig | Director, At-Large

Brandon Kenig is a former Shawnee City Council Member, and co-host of the Two Men in the Middle podcast. Brandon is a political consultant who has worked on numerous campaigns at the federal, state, congressional, and presidential level, as well as working as a staffer for U.S. Senator Jerry Moran.

Linnaia McKenzie | Boardmember

Linnaia is a Johnson County native who is passionate about creating a diverse, inclusive community in the place where she grew up. She founded the Advocacy and Awareness Group of Johnson County in May of 2020 and currently serves as President.

Katherine Minnis | Boardmember

Katherine has over 10 years of expertise providing top sales production for a leading health care revenue cycle management, a Fortune 500 company, and an international university. Throughout her career, she has developed and delivered effective training programs to educate clients, executives, internal/external teams, and end-users on new software programs, products, and services. Katherine's civic leadership roles include serving on boards and committees for Junior League of Kansas City and Animal Human Society of Lawrence.

Cynthia Smith | Boardmember

Cynthia is a retired attorney whose career included working on Capitol Hill and then mostly for membership organizations as nonprofit counsel and lobbyist. She moved from Washington, DC, to Kansas in 1995, worked in the golf industry and then covered the Kansas Statehouse for KCP&L and as Advocacy Counsel for the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System. In 2018 she ran for the Statehouse as a moderate Republican, and is now a registered independent voter. In retirement she serves as the Amnesty International USA volunteer legislative coordinator for Kansas, and volunteers as a CASA.

Michael Poppa | Executive Director | Ex-Officio

Michael Poppa began as Mainstream's Executive Director in 2020, after serving on Roeland Park's City Council and working for the Northeast Johnson County Chamber of Commerce. Prior to that he served as chair of the Metro KC chapter of Equality Kansas, and spearheaded the first NDO in Johnson County, in Roeland Park. His background in public service and human rights advocacy serve him well in leading Mainstream into the future.

In Memoriam

Rev. Dr. Robert H. Meneilly | Chair Emeritus

Rev. Dr. Robert H. Meneilly, fondly known as Dr. Bob, was the founding minister at Village Presbyterian Church. In 1993, he came together with Rabbi Mark Levin, Carol Sader, Nancy Brown, Judy Hellman, and David Goldstein to form what is known today as Mainstream Coalition. Dr. Bob passed away peacefully on July 20, 2021, at the age of 96, surrounded by his family and those who loved him dearly. He will always be remembered for his leadership, compassion and dedication to civil rights.