Ep. 51: Elliot Regenstein is a Chicago-based partner at Foresight Law + Policy. Elliot has extensive experience in state-level policy and advocacy, with a particular focus on early learning; he has also consulted with more than two dozen states on a wide range of education policy topics. Much of his work focuses on how decision-making occurs in state education and early education systems: who is responsible for which decisions, what information they have to support those decisions, and what incentives are acting on key stakeholders. He is a frequent author and speaker on topics including accountability, governance, state data systems, and the connections between early learning and K-12.

In 2022 Rowman & Littlefield published Elliot’s first book, Education Restated: Getting Policy Right on Accountability, Teacher Pay, and School Choice. In 2026 Harvard Education Press published Elliot’s second book, Readiness: Preparing State Early Childhood Systems for a Brighter Future.

Elliot was one of the chief architects of Illinois' 2006 Preschool for All program, and co-chaired the Illinois Early Learning Council from 2004 until April 2009. He served as chair of the Illinois Early Learning Council’s Data, Research, and Evaluation Sub-Committee from 2009 to 2022, and from 2015 to 2021 he served as Chair of the Illinois Longitudinal Data System Governing Board. In 2017 he chaired an Illinois State Board of Education workgroup that developed a recommendation for a P-2 indicator to be included in the state’s education accountability plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act. In 2019 he was appointed by Governor Pritzker to Illinois’ Early Childhood Funding Commission, on which he chaired the Funding Mechanics working group.

Listen now, and learn how Elliott is an innovative leader in early childhood policy and advocacy.

For more about the Health Fund: https://healthfund.org/

Ep. 50: Robert became the chief executive officer of Community Care Network of Kansas in June 2025. Throughout his career, he has focused on advancing local solutions, building strong partnerships, and championing advocacy efforts at the state, community, and local levels.

In his role at CCNK, Robert works to support the needs of clinics serving communities across Kansas, helping ensure access to quality health care for all Kansans. His leadership is guided by a commitment to creating healthy communities where individuals can live, learn, work and play while achieving their highest possible level of health.

Listen now, and learn how Robert is an innovative leader in Kansas.

For more about the Health Fund, visit https://healthfund.org/

Ep. 49: Sherman Smith is the editor in chief of Kansas Reflector, which he founded in 2020. A three-time Kansas Press Association journalist of the year, he writes about things powerful people don't want others to know.

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

Listen now, and learn how Sherman is an innovative leader in Kansas.

For more about the Health Fund, visit: https://healthfund.org/

Ep. 48: Christina was recently named the interim director for the Center of Community Health and Development, a subcenter of the KU Life Span Institute. Christina has served as the assistant director at the center for six years before being named interim director; the current director retires in May.

Her deep experience at the center began when she was a student intern and member of the Kansas Community Leadership Corps. She has served in a variety of roles at the center for 27 years, and most recently began leading a CCHD project in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation focused on workforce and economic development.

Listen now, and learn how Christina is an innovative leader in Kansas.

For more about the Health Fund: https://healthfund.org/

Ep. 47: Brenda Bandy serves as the executive director of the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition. She oversees KBC’s programs, working across sectors to build support and remove barriers for breastfeeding families.

She is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and former La Leche League volunteer.

In this episode, she discusses her passion for breastfeeding, the benefits of breastfeeding, the business case for breastfeeding and much more!

Listen now, and learn how Brenda is an innovative leader in Kansas.

For more about the Health Fund: https://healthfund.org/

Ep. 46: Jennifer Bacani McKenney, MD, FAAFP, is a family physician in her hometown of Fredonia, Kansas, a community of approximately 2,200 people. She has owned and managed her practice Fredonia Family Care alongside her father and other great colleagues since 2009. McKenney was named the 2021 Rural Health Practitioner of the Year by the National Rural Health Association and received the Early Career Achievement Award by the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 2021.

McKenney is currently the associate dean for rural medical education for the KU School of Medicine. She also serves as the Wilson County health officer and is co-chair of the statewide Health Officers of Kansas group.

She was a member of the USD 484 school board, serving as the president for two years. She is a past president of the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians and was the resident member of the AAFP Board of Directors. She serves on the board of directors for the Kansas Health Foundation and is on the medical staff at Fredonia Regional Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital. She has made numerous appearances on national and local news covering COVID-19 and rural health.

Listen now, and learn how Dr. McKenney is an innovative leader in Kansas.

For more about the Health Fund: https://healthfund.org/

Ep. 45: Kathleen Sebelius served as the 21st secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services from 2009-14. As HHS secretary, Sebelius was instrumental in overseeing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Before becoming secretary, she served as the 44th governor of Kansas from 2003-09, the second woman to hold that office. She currently serves as CEO of Sebelius Resources, LLC, as well as co-chair of the Aspen Institute Health Strategy Group, a nonpartisan group addressing critical U.S. health challenges.

Listen now, and learn how Secretary Sebelius is an innovative leader in Kansas.

For more about the Health Fund: https://healthfund.org/

Ep. 44: Dr. Donna Ginther is the Roy A. Roberts & Regents Distinguished Professor of Economics and Director of the Institute for Policy & Social Research at the University of Kansas and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Prior to joining the University of Kansas faculty, she was a research economist and associate policy adviser in the regional group of the Research Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta from 2000 to 2002 and taught at Washington University from 1997 to 2000 and Southern Methodist University from 1995 to 1997.

Her major fields of study are scientific labor markets, gender differences in employment outcomes, wage inequality, science policy, and investments in children.

A native of Wisconsin, Dr. Ginther received her doctorate in economics in 1995, master's degree in economics in 1991, and bachelor of arts in economics in 1987, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Listen now, and learn how Donna is an innovative leader in Kansas.

For more about the Health Fund: https://healthfund.org/