Team Bios

DeAnn Sullivan – Team Leader

 

President – Sullivan and Associates

 

DeAnn Sullivan – Team Leader

DeAnn Sullivan, president of Sullivan & Associates, provides business and project management consulting and training. She is an instructor for the Center for Management Development at Wichita State University and for Protégé Project Management delivering business, leadership and project management classes nationwide.

DeAnn completed a 33 year management career with AT&T reporting to 29 different managers on 19 different work assignments. She held executive, administrative, project management and supervisory positions in sales, operations management, human resources and training. She brings this broad management skill set, experience and perspective to her clients and her classes. DeAnn is a certified Project Management Professional and holds a Masters Certificate in Project Management from the Stevens Institute of Technology.

Within the Wichita community, DeAnn is Past-President of the Rotary Club of West Wichita and recipient of their Service Above Self award and currently serves as District Membership Chair. She is Vice-President of Education for the Wichita chapter of PMI (Project Management Institute) and an alumnus of Leadership Wichita. She also volunteers for the AT&T Pioneers and other community efforts.

DeAnn has two children and both graduated from Kansas State University in May, 2010. Her son, Jerry, is continuing his studies in biochemistry as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Grain Science Department at KSU. Her daughter, Andee, is working for Honeywell in Kansas City as an Electrical Engineer.

DeAnn enjoys travel especially to places she’s never been. She’s learning to fly a powered parachute, though her susceptibility to motion sickness is a good indicator she’s not meant to be a pilot. Similarly, though she can’t carry a tune, she enjoys all kinds of music, especially musical theater and dance. She loves to watch sports and is a long time season ticket holder of Shocker basketball. She’s usually up for a bit of adventure and her sister, Sharon, usually sees that she finds it.

 

 

Mike Ellis – Team Member

Controller – Delta Dental of Kansas

Mike Ellis - Team Member

Mike believes he works for one of the best companies in Wichita. Delta Dental of Kansas is very committed to their customers, providers, employees and community. Mike says he thinks people hear the word accountant and think bean counter. He views his role as something very different. Mike is an information source for upper management to assist them in making crucial business decisions. He provides them with accurate, timely information, they can continue to grow the company in a positive direction. When he went to work at Delta Dental, the company was strictly a dental provider in Kansas. During the past five years they have spread their business to offer other ancillary products such as vision and life and do business in multiple states.

Mike married his high school sweetheart, Ginger, and they just celebrated their 11th anniversary.  Both Mike and Ginger were raised in Wichita and can’t imagine living anywhere else (except maybe an island where the weather is 84 degrees year-round). Their oldest child Zoey is six going on sixteen. She loves drawing pictures and giving hugs and kisses. Brock is four and a wild-child who always has a song to sing. All Mike can do is smile when he does something ornery because it reminds him of himself when he was younger!

Mike’s hobbies change like the Kansas seasons. This spring he discovered a joy for running. He is currently training right now for a half-marathon. Mike looks forward to taking in the scenery in Denmark with his running shoes and iPod. He spends as much time in the summer as he can at Tablerock Lake. Mike has been water skiing since he could walk and his kids are finally enjoying water sports, which makes him super excited! Kansas falls are perfect for home projects or outside work. In winter you’ll find Mike at Shocker basketball games cheering on his alma mater.

 

Ben Graber – Team Member

Patrol Officer – Andover Police Department

Ben Graber - Team Member

Ben lives in Wichita and works for the Andover Police Department.  He has been employed there for just over two years.  Ben is a patrol officer with the Andover Police Department.  His duties include patrolling and enforcing traffic violations, working criminal cases and community policing.  Ben is the liaison for two home owners associations in Andover.  He works close with the HOA members and keeps them up to date on what’s going on in the city.  He also takes their concerns and tries to resolve them with the help of the Andover Police Department.  Ben is also a field training officer.  He trains the new recruits that start their career with the Andover Police Department.  Prior to working in Andover, Ben worked for the South Hutchinson Police Department for two and a half years and the Reno County Sheriff’s Department for three years.

Ben was born and raised in Pretty Prairie Kansas which is located about an hour west of Wichita.  He moved to Wichita in 2007.  Since most of his family still lives in Pretty Prairie he visits often.  Ben has several nieces and nephews, with one new arrival in April of 2010.  He loves to spend time with all of them.

 

 

Jan Jones – Team Member

MTSS Facilitator – Wichita Public Schools

Jan Jones - Team Member

Jan lives near Cheney and works for the Wichita Public School District as a Multi Tier System of Supports facilitator at both Metro-Meridian and Metro-Boulevard High Schools. The Wichita Public School District is the largest district in the surrounding four state area.  In this position, Jan assists teachers in implementing the goals and vision of the district through teamwork and professional development.  Jan has been a classroom teacher of English for 15 years, was the District Curriculum Coordinator for Secondary Language Arts in ’08-’09, a teaching specialist for the office of Safe and Drug Free Schools last year, and will be starting in this new position for the 2010-2011 school year.

Jan is active in her church as a worship team member and a youth leader. She also assists in cooking meals and planning instruction and activities for the weekly church family nights.

Jan has been married to her husband Stan for eight years and they have a three year old son named Alexander. Stan is a construction and maintenance supervisor.   Jan’s brother who is two years older, lives in the state of Nebraska and is an electronics systems analyst for the National Weather Service. He has three children between 11 and 18.

Since the age of 8, Jan has owned a horse. She has shown horses competitively, been a drill team member for the state’s largest night rodeo, and her main enjoyment through the years has been to trail ride. She loves to go camping on a weekend with the horses in a beautiful setting and go out for hours at a time riding through scenic countryside.  Jan also loves to read, work-out, and is learning to play the electric guitar.

 

  

Bailey Stiggins – Team Member

Program Coordinator – Reno County Communities That Care

Bailey Stiggins - Team Member

Bailey lives and works in Hutchinson for Reno County Communities That Care.  CTC is a non-profit agency which promotes positive behavoirs in youth by assessing risk and protective factors in Reno County.  CTC attempts to combat risk factors by implementing tested and effective programs to help youth have a bright future.  A few of CTC’s programs are Strengthening Families Program 10-14, Parenting Wisely, Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol, and a variety of youth leadership activities.

Outside of work, Bailey is involved in Young Professionals of Reno County and serves on their Connections Team.  This year, she was elected team chair.  Bailey also helped chair the steering committee for the first state-wide summit for young professionals last April.  She serves on the Reno County Tobacco Use Prevention Coalition.  She is active in her church serving as a deacon, singing in the choir, sponsoring the youth group, and helping with Vacation Bible School.  Bailey has been a mentor for a young man through Youthfriends for the last three years.

Bailey was married to her husband, Casey, last January.  He is an eighth grade teacher and is a football, basketball, and track coach.

In her free time, Bailey loves to attend K-State football and basketball games.  She has season tickets to both.  She also loves to go to work out classes including weight lifting, yoga, step aerobics and more.  Bailey recently played the role of Belle in the Family Children’s Theater’s musical production of Beauty and The Beast.  In the warmer months, you can usually find Bailey somewhere near or in the water.

 

Samantha Tull – Team Member

Consumer Loan Officer – Fidelity Bank

Samantha Tull - Team Member

Samantha lives in Goddard and works in Wichita for Fidelity Bank.  Fidelity Bank is a family-owned community bank with roots back to 1905.  Now with $1.8 billion in assets and over 400 employees, Fidelity Bank has twenty retail banking locations in Wichita and five branches in the Oklahoma City area.  Since its inception, the bank’s philosophy has never changed:  Focus on the customer and provide service, convenience and the opportunity to grow financially.

Samantha has been employed at Fidelity Bank since January 05, 1998.  During her time with the bank she’s been a Financial Service Representative, Consumer Loan Processor and a Consumer Loan Officer; she’s been in her current position for nine years.  She is currently a member of the bank’s Key Talent Program.

Outside of work, Samantha has helped on two Habitat for Humanity building projects.  She has also been a regular volunteer at The Lord’s Diner and Hospice Care.

Samantha is married to Jason Tull; in June they celebrated their eight year wedding anniversary.  Jason is Distribution Supervisor for The Golf Warehouse.

In her free time, Samantha enjoys reading and working in the yard; she also enjoys doing home remodeling projects.  She also loves watching and playing sports.  She enjoys running, riding bikes and working out; she regularly attends a morning fitness program called “Shocker Fitness”.