Board of Directors

Matthew Stretz (Chairperson)

Matthew J .Stretz is an attorney and principal owner of the law firm of Fox Stretz & Quinn established in 1993. He is a volunteer with various organization both legal and community in the city and central states. He joined HMC as a singing member in 2002 where he finds camaraderie and passion for both excellence in men’s vocal music and an avenue for the expression of thoughts supporting diversity and community for the city and surrounding regions.

Kathy Dunn (Vice-Chairperson)

Kathy Dunn joined the HMC Board in 2007, after engaging with the Chorus as co-chair of the annual Dinner of Note for three years. In her professional life, she has served for 18 years in various positions at UMKC, all in the area of fundraising, constituent/Board relations, alumni and community affairs. Kathy's career also encompasses several posts connected to both the arts and education: the Harriman-Jewell Fine Arts Program, where she helped present the 10th Anniversary recital of tenor Luciano Pavarotti; the Folly Theater and Missouri Repertory Theater (now KC Rep), Director of Development; Young Audiences, Director of Marketing and Development, to name some highlights. In addition, she has served on the boards of Good Samaritan Project, the Kansas City Chorale, Kansas City Women's Chorale, and the Toy & Miniature Museum of Kansas City. Kathy lives in the Northland, in Liberty, MO. She and her husband, Jim, have two grown sons. Kathy and Jim have been engaged with social justice and gay issues for many years. It is the mission, passion and joyful spirit of the Chorus members and HMC leaders that draw her to serve and promote the organization as a premier contributor to Kansas City's cultural life.

Tom Sullivan (Treasurer)

Tom Sullivan is a partner in the law firm of Sullivan & Schnittker, LLC in Overland Park specializing in estate planning and trusts. He is a director of the Leawood Rotary Club and is on the board of the Huck Boyd Foundation. Prior to joining the board, he was a member of HMC’s "fifth section," HeartLight for six years.

Todd Wegener (Secretary)

Todd Wegener is a Director at MarketSphere Consulting, where he leads the National Planning Team in the Enterprise Performance Management Practice. Todd is actively involved with several organizations including Center for Spiritual Living, Landmark Education, and the Good Samaritan Project. Todd joined HMC as a singing member almost 10 years ago to pursue his love of singing in an accepting environment. The chorus has become his family and an important part of his life as they touch and change lives through music.

Darrell Naeger (President of the Chorus)

Darrell Naeger is the Project Manager with the Interior Design firm Elle Ammon Interior Design. This is his first year on the board as the President of the Chorus. Darrell has been singing with the chorus for seven years and is active in several committees. He is proud to be part of an organization that truly inspires it's members to strive for the best and allows it's supporters to feel the passion and joy through their music.

Board Members

Mike Brown

Mike Brown retired from teaching high school journalism three years ago, but worked halftime for the school district writing curriculum and teaching newspaper and video production after that. He served on the Journalism Education Association board of directors for eight years, during which time he led a commission which established national high school journalism certification with the financial assistance of the Gannet Foundation (now the Freedom Foundation). Mike joined the chorus in the summer of 1997 because he loved music and the positive image of the LGBT community which HMC fosters. He hasn't missed a concert since and has participated in most outreach performances for the same reasons. For 11 years, Mike chaired the GALA Travel Fund Committee, which is intended to insure that any HMC member who wishes to attend the quadrennial GALA Festival has the funds to attend. He hopes his background and commitment to HMC will allow him to contribute to the work of the board of directors.

Thomas E. Brusnahan

Tom Brusnahan is a Community Bank President for UMB Bank-Kansas City North region. He has been a member of the Centurians-KC Leadership Development, KC Free Health Clinic board and executive committee, Chair of Carondolet Health Foundation board, and is president elect of the Metropolitan Community Colleges Foundation board. He has been a long-time season ticket holder and donor with HMC and has engaged in many opportunities to assist the Chorus in continued growth and development.

Karen Dace

Karen Dace is Deputy Chancellor for Diversity, Access & Equity at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. A native of Chicago, she earned bachelor's and master's degrees in communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago before pursuing a doctorate in communication studies from the University of Iowa. In her role as chief diversity officer at UMKC, Karen works to ensure that the campus is inclusive, welcoming and celebratory of everyone through a variety of trainings, dialogues, workshops, speakers series and programs designed for both the UMKC campus and the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. Since her arrival in 2007, UMKC has introduced the Pride Keynote Lecture and film series and LGBTQIA Scholarship Breakfast to raise emergency funds for students who lose financial support from their families because of their lifestyle. Karen also serves on the REACH Foundation Cultural Competency and Brush Creek Community Partners boards.

Ben Kruse

Ben Kruse is director of higher education mobility at AT&T, leading a national sales organization which supports the development of mobile applications for campus learning and social networking. Ben has many interests and commitments in the philanthropic area including the Touched by Cancer Foundation, No More Homeless Pets in KC, Kansas City Zoo, Operation Breakthrough and Rainbows United (Wichita). A lifelong singer and musician, Ben is thrilled to combine his professional experience in business marketing with a passion for music and commitment to the Chorus as a long-time supporter and season ticket holder.

Molly Proffer

Molly Proffer has been co-owner of Proffer Productions for over thirty years, helping businesses and associations tell their stories with video and digital media. Professionally, Molly has helped nonprofits such as United Way of Greater Kansas City, Kansas City Area Red Cross, MOCSA, Gillis, University Academy, Nature Conservancy Kansas Chapter, Jewish Federation, and others raise awareness and resources to fulfill their missions. She has served on the board of the Women’s Foundation of Greater Kansas City, chaired school committees, and has been active in Johnson County Politics. Like her fellow board members, she is driven by a desire to see people care for and support each other, and the harmony of the Heartland Men’s Chorus is a living example of that.

Gene Pulliam

Gene Pulliam is a Vice President and Senior Mortgage Loan Officer with Bank of America, where he has been employed for over 30 years. He has served on several boards and currently serves on the Mortgage Banker’ s Association Board where he chairs the Education Committee and is also serving as Minister of Finance of the Board for Spirit of Hope Metropolitan Community Church. His ongoing interests with the Heartland Men’s Chorus, along with other community involvement, continues his interests in promoting equal rights for all of us in a changing, diverse world.

Juan M. Rangel, Jr.

Juan M. Rangel, Jr., is the Director of Business & Learning Solutions (IWI) for Metropolitan Community College. Rangel values and promotes good human relations among all people regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, economic status, age, or background, and he has sixteen years of professional experience working with vastly diverse populations in the areas of human relations and multicultural training. Rangel currently serves on the Board of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Truman Medical Hospital and the UMKC Women's Center. Recently, he has also served on the Board of Regents at Northwest Missouri State University and the Boards of Directors for the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, the Kauffman Fund, Synergy, and Children's Mercy Hospital.

Scott Reynolds

Scott Reynolds is a program director at Vangent Inc., managing performance for a federal contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In addition to serving on the HMC Board, he has also been a singing member with the chorus since 2001. The love of singing initially attracted him to the chorus, but the strength of community and appreciation for how we open hearts and minds through song has kept him a dedicated supporter of the HMC.

Kevin C. Smith

Kevin C. Smith is a Sr. Operations Manager / Regional Service Manager at Cerner Corporation in Kansas City, MO. HMC's Board is the only Board on which he serves. In addition to Board responsibilities for HMC, he is an active singing member of the organization and serves on multiple committees as well as in other leadership capacities. His first involvement with HMC was through concert attendance, and from there he became a singing member. His affinity with the chorus stems from the benefits he finds within HMC's vision statement…enlightening, inspiring, healing and empowering audiences.

Jarene Stanford

Jarene Stanford is a community volunteer. She has served on numerous boards including the UMKC Chancellor’s Advisory Board, Women’s Center and Women’s Council. She has served as board chair for The Women’s Foundation, Salvation Army Auxiliary, Rose Brooks Center and Country Club Christian Church. She is also involved on the boards of Truman Medical Center and the KC Hospice Foundation. She and her husband Lee live in Kansas City. In 2009, they were honored with the Salvation Army’s "Others Award" in recognition of their extensive work in the community. The Stanford’s have been long-time subscribers to HMC concerts, and love the beautiful music and the powerful uplifting work that HMC does in our community and beyond.

Phyllis Stevens

Phyllis Stevens is director of corporate relations at Bernstein-Rein Advertising. She is currently on the board of directors of Quixotic Performance Fusion and on the advisory boards of KCUR Public Radio, Junior League of Greater Kansas City and the Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee. She is also a past board member of the Ronald McDonald House, SafeHome and Non-Profit Connect. Serving on the board of the Heartland Men’s Chorus provides Phyllis a valued opportunity to actively support "justice for all."

John Whiteman

John Whiteman is director of creative services at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, responsible for leading a group of designers and writers in the production of print and Web materials. He has worked in higher education for most of his career including twelve years as promotions manager at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Music. He is a volunteer at KCUR 89.3 FM and Heartland Tree Alliance.

Keith Wiedenkeller

Keith P. Wiedenkeller is senior vice president & Chief People Officer for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC). In this position, he is responsible for all aspects of human resources for this $2.3 billion, 16,000-employee corporation. He started in "the business" as an usher in 1975 and began his career with AMC as a manager in 1985. He worked his way up through various supervisory roles over the years, and has led AMC’s HR efforts since 2000. During his tenure at AMC, Wiedenkeller has been instrumental in developing and implementing a variety of progressive associate programs, earning the company three Kansas City Business Journal “Best Places to Work” awards, recognition as Best Large Employer from the Missouri Governor’s Council on Disability, and special recognition from the Human Rights Commission in 2008. Wiedenkeller earned his BA from the University of Missouri–Kansas City and has his formal certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). He currently serves several non-profit boards, including the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) of Greater Kansas City, the Business Leadership Network (BLN) of Greater Kansas City, and the UMKC HR Advisory Board. His insights on human resources are featured regularly in Film Journal International magazine and he presents on HR topics at numerous local, state and national seminars and conferences. Wiedenkeller resides in the Kansas City area with his wife of 26 years with a daughter and son in college.

Barbara E. Wilson

Barb Wilson is an Associate Clinical Professor of Law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. She also is a member of the board of directors for KC Legal, an organization of GLBT and affirming members of the Kansas City legal community. She and her partner Michelle have been season ticket holders to HMC for many years, and Barb served on the planning team for the Chorus’ Dinner of Note fundraiser for three years.