• Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II: is currently serving his first term representing the Fifth District of Missouri in the House of Representatives and sits on the influential Financial Services Committee.

  First elected to public office in 1979 as a city councilman in Kansas City, Cleaver during his 12-year tenure served as mayor pro tem and was chairman of the planning and zoning committee.

  His experience on the city council paved the way to a two-term stint as mayor of Kansas City, where he made history as the first African American elected to that office. As mayor, he championed programs designed to create jobs and stimulate economic development, including infrastructure improvements, city planning and youth outreach.

  Cleaver is an ordained Methodist minister and still serves as senior pastor at St. James United Methodist Church in Kansas City.

• Dennis Moore: A lifelong Kansan, Dennis Moore is serving his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas and received his law degree from Washburn University.
  
  Moore started his legal career as an assistant state attorney general and entered private practice in 1973. From 1976 and until 1989 he was the district attorney in Johnson County, after which he returned to private practice as a partner in the law firm Erker & Moore, L.L.C.
  
  Starting in 1993, Moore began the first of two terms on the Johnson County Community College Board of Trustees.
  
  Moore is a member of the House Committees on the Budget, Science and Financial Services. He is on a leave of absence from the House Small Business Committee during the 109th Congress.

• Kathleen Sebelius: won election as the 44th Governor of Kansas in November 2002, thus becoming the first daughter of a U.S. governor (John Gilligan, Ohio, 1971-75) to serve in that same position.
  
  She served four terms (1987-1995) in the Kansas House of Representatives and two terms (1995-2003) as the state's insurance commissioner, and was named one of Govering magazine's "Public officials of the Year."
  
  Over her first two years in office, Governor Sebelius placed the state on sound financing footing, steered the Kansas Economic Growth Act to passage, and restructured the existing comprehensive highway package, insuring timely completion of all projects.
  
  She also proposed sweeping educational reforms and has put forward several common sense health care proposals to reduce costs and increase insurance coverage.
  
  Governor Sebelius serves as policy chair of the Democratic Governors' Association.

• Mayor Kay Barnes was elected in March 1999 as Kansas City’s first woman mayor, and was reelected to a second term in March 2003. She brings to the office extensive experience as an elected official, community volunteer, businesswoman and pioneer in women’s organizations.
  
  During her first term, Mayor Barnes oversaw initiatives that doubled the amount of tax dollars dedicated to infrastructure needs and increased the amount of funding for deferred maintenance. Under her leadership, the number of residents living in downtown Kansas City has increased by the addition of 5,000 new housing units in the last two years, and $2 billion of public and private money has been invested downtown, with millions more to be invested in the next several years.

• Wayne Cauthen: Kansas City, Missouri’s, City Manager shared his experiences, challenges and new insights after taking the helm of the City Manager’s office.

• Carl Peterson: Entertaining his 17th season as the Chiefs' top executive, Carl Peterson is regarded as the person most responsible for the club's return to prominence on and off the field since arriving in 1988.
  
  For the third time in his career, Peterson has joined forces with Dick Vermeil and current VP of Football Operations Lynn Stiles to form a true gridiron trinity. The three were together for UCLA's 1976 Rose Bowl championship, as well as the Philadelphia Eagles' berth in Super Bowl XV in 1981.
  
  Under Peterson's continued guidance, the Chiefs maintain one of the strongest seasons ticket bases of any pro sports team, boasting individual season-ticket accounts from 48 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada. The Chiefs consistently fill the NFL's third-largest stadium, despite operating in the fifth-smallest market.
  

• Dayton Moore: was named senior vice president baseball operations/general manager by The Kansas City Royals on May 30, 2006. Moore, a native of Wichita, had been with the Atlanta Braves since 1994, most recently as assistant general manager/baseball operations.
  
  Moore joined the Braves as an area scouting supervisor and was promoted to the front office in August 1996 as an assistant in the baseball operations department. He was named assistant director of scouting in November 1996 and added the title of assistant director of player development in 1999. He was promoted to director of international scouting in 2000 and to director of player personnel in 2002.
  
  Prior to joining the Braves, Moore served as an assistant baseball coach at George Mason University from 1990-94, during which time he also managed the Winchester Royals of the Shenandoah Valley League.

• Kansas City Chiefs' Kendall Gammon: "Life's a Snap" is the title of a book by the Kansas City Chiefs' Kendall Gammon. It also decribes Gammon's life literally as the team's Pro Bowl long snapper.
  
  The native of Rose Hill and Mulvane, Kans., ws drafted by the Pittsburg Steelers as their 11th round choice in 1992 after having captained the Pittsburg (Kan.) State Gorillas in his junior and senior years, culminating in the NCAA DII national championship. With the Steelers he played in seven playoff games, including Super Bowl XXX against Dallas. His resume also includes four years with the New Orleans Saints - and an NFL record 218 straight games.
  
  In tandem with his 14-season pro football career, Gammon has become a successful entrepreneur, now serving as co-owner of Paradise Nursery, a 43-acre retail/wholesale operation in Kansas City's Northland.
  

• Bill Grigsby: One of the most recognizable voices and personalities in Kansas City shared many of the stories that have made him famous.

• Charles Gusewelle: The soul of Kansas City comes through the writings of one of the city’s favorite columnists and he shared several nostalgic stories with our members.

Our members are encouraged to bring guests to enjoy the high-powered, informative and entertaining speakers featured each week on the "Best Podium In Kansas City".

To find out who are next speaker is, follow this link to the BuzzSaw.