Born on Long Island and now rooted in Wichita, Kansas, DJ Carbon has spent decades creating soundtracks for unforgettable memories. A full-time DJ for seven years, he blends music, event hosting, and community advocacy to bring people together. From weddings and festivals to nonprofit fundraisers, Carbon is known for reading the room, introducing new sounds, and creating experiences that connect audiences through music and culture.

LeLan Danes is the executive director of Kansas Spanish Speakers, a nonprofit dedicated to building bridges between Spanish- and English-speaking communities across the state. Based in Emporia, his organization provides advocacy, education, and resources—from helping individuals navigate immigration and healthcare systems to equipping businesses and communities with the tools to communicate across language barriers. A Lyon County native, LeLan’s path has been anything but con

Sarah VanLanduyt is a Kansas-based arts leader and advocate dedicated to strengthening creative communities across the state. A Topeka native, she serves as Executive Director of the Arts Council of Johnson County, where she works at the intersection of nonprofits, government, and artists to support and grow a vibrant and sustainable arts ecosystem. In this role, she focuses on identifying community needs, advancing policy, and developing initiatives that expand access to the

Steven Benstein is a self-described “Kansan by choice” and director of the Flint Hills Discovery Center. A former National Park Service ranger, his career has taken him across the country—but it’s the Flint Hills he now calls home. Through storytelling that connects land, history, and people, Benstein helps visitors discover the deeper complexity and beauty of Kansas.

Sammy Gleason is a passionate advocate for Kansas-made products and the people behind them, serving as a the program manager for the From the Land of Kansas program at the Kansas Department of Agriculture. In her role, she helps promote and connect consumers with products that are grown, raised, or produced across the state—championing local businesses and celebrating Kansas agriculture in all its forms.

Matt Bain is the Director of Conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Kansas, where he leads statewide efforts to protect and sustain the state’s remaining grasslands, waterways, and wildlife habitats. A western Kansas native, Bain grew up on a farm in Ness County, where his early experiences hunting, fishing, and working the land shaped a lifelong commitment to conservation.

Claire Ludes is a dynamic leader blending community impact, strategic growth, and a passion for storytelling in her role as Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer at the Cosmosphere. With a career rooted in service and leadership, Claire previously served as Executive Director of the Salina Area United Way and held key roles with OCCK, along with managing multi-location retail operations in Wichita—experiences that shaped her strength in people-focused leadership

Rick Muma serves as president of Wichita State University, bringing more than three decades of experience at the university into his leadership role. A Wichita native with deep Kansas roots, Muma’s family history in the region dates back to early homesteaders near Maize.

Rolf Potts is an internationally known travel writer, author, and storyteller with Kansas roots that continue to shape his work.

Deb Goodrich is a journalist, author, historian, and filmmaker dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories that shaped Kansas and the American West.

Kiki Bush—who has also worked professionally under the name Kristen Bush—is a Kansas-born stage and screen actor, writer, and director whose career has taken her from Sterling to New York, London, Berlin, Los Angeles, and back home to Kansas.

Ken Spurgeon is a Kansas historian and filmmaker known for bringing Midwestern stories to the screen with a storyteller’s eye and a scholar’s rigor. Raised in Wichita and now based in the Wichita-area (Andover), Ken is a professor of history at Friends University, where his lifelong love of biography, the Civil War era, and the American West fuels both his teaching and creative work.

Ashley Vail is the owner and founder of Vail Family Farm, a specialty cut flower farm located just north of Salina, Kansas. What began during the pandemic with backyard chickens quickly grew into a bold leap into flower farming—despite Ashley having no prior experience growing anything beyond her two children

Andres Mata is the CEO and founder of the Kansas Civic Network, a Kansas-based civic engagement organization focused on helping communities connect, collaborate, and participate in public life.

In this episode of Ask A Kansan, we sit down with Steven Kimmi, a Kansan, educator, and local explorer who is on a mission to change the way people see Kansas. What started during the pandemic as a response to negative portrayals of the state quickly turned into a passion for exploring Kansas’s state parks, small towns, and the best burgers and pizza along the way.

Greg Peterson is the oldest of the Peterson Farm Brothers and a Kansas farmer, creator, and storyteller. Farming alongside his brothers near Lindsborg and Assaria, Greg helped launch the Peterson Farm Bros into YouTube fame by blending agriculture, education, and music to connect audiences with modern farming.

Colby Sharples-Terry is the Public Relations and Communications Manager for Kansas Tourism and the host of the travel television series On the Road into the Stars. With nearly a decade of experience in tourism promotion, Colby has built a career around telling Kansas stories in a way that inspires people to get out and explore.

Rosa Cavazos serves as a Special Projects Coordinator with Kansas Tourism (Kansas Department of Commerce), where she helps lead statewide initiatives that inspire Kansans to get involved, explore, and celebrate what makes the state unique.

Trooper Joe Owen is a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper and the agency’s Lead Recruiter, bringing more than 20 years of law enforcement experience to the role.

Brandon Sokol is the Facility Director of the Prairie Paws Manhattan Animal Shelter, where he helps lead a community-focused, “no-kill” approach to animal welfare—balancing compassionate care for cats and dogs with the real-world constraints of shelter capacity, staffing, and municipal contracts. Prairie Paws operates its main campus in Ottawa and also manages contracted shelters for Emporia and Manhattan, partnering with local governments to provide animal control impound se