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