Reimagining Rural with Kansas Sampler Foundation’s Simone Elder | Choosing Rural Kansas
Simone Elder is the Executive Director of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, where she works to preserve and sustain rural Kansas culture while helping communities recognize and build on their own strengths. A native of Atwood in northwest Kansas, Simone grew up on a family farm and developed an interest in rural community development at an early age. Her first experience came while she was still in high school, when she joined a youth community improvement program and began working with local leaders to think about the future of her hometown.
Her professional career has focused largely on rural economic and community development across Kansas. She began professionally in Wichita County, later worked with Network Kansas through its eCommunity program, and spent time in banking before joining the Kansas Sampler Foundation in 2023. With a background in business management and entrepreneurship, Simone has a particular interest in supporting small businesses, entrepreneurs, young people, and the people who are choosing to invest in rural communities. She became Executive Director in January 2026, following more than three decades of leadership from Kansas Sampler Foundation founder Marci Penner.
In her role with the Kansas Sampler Foundation, Simone is helping continue the organization's work connecting communities, encouraging people to explore rural Kansas, and creating opportunities for Kansans to become more engaged in the places they call home. She is especially passionate about giving young people a voice in their communities and reminding those who leave that the door is always open to return. Through programs such as the Kansas Explorers Club, Big Kansas Road Trips, and the Foundation's rural community programming, Simone hopes to help Kansans see rural communities not as places of the past, but as places with a future worth investing in. Click to expand
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