Lee's Summit Board Members

Dr. David McGehee

Superintendent
Dr. David McGehee began serving as R-7 School District superintendent in July 2006. He previously served as superintendent of the Raymore-Peculiar School District, as superintendent of the Sparta R-III School District, as high school principal in Sparta, as a middle-school science teacher and coach in Logan-Rogersville School District and as a science/physical-education teacher and coach in the Drexel R-IV School District. In 2013, Dr. McGehee was named Missouri Superintendent of the Year by the Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA). He was also selected New Superintendent of the Year by MASA in 2000 and received the Tech-Savvy Superintendent Award from eSchool News in 2011. Dr. McGehee serves on the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Economic Development Council, the Greater Lee’s Summit Healthcare Foundation and the Cooperating School Districts of Greater Kansas City. He is also currently serving on the Governing Board of the American Association of School Administrators.
Dr. McGehee has worked in education since 1987 and as a public education administrator since 1995. He earned his doctorate in education leadership from St. Louis University, his specialist’s degree in superintendent leadership from Missouri State University, his master’s degree in secondary administration from Missouri State University and his bachelor’s degree in physical education and science education from Missouri Valley College.
Dr. McGehee and his wife, Andrea, have two daughters, Laura, a junior, and Megan, a 2012 R-7 graduate. The family lives in Lee’s Summit.
Photo of Ron Baker

Ron Baker

President
Ron Baker was elected to the Board of Education in April 2009, is currently serving as president and previously served as vice president. He retired in 2001 after working for 36 years in the R-7 School District. During his career, he taught science at the high-school and middle-school levels, served as the district’s first secondary science department chairperson and the first R-7 energy manager.
Mr. Baker was named Teacher of the Year at the Lee’s Summit Junior High School and served on the Executive Board of the Science Teachers of Missouri. He earned his bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Central Missouri, his master’s degree in biology from UCM and has completed 45 post-graduate hours.
A Lee’s Summit resident, Mr. Baker is an active member of Lee’s Summit Baptist Temple and belongs to the Lee’s Summit Rotary Club. His two sons attended R-7 schools from kindergarten through 12th grade, both graduating from Lee’s Summit High School. He has one grandson who attends R-7 schools.
Mr. Baker is married to Serece Baker, a retired R-7 science teacher. They enjoy traveling, reading, golf and lake activities as well as live theatre.
Photo of Jack Wiley

Jack Wiley

Vice President
Jack Wiley joined the R-7 Board of Education in April of 2005, currently serves as vice president and previously served as president from spring 2011 through spring 2013. Since 1997, he has spent considerable time serving the district on various teams and committees including the Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC), the Middle School Grade Configuration Team and Secondary Boundary Study Teams. Additionally, Mr. Wiley has served on the Building Our Future Committee, Lee’s Summit High School PTSA and Booster Club, LSHS Music Parents, as a Project Grad volunteer, as a deacon at First Baptist Church of Lee’s Summit and as a member of the Motorcycle Fellowship of Kansas City.
Mr. Wiley graduated cum laude in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in biology from East Central University in Ada, Okla., and in 1988 with a master of arts in English from Oklahoma State University. He has worked in technical communications for various businesses in the Greater Kansas City area, including Pfizer, Bayer, Fort Dodge Animal Health and Fleishman Hillard Public Relations. He currently works as a software trainer at GE Oil & Gas in Mission, Kan.
Mr. Wiley and his wife, Suzanne, a teacher in the R-7 School District, moved to Lee’s Summit in 1988. They have two sons, Cameron, a Lee’s Summit High School 2007 graduate, and Garrett, a LSHS 2011 graduate. He enjoys riding motorcycles, traveling and cooking.
Photo of Phyllis Balagna

Phyllis Balagna

Member
A Lake Winnebago resident, Ms. Balagna has lived in the Lee’s Summit community her entire life. She became a member of the Board of Education in April 2012. Ms. Balagna is a graduate of Lee’s Summit High School and a graduate of University of Central Missouri. She taught English and theatre arts for five years, with two of those at LSHS. In 1989, she became a Lee’s Summit business owner, and for the past 24 years has owned Steppin’ Out – The Studio. In 2011, the Chamber of Commerce recognized her as the Res in Motus Small Business of the Year, and she was also awarded the Volunteer of the Year. She is actively involved with the Chamber Education Committee, and serves on the Teacher of the Year/Excellence in Teaching Award Selection Committee. In addition, she serves on the Chamber’s Governmental Relations Committee, and travels to Jefferson City and Washington, D.C. each year to meet with government officials.
Within the community, Ms. Balagna is involved with many organizations: Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation Advisory Board, R-7 Business Roundtable, R-7 Citizens’ Advisory Committee, Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce, Noon Rotary Club  and Lee’s Summit Character Council.  In 2011, she was awarded the “Whatever It Takes Award” from Lee’s Summit CARES. She donates much of her time to many local events, middle school physical education classes, Brownie troops, school theatre and music programs, and fundraising events.  Nationally, she serves as judge for many talent competitions, and is one of 12 teachers throughout the country invited to serve as an Ambassador at the Dance Teacher Summit in New York City.
Ms. Balagna has two daughters, Jennifer, age 30, and Jill, age 28, both graduates of Lee’s Summit High School. Her parents also graduated from Lee’s Summit High School, and in the fall of 2014, her grandson Brody will be the fourth generation entering R-7 schools. In spring 2013, Ms. Balagna was inducted into the Lee’s Summit High School Hall of Fame. In her spare time, she enjoys golfing, boating, traveling and spending time with friends and family.
Photo of Patti Buie

Patti Buie

Member
Patti Buie was elected to the Board of Education in 2000. She served for three years as Board president and also served as Board vice-president. Patti is a homemaker and active community volunteer. She previously worked as an R-7 School District substitute teacher and in medical transcription.
Mrs. Buie earned her bachelor’s degree in child and family development/early childhood education from the University of Missouri-Columbia and her master’s in guidance and counseling from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She has served as PTA president at Hazel Grove Elementary, as co-chairperson of the R-7 School District’s 1996 Proposition C levy campaign committee, as co-chairperson of the 1998 bond committee and as co-chairperson of the 1996 and 1998 Lee’s Summit Kids Voting Steering Committees. In addition, Mrs. Buie has served as a member of four R-7 PTA organizations, the Lee’s Summit North High School Music Parents, the LSN Academic Support League, the 1996 R-7 Superintendent Selection Committee, the R-7 Character Education Team and the R-7 Health and Safety Team. She is a regular classroom volunteer and has been active in the Lee’s Summit United Methodist Church where she has taught and directed Vacation Bible School, served on a number of church committees, been a youth ministry sponsor and served as accompanist for the children’s choir. She has also received the Missouri PTA Life Membership Award.
Mrs. Buie and her husband, Steve, have two children, Cameron, a 2002 graduate of LSNHS, and Alana, a 2005 graduate of LSNHS.
Photo of Terri Harmon

Terri Harmon

Member
Terri Harmon was elected to the R-7 Board of Education in April 2011. She has served on the R-7 Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC) and on the CAC Steering Committee and has recently held leadership positions with the Pleasant Lea Elementary PTA and the Lee’s Summit R-7 Building Our Future Committee.
Mrs. Harmon earned her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in business administration and economics from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., and is a graduate of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Centurions program.
She joined Best Buy as one of the original employees in the company’s 13th store. She moved to the Kansas City metropolitan area with Best Buy in 1987, managing multiple store locations in the Midwest as well as serving as a district operations administrator for a five-state region. Mrs. Harmon transferred her operational experience to the not-for-profit industry, joining the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City when it opened in 1999. As the council’s chief operating officer, she helped manage the financial, strategic and programmatic growth of this regional not-for-profit organization, including the development of a community-based arts funding program, the ArtsKC Fund.
After a decade with the Arts Council, Mrs. Harmon opened myVP, llc, a consulting practice that combines her passion for operational excellence with her interest in small and growth-oriented businesses. She helps her clients bring efficiency to their operations and integrate technology to make their businesses more successful. Mrs. Harmon and her husband, Mike, have two daughters – class of 2020 and 2024. She enjoys spending time with her family, golfing and gardening.
Photo of Chris Storms

Chris Storms

Member
Chris Storms was elected to the R-7 Board of Education in April 2011. Before joining the Board, he served on the R-7 Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC) for six years, including three years on the CAC Steering Committee. In addition, he has served on other school district teams such as the All-Day Kindergarten Study Team and the R-7 Building Our Future Committee, a group he co-chaired in 2009-10.
Within the community, Mr. Storms has served as a volunteer and committee member for Boy Scout Troop 262, is a member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church, a Board member for the Lee’s Summit Lacrosse League, a member of the Lee’s Summit Rotary Club, a charter member of the Summit Pointe Elementary PTA and has served as team manager for eight years within the Lee’s Summit Baseball Association. During the 2009-10 school year, he served as chairperson for the Lee’s Summit Coalition for Excellence in Education.
Mr. Storms earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration from the University of Central Missouri. He works as a national account manager for Niscayah, Inc.
His family includes his wife, Audra, a third-grade teacher at Summit Pointe Elementary, and his two sons – Alec, a junior at Lee’s Summit West High School, and Austin, an ninth-grader at Lee’s Summit West High School. He enjoys watching his sons’ sports, boating, wakeboarding, traveling, reading and running.
Photo of Bob White

Bob White

Member
Bob White became a member of the Board of Education in April 2013. Within the community, he has served as president of the Lee’s Summit Symphony, director for the Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation, as a member and education key-performance area chairperson for the City of Lee’s Summit 360 initiative and as a board member for both the Lee’s Summit United Methodist Church and Lee’s Summit Christian Church.
Mr. White retired from the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District in 2007 after a 33-year career. Within R-7, he worked as director at Summit Technology Academy, as assistant principal at Pleasant Middle School and Lee’s Summit High School and as a language arts teacher. As a teacher in Lee’s Summit, he participated in the development of the Program for Students At Risk, Summit Ridge Academy and Summit Technology Academy. After his retirement from Lee’s Summit R-7, he also worked for one year as interim director of the Herndon Career Center in Raytown.
In addition to his career in education, Mr. White served for three years active duty in the United States Navy, finishing his career as a lieutenant. While attached to the USS Ranger, he served as educational services and executive division officer. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Kansas, a master’s degree in education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a specialist’s degree in administration/secondary school principalship from the University of Central Missouri.
A Lee’s Summit resident, he has been married for 42 years to Candy White, a retired R-7 teacher. They have a son, Kevin White, a special-education teacher at LSHS; a daughter-in-law, Mitch White, a substitute aide; granddaughter, Abby, seventh-grader at Pleasant Middle School; and grandson, Hendrix, who will begin kindergarten in fall 2014.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Missouri Schools - The Washington Post

Missouri Schools - The Washington Post Some schools brag about their high passing rates on AP or IB, meaning the percentage of test-takers who scored 3, 4 or 5 on the 5-point AP exam or 4, 5, 6 or 7 on the 7-point IB exam. Passing scores make students eligible for credit at many colleges and universities. I decided not to count passing rates in this way because I found that many high schools kept those rates artificially high by allowing only top students to take the courses. AP, IB and AICE are important because they give average students a chance to experience the trauma of heavy college reading lists and long, analytical college examinations. Research has found that even low-performing students who got a 2 on an AP test did significantly better in college than similar students who did not take AP. On the list, we also give readers a sense of how well each school’s students are doing on the tests by posting the Equity and Excellence rate, which is the percentage of all graduating s...
Read more

My Letter Requesting To Become A Board Member

Sherri R. Tucker 1200 SE London Way Lee’s Summit, MO   64081 816-554-3017 autism@kc.rr.com Lee’s Summit R-7 School District C/o Linda Ismert, Board Secretary Stansberry Leadership Center 301 NE Tudor Road Lee’s Summit, MO   64086 Ms Ismert I would like to submit my name for the position on the Lee’s Summit R-7 School Board.   As you know, I have expressed an interest in being on the school board in the past.   On my first attempt I only lost by 2% which would indicate that the voters have an interest in me being on the board as well.   I would think that the voters’ wishes would be taken into consideration. I have a strong relationship with many of the districts’ families and I can help to bridge the gap between them and the district.   I understand the commitment to the time and energy required each week for meetings, phone calls, conversations, visits to schools, and professional development seminars and workshops.   I already do that with the f...
Read more

School Board Candidates

I am attempting to find information on the school board candidates.  It has been much easier in the past.  This year it has been more difficult.  Susan D. Coffman Susan Coffman has served as the Outreach Program Coordinator and Finance Officer for Lee’s Summit CARES since 2008. She has been a mayor-appointed representative to the Human Services Advisory Board, facilitated alcohol retailer trainings, organized the annual Holly Festival with the DARE program, managed bookkeeping and accounting, and served as the community liaison between LS CARES and local business, universities and the cities.  Coffman’s financial background includes work as a customer support specialist at Jack Henry & Associates Inc. for 11 years and assistant vice president and customer support specialist at Merchants Bank for 17 years.  Her community activities include serving on the Human Services Advisory Board, Paradise Park Advisory Board, Lee’s Summit Social Services Board, form...
Read more