Executive Director

Ken Thomas is the Executive Director of the Kansas First Amendment Foundation. Ken is an award-winning Kansas Teacher Hall of Fame educator and coach, with over 30 years of experience teaching history, government, and political science at the middle school, high school, and undergraduate levels. He has also taught graduate-level classes at Rockhurst, Graceland, and Baker Universities. During this time, Ken initiated and grew the Kansas We the People program, raising support and fundraising to take 12 teams of high school students to the national stage in simulated congressional hearings on civics topics. Outside of education, Ken previously served as the CEO of Winning Directions Inc., which provided professional development and executive training for educators, corporations, and non-profit leaders. His contributions to the community were recognized in 2013 with the prestigious Johnson County Liberty Bell Award, which is given by the Johnson County Bar Association to non-lawyers who have made exceptional civic contributions.

Secretary | KS1stAFoundation Board of Directors

Assistant Professor | University of Kansas School of Business

Patrick Downes is an Associate Professor in Management at the University of Kansas School of Business, and previously taught at Texas Christian University and Rutgers University-New Brunswick. His area of study includes employees’ contexts, employee motivation, and research methods in organizations. Patrick’s work has been published in several academic journals, including the Academy of Management Journal, the Journal of Applied Psychology, and Harvard Business Review. He has also written an instructional simulation for teaching Strategic Human Resource Management and is a member of the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology and the Interdisciplinary Network for Group Research.

JCFAF Advisory Board Member | KS1stAFoundation Board of Directors

Assistant Professor | Northwest Missouri State University School of Education

Dr. Tina Ellsworth is an Assistant Professor of Education at Northwest Missouri State University and has had a wide-ranging career in education. Beginning as a Social Studies Teacher for grades 7-12 in the Harrisonville School District (MO), Tina has been an adjunct instructor at Baker University, Emporia State University, and the University of Kansas; she was also a Senior Economic Education Specialist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, MO and served as the K-12 Social Studies Coordinator for Olathe Public Schools. Tina also serves as Vice President for the National Council for the Social Studies Board of Directors and will ascend to the presidency on July 1st, 2025 for a four-year term. In 2019, Tina was selected to be a member of the Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium, a program created by the Library of Congress to share primary source materials with teachers and offer professional development to effectively use those materials in their classrooms.

JCFAF Advisory Board Member | KS1stAFoundation Board of Directors

Partner | Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.

Mitchell Engel is a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon where he counsels clients on environmental law issues, including toxic tort and exposure litigation. Mitch earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in mathematics, which he then used to understand the technical aspects of environmental and regulatory law. His ability to translate complex concepts into clear, comprehensible ideas earned him a two-year clerkship with The Hon. Gary A. Fenner of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, where he drafted 150+ orders ruling on motions seeking dismissal, relief from judgment, remand, and jury instructions in both civil and criminal matters. Mitch also serves on the Board of Directors for the Kansas Appleseed Foundation.

Secretary | KS1stAFoundation Board of Directors

Justin Joo is a senior accountant at Ong & Company CPA. At Ong & Company, Justin predominantly works with small business with their accounting. Helping clients bookkeeping, cash forecasting, and tax planning. Justin graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in finance and is working to become a CPA.

KS1stAFoundation Board of Directors

The Law Office of Reshad Staitieh & Conflict Resolution Center - St. Louis

Formerly of Overland Park, KS, Reshad Staitieh is the founder of The Law Office of Reshad Staitieh. After graduating from law school, Reshad moved to Washington, D.C., to serve as a Staff Attorney for one of the nation’s largest civil rights and advocacy organizations. There, he represented individuals who had experienced discrimination in the workplace, at school, or while traveling. He also litigated constitutional issues in federal court. In 2016, Reshad relocated to St. Louis to begin his private practice, using his background in dispute resolution to find solutions for his clients. Reshad also serves as the Programs Director for the Conflict Resolution Center - St. Louis, where he uses his experience in non-profit program development to enhance the role of conflict resolution in the community.