Leadership

Brett Parker graduated from UMKC with a B.A. in Secondary Education. Brett taught non-native English speakers for five years in the Olathe school district. While teaching, Brett was active in the Olathe National Education Association serving on the Executive Board, as a member of the Negotiations Team, and as Vice President.

His advocacy for his students and fellow teachers led Brett to run for and win a seat in the Kansas House in 2016. After serving in the legislature in 2021, Brett joined the board of directors for Jewish Family Services of Kansas City and joined the staff of the Kansas National Education Association where he works supporting teachers in the greater Kansas City area.

Stevie Anthony Wakes was born in Topeka, Kansas and moved to Kansas City, Kansas, in 1985. After obtaining his first bachelor’s degree in religion in 1984 from Bishop College in Dallas, Texas, Stevie also earned a Master of Divinity degree from Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Shawnee, Kansas, a second bachelor’s degree in Spanish Education from the University of Missouri in Kansas City, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas.

Stevie is the Senior Pastor of the Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, where he has now served for over 35 years. He has worked for the HLJ Management Company in Lenexa, Kansas and later for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. Stevie is fluent in Spanish and taught Spanish language and culture in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri public schools.

In his service to the community, Stevie has been a community organizer, former president of the Kansas City, Kansas NAACP, former president of Turtle Hill Neighborhood Association, former Vice-President of Tremont Neighborhood Association, and former Community Liaison for the Unified Government’s Northeast Development Plan. In addition to his role as Pastor, he also works for the Unified Government’s Office of the District Attorney as an Administrative Support Specialist and was selected to be a participant in the first cohort of the Dotte Leads leadership initiative.

Stevie and his wife, Stefanie, have five children. They married in Kansas City, Kansas and are proud to have become “Dottes.”

Ms. Mulvany Henry is a native of Kansas City, Kansas, where she attended Bishop Ward High School. She furthered her education and received her B.A. in English from the University of Kansas, and then her J.D. from Washburn University School of Law. Rose is currently admitted to practice in Kansas.

Rose is currently the Vice President of Regulatory & Legislative Affairs for Metronet, the largest privately held fiber to the premise company in the United States.

Prior to joining Metronet in 2021, Rose enjoyed a long and diverse career in the communications utility industry ranging from a wireless industry entrepreneur, to regulating the telephone industry with the Kansas Corporation Commission, to the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for Birch Telecom, Inc., to in-house counsel for Sprint Corporation to the representation of various clients as outside counsel with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP and then with her own private practice in Kansas City, Kansas.

Rose has lived nearly her entire life in Kansas City, Kansas and is very proud of her “Dotte” roots. In her spare time, Rose enjoys lending a helping hand to worthy nonprofits with their development initiatives. She also has a passion for criminal justice reform and workforce development programs.

Rose and her husband, John Henry, live in Kansas City, Kansas. Their son, Justin, his wife Sophia, and two grandchildren also live in the metro area.

Mr. Haley has served the community in several capacities having being first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives beginning in 1994 and then the Kansas Senate since 2000 where he was reelected to a 6th term in the Kansas Senate in 2020.

He is the longest tenured African-American in state history to have been elected to the Kansas Senate and is currently the longest serving member in the state senate.

Mr. Haley serves as the Ranking Minority member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and also served on the Senate’s Ethics; Elections & Local Government; Public Health & Welfare; Federal & State Affairs; Assessment & Taxation and Redistricting Committees among other leadership positions.

A native of Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kansas, he attended and graduated from Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA) and Howard University Law School (Washington, D.C.).

After law school, Mr. Haley returned to Kansas City, Kansas, where he clerked for a local law firm; served as assistant District Attorney (Wyandotte County) and worked for the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD).

An active member of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) for over 25 years, he has been elected to the Caucus’ Executive Committee At-Large and served as Regional Chair of District 9 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma).

David is a public affairs counselor and real estate developer and proud father of four adult children.

Gary Enrique Bradley-Lopez was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, Wyandotte County. He is a proud Bulldog graduate of Wyandotte High School, Class of 2016. He received an Associate of Arts in Theatre from Kansas City Kansas Community College in 2018 and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Missouri–Kansas City in 2019. He earned a Master of Professional Studies in Organizational Leadership from Fort Hays State University and will graduate in May with a Master of Science in Secondary Education from the Same University, as part of the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools teaching fellowship program.

Gary is a Speech and Theatre teacher at Eisenhower Middle School, where he began in 2024 after previously counseling students through the Youth Guidance KC BAM (Becoming A Man) Program. He serves as the school’s debate coach and drama club sponsor and is a member of the building leadership team, representing elective teachers. Gary also serves as an instructor for a Kansas City Kansas Community College Upward Bound program. Before this role, Gary worked throughout the community in various capacities, including Community Engagement Bureau Manager for The Kansas City Beacon, Market Manager for the Central Area Betterment Association, and Community Organizer at MORE2.

Gary began his service through the KCKCC Student Senate and the Fringe Benefit of Education Program, later serving as Student Senate President in 2017 and 2018. He went on to found the KCKCC College Democrats and the Wyandotte County Young Democrats. He later served as Second Vice President of the Kansas Young Democrats and completed one term with the Hispanic Democratic Caucus of Kansas. Gary also completed two fellowships that allowed him to explore public policy: the UnidosUS Afro-Latinx Líderes Program and the Heartland Arts Fellowship Program.

Gary and his wife, Vanessa, have three children, with a fourth joining their family soon. They were married in Kansas City, Kansas, where they are both proud natives.

Chase Cook is a 2009 graduate of Piper High School. He began his collegiate career at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas, where he played both soccer and basketball for two years before transferring to the University of Kansas. He graduated from KU in 2014 with a degree in Sports Management and later earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law in 2018.

Chase has spent the past five years working as in-house counsel with a focus on transactional work. His professional experience includes serving with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas; the engineering firm Black & Veatch; and the research and development nonprofit MRIGlobal. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for CASA of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties.

In 2024, Chase married his wife, Margot, and they welcomed their first son, Callum, in September 2025. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family at the lake and pool, golfing with friends at Dubs Dread, and cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas Jayhawks.