Staff

Leadership

Jessica Martin
President & Executive Director

jessicamartin@gscf.org

Jessica joined the community foundation in 2010 and has served in many different roles, including affiliate and youth coordinator, grants and scholarships coordinator, and, now, president and executive director. Her experience has given her a thorough understanding of the community and helped develop strong relationships throughout the region.

Jessica grew up in Andover, Kansas, and received her B.S. degree at Kansas State University. She is married to husband, Aaron and mom to their sons Oliver and Jack. Her favorite part about the foundation is working with people and helping them make a difference.

Rita Northup
Executive Assistant

ritanorthup@gscf.org

Rita is a lifetime resident of Salina. Prior to joining GSCF in June of 2015, she worked in customer service and management for local Salina banks for 24 years, then spent nine years as the administrative assistant to the Executive VP/Provost at Kansas Wesleyan University. She and her husband Charles have two children and three grandchildren. She has been involved in Noon Network Ambucs for the past 20 years. Rita is a graduate of Brown Mackie College and is excited to be with the Greater Salina Community Foundation!

Donor Services

Chris Lehecka
Donor Services Coordinator

chrislehecka@gscf.org

Chris joined GSCF in February 2020. He was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. After graduating from Kansas State University and earning his B.S. in Sociology, he earned his M.S. in Professional Leadership through Fort Hays State. In 2010, Chris got involved with coaching college women’s basketball. He worked at Colby Community College, Kansas Wesleyan, Portland State, and finished up at Brown Mackie College in 2016.  Chris has most recently worked in sales with Alert360, a security system company in Wichita, and enjoyed working as a certified KSHSAA basketball official. He is currently an assistant boys basketball coach at Salina Central and enjoys serving at the Ark Church with his wife. Chris and his wife, Tawni, have two kids, Skylar and Cooper. He is excited to help make an impact through working with the team at GSCF and the people in the community.

Finance

Susan Weis
Director of Finance

susanweis@gscf.org

Susan joined GSCF in June 2015 as Director of Finance. A Northwest Kansas native, Susan grew up in Hoxie, Kansas, and has a BS.. in Business Administration from Kansas State University, where she majored in Accounting and Finance. Susan previously worked for 15 years in banking and corporate accounting. She is a 2012 graduate of Leadership Salina and stays engaged in the leadership community as a steering committee member of the Salina Konza Club (for alumni of local leadership programs). Susan also serves on the Campaign Cabinet for the Salina Area United Way and volunteers for the Chamber of Commerce. In her spare time, she enjoys working out, listening to music and reading.

Kora Copas 
Staff Accountant

koracopas@gscf.org

Kora joined GSCF in May 2019. She grew up in Courtland, Kansas, and has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management and Accounting from Kansas Wesleyan University. Previously, she worked in the healthcare field. She is married to her husband, Taylor, and is mom to their daughter, Rosie. They also have a golden retriever named Flair. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading and traveling.

Affiliates

Katy Kitchen 
Director of Regional Affiliates

katykitchen@gscf.org

A Salina native, Katy enjoys working with people to support community development all over north central and northwest Kansas. She joined the Greater Salina Community Foundation team in 2013. As the director of regional affiliates, Katy works with GSCF’s 14 growing affiliate foundations, which serve 15 rural Kansas counties. She has a bachelor’s degree from Kansas Wesleyan University in visual arts and is passionate about the arts and culture happening in the region. Before coming to GSCF, Katy worked for more than 10 years in collegiate education. She is also a 2014 graduate of Leadership Salina and serves on the community advisory board for the KU School of Medicine and Nursing in Salina. Katy is a mother to son, Jadyn. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with Jadyn, volunteering at her church, crocheting, and playing a mean game of Spades.

Angela Kerner
Affiliate Operations Coordinator

angelakerner@gscf.org

Angela has lived in Kansas her whole life. She was born in Concordia, lived in Salina for a year, lived in Junction City for most of grade school, and finally graduated high school in Hutchinson. She received her B.F.A. in Art History from the University of Kansas. Previously in Salina, she worked at the Salina Art Center and then went on to be a founding partner of Ad Astra Books and Coffee House. She has worked in accounting departments for the last five years, most recently at the Salina Supply Company.

In her free time Angela enjoys gardening, cooking, learning new things, spending time with her pets and spending time with friends and family.

Grants & Scholarships

Brandee Mayginnes 
Director of Grants & Scholarships

brandeemayginnes@gscf.org

Brandee grew up in Minneapolis, Kansas. After earning her Bachelor of Science from Kansas State University in Life Sciences, she lived in the Kansas City area for 14 years before returning to the region. She is married to her husband Brent, who is a local dentist, and is mom to their twins, Ava and Carter, and twin pups Duff and Dash. She worked in the healthcare field for almost 15 years before joining the Greater Salina Community Foundation in December 2016.

Jessica Fuller 
Grants & Scholarships Coordinator

jessicafuller@gscf.org

Jessica joined GSCF in February 2018. A Salina native, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Kansas Wesleyan University. Previously, Jessica has worked as the assistant winemaker at Smoky Hill Vineyards and Winery. For the last seven years, she served as the assistant director of admissions at Kansas Wesleyan University. Jessica and her husband, Andrew, have two children, Kinsley and Kace.

Natalie Wood 
Grants & Scholarships Coordinator

nataliewood@gscf.org

Natalie joined GSCF in August 2019. She grew up in Randall, Kansas, and earned a B.A. in Communication and B.S. in Physical Education (Recreation/Sports Management) with a field of emphasis in leadership studies from Fort Hays State University. Previously, Natalie worked in parks and recreation and education. She is actively engaged in her community and especially loves working with youth organizations. Natalie and her husband, David, have four children: Alana, Isaac, Evan and Odin. Together, they farm and raise their family near Solomon. Natalie also enjoys reading whenever she gets the chance and relaxing with family.

Marketing

Annika Wilson
Director of Marketing & Communications

annikawilson@gscf.org 

Annika Wilson joined GSCF in November 2020. She was born and raised in Salina, Kansas. After graduating from the University of Kansas in Journalism and Mass Communications she moved to Phoenix, Arizona. While in Phoenix, Annika furthered her career in sales and marketing by working as the Marketing Director of a technology company and an Account Executive for a full service advertising agency. She completed her Master’s in Business Administration in 2010 and moved to Denver, Colorado in 2013 to be closer to family and take on a new marketing position for an out-patient surgery company . Annika recently moved back to Salina with her husband and is looking forward to using her marketing experience at the Greater Salina Community Foundation.