Our Board

The Governing Board

Naomi Tolentino

Board President

Naomi Tolentino grew up in a missionary family, enjoying meeting new people and learning about new cultures. She loves working with youth, which led her to be a high school teacher and work in the Youth Specialties office near her home in Puerto Rico. She has served her community all her life, she now works for USD 500 and serves as the AIRR Board Chair.

Rev. Rick Behrens

Grandview Park Presbyterian Church

Pastor Rick Behrens is an ‘original Dotte’ who has served Grandview Park Presbyterian Church for nearly 20 years. He is a founding member of the board of Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR) and Pastor Rick and the church are leaders in the Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity (MORE2).

Sister Jean Anne Panisko

Sisters of Charity

Sister Jean Anne is serving her second term appointment as SCL Community Treasurer. In this role, she serves as an SCL Officer with members of the Community Council. Before assuming the Treasurer’s position in 2010, she spent 29 years as the principal at Annunciation School, Denver. Prior to that, she was an educator for several years. Sister Jean Anne has a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Saint Mary and a master’s in administration from the University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio. She is a board member for Grand Junction, Colo.; the University of Saint Mary, Leavenworth; and Advocates for Immigration Rights & Reconciliation.

Angela Ferguson

Austin and Ferguson

Angela Ferguson holds a Bachelors degree in General Studies from Wichita State University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Kansas.She began her career working for Kansas Legal Services, initial working with victims of Domestic Violence and completing her work at KLS in the Wyandotte-Leavenworth Legal Services office working as the Elder Law Attorney.

Robert Sagastume

Hispanic Development Fund

Robert Sagastume is a Senior Family College Prep Program Student Advisor at the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Development Fund (HDF). At HDF, Robert works to improve the quality of life of Latino families through scholarship support and financial aid advising. Robert's expertise in college access and retention advising was developed and solidified through his/their personal and professional experiences. As a former undocumented immigrant, member of the LGBTQIA+ community, and first-generation college graduate, Robert has a wealth of knowledge on systematic barriers faced by some students and families at the intersection of their identities and attaining higher education processes.  Robert earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work and Social Policy from Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor’s in Social Work from the University of Kansas. Robert was recently elected to the Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education in Sub-District 3.