Park University’s Board of Trustees Welcomes Three New Members

Parkville, MO, July 1, 2024 – Today, Park University announced a significant change in their executive leadership with the addition of three fresh faces to their Board of Trustees. The board, which governs the operations and strategic direction of Park University, elected Andrea Hendricks, Ed.D., Merideth Rose, and Kathrine Swanson, Ed.D. to serve a three-year term beginning today.

New Faces of Leadership

Andrea Hendricks, Ed.D.

Andrea Hendricks, a resident of Lee’s Summit, Mo., is an established leader with a solid track record in diversity, equity, and inclusion work. She currently serves as the chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Authentico, a Mission, Kan.-based multicultural marketing agency. An established author, Hendricks wrote The BIG Journey: Bold Inclusion for Greatness, which offers actionable guidance for business leaders striving to foster diversity and inclusion in their organizations. She holds degrees in educational psychology, counseling psychology and personnel services, and human development psychology and mass communications from the University of Missouri and Kansas State University.

Merideth Rose

The second appointee, Merideth Rose, hails from Independence, Mo. Rose is an experienced community organizer with a strong background in public administration. She is the president and chief executive officer at Cornerstones of Care, a Kansas City-based behavioral health agency. Rose led a team of 1,300 emergency responders while at the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy in 2012. She holds degrees in project management and communication theory and human relations from Park University.

Kathrine Swanson, Ed.D.

Last but not least, Kathrine Swanson, a Parkville, Mo. resident, serves as the president of the Metropolitan Community College Longview Campus in Lee’s Summit, Mo. She has been part of the higher education sector since 1992. Swanson earned her doctorate degree in higher education administration from the University of North Texas, a master’s degree in adult and higher education from Montana State University and a bachelor’s degree in business management from Northern Michigan University.

Board of Trustees Elects New Officers

In addition to the introduction of new board members, Park University’s Board of Trustees elected a new set of officers for the fiscal year 2024-25. The board’s governance team, consisting of Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer, not only oversees the non-profit university’s operations, but also holds strategic discussions on upcoming academic years. Apart from the election of new officers, Jeff Anthony and Gary Henry were re-elected to serve a second three-year term on the board.

About Park University

Founded in 1875, Park University is a renowned higher education institution with over 6,600 students across 23 campuses in 16 states, including online learning platforms. The university offers quality education at Parkville, Independence and Kansas City, Mo; Lenexa, Kan; Gilbert, Ariz; Barstow, Calif; Columbus, Ohio; Austin and El Paso, Texas; and 15 military installations across the U.S.