Wichita State University Community Engagement Institute

09/03/2026

🌻 Day 3 is in the books—and just ONE more to go today!

It’s been great having prevention professionals from across Kansas in our building this week—learning together, exchanging ideas, building connections, and strengthening the prevention network across our state.

We’re cheering them on as they finish strong! 👏

Learn more about the Kansas Prevention Collaborative at kansaspreventioncollaborative.org or contact us at [email protected].

09/03/2026

Our Prevention Initiatives Team is excited about the upcoming HOPE Fest 2026! ⚡️

We invite everyone to join us for a morning dedicated to hope, healing, wellness, and recovery at Wichita State University.

Attendees can visit community booths to collect wellness items and resources to create a personalized HOPE Kit, and explore the Recovery Roots Market, featuring handcrafted items from vendors in active recovery or with a lived connection to recovery.

Learn more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4fJE20b

09/02/2026

👏We’re proud to support organizations as they think strategically about their future.

Ty Kane with the CEI Center for Public Health Initiatives recently helped facilitate this strategic planning session, bringing structure and guidance to conversations around priorities, goals, and next steps.

If your organization could benefit from strategic planning facilitation, we’d love to talk. Reach out to [email protected] to learn more about how we can help.

09/02/2026

Join our Prevention Initiative's Team at the 9th Annual Kansas Prevention Collaborative Conference, registration is NOW OPEN!

Registration is open for the 9th Annual Kansas Prevention Conference. Early Bird prices are active, so don't miss out on signing up to join us today!

In addition to 30 incredible breakout sessions, our Opening Keynote speaker is Rear Admiral Christopher Jones, Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) and Acting Director of the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (CBHSQ) at SAMHSA.

For more information, including the hotel block for the Wichita Marriott, please visit our website: https://kansaspreventioncollaborative.org/conference/

Help us continue "Moving Prevention Forward!"

09/01/2026

👏 Kudos to CEI’s Heather Winklepleck and LaFoe!

Heather and Georgina are helping lead the way as prevention professionals from across Kansas come together for SAPST — the Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training this week at CEI.

We love seeing our CEI team members sharing their expertise, building the capacity of prevention professionals, and helping strengthen comprehensive prevention efforts across Kansas.

For more information about the Kansas Prevention Collaborative click here: https://kansaspreventioncollaborative.org and/or email us at [email protected].

08/30/2026

✨We’re proud to celebrate AAron Davis, Director of the the WSU Community Engagement Institute Center for Public Health Initiatives, on being recognized by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) as an honoree of the inaugural Local Health IT Community Awards!

AAron was recognized for his national leadership in responsible AI adoption and his commitment to mentoring colleagues across the public health community. This recognition highlights the important work happening to help public health professionals thoughtfully and responsibly navigate emerging technologies — and we’re excited to see AAron’s leadership recognized on a national level.

📩If you'd like to learn more, contact us at [email protected].

08/28/2026

🌻Strong organizations are built through learning, connection, and opportunities to grow.

We’re excited to see Vanessa Lohf sharing her knowledge and creating opportunities for others to strengthen their skills. Thanks to the Reno County Community Wellness Coalition for sharing! Training and professional development are just some of the ways the Community Engagement Institute partners with organizations to build capacity and support meaningful community impact.

If your team has a training need, we’d love to hear from you and explore how we can help! [email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D4Y6p7GoA/

08/27/2026

🌻We love seeing our team members putting their skills and passion into work that brings people together.

Thank you to the Wichita State University: Department of Public Health Sciences for sharing! Chantal Nez Dominguez played a key role in organizing the 2026 Kansas Urban Native Health Summit, creating an opportunity for connection, conversation, and community. We’re proud to see her leadership in action and grateful for the opportunity to support work that helps strengthen our communities.

📧If you'd like to learn more, connect with us at [email protected].

Spotlight on Community Connection
A special shout out to the success of the recent Kansas Urban Native Health Summit!

​Our own faculty member, Dr. Suzanne Hawley (right), had the privilege of attending this impactful event, themed "Healing Through Connection: The Power of Community, Culture, and Health." She is pictured here with the summit organizer, Chantal Nez (left), Program Manager at the Center for Public Health Initiatives within the WSU Community Engagement Institute (CEI).

​The summit served as a vital gathering space for Urban Native relatives and partners to connect, reflect, and uplift the lived experiences and health strengths within our communities. We are honored to have our faculty engaged in these essential conversations that move us toward collective healing and well-being in Wichita and beyond.

08/25/2026

📣 We’re excited to share this upcoming opportunity from our partners at WSU Public Policy and Management Center!

Join CEI trainer extraordinaire Percy Turner of the IMPACT Center for Brave Conversations—an interactive session designed to help you approach challenging conversations with greater confidence, courage, and skill.

Register today!

#𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

Don't forget to sign up for Professional Development Series! https://secure.touchnet.com/C21797_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=6070&SINGLESTORE=true

08/18/2026

🎉 Now THAT’S how you celebrate National Nonprofit Day!

On August 17, we had the opportunity to celebrate with the people and organizations doing incredible work across our community at the Wichita Nonprofit Summit! 💙

The day was filled with connections, conversations, learning, new ideas, and plenty of nonprofit energy as nonprofit professionals, community leaders, partners, funders, and volunteers came together to strengthen the work happening throughout our communities.

👏 To everyone who attended, presented, partnered, shared resources, or helped make the day happen—thank you for showing up for the nonprofit community! Feel free to tag us on any pictures you may have taken.

Happy ! 🎉