The Kansas Sampler Foundation is a public non-profit 501(C)(3) organization.
Our mission is to preserve and sustain rural culture by educating Kansans about Kansas and networking and supporting rural communities.
The goal is to keep every town viable that shows the will and spirit to help itself.
Marci Penner / Director
Marci Penner is a big fan of exploring Kansas, promoting (and living) rural culture, and reframing the challenges of sustaining community into opportunities. When she and her father, Milferd Penner, researched their first Kansas guidebooks in the early 1990s, they saw a need to educate Kansans and network and support rural communities. They formed the public, non-profit Kansas Sampler Foundation in 1993 to meet those goals.
Simone Elder / Power Up and Engagement Manager
Raised in rural Atwood, Kansas, Simone was no stranger to rural areas when she chose to move to Leoti 12 years ago to take a position as Wichita County Economic Development Director. Through her experiences in Wichita County and then across the western half of the state as she worked for NetWork Kansas as an E-Community Coach, she grew acquainted with more of the opportunities and challenges of rural Kansas. There are many things that Simone loves about Kansas from the geography to the cuisine, but the best part is the people.
