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.
Simone Elder | Executive Director
Raised in rural Atwood, Kansas, Simone was no stranger to rural areas when she chose to move to Leoti 14 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.
The Kansas Sampler Foundation helped connect Simone to like-minded Kansans who were proud to be from rural communities. KSF helps these people and communities recognize and celebrate the qualities that make them unique and vital to not only our state, but also the nation. Simone graduated from the University of Kansas School of Business in 2011 with a degree in Business Management and an emphasis in Entrepreneurship. Simone lives with her husband, Levi, on a farm between Leoti and Tribune. Together they are raising their daughter and caring for dogs, cats, and cattle.
Karly Frederick | WeKan Program Manager
Raised on a farm in Alden, Kansas, Karly Frederick has always been shaped by rural places and the people who care for them. She studied at Kansas State University, worked in agriculture at BTI John Deere, and eventually found her way to community work as Executive Director of the Rice County Community Foundation, where she spent her days listening, connecting dots, and helping good local ideas take root.
Her path also took her to Belfast, Northern Ireland, where she earned a master’s degree in Leadership for Rural Sustainable Development and discovered just how much rural communities around the world share in common. Still, Kansas never stopped feeling like home.
Karly believes rural deserves nice things, that communities thrive when they like themselves, and that the best work starts with paying attention. As a fun fact, she’s on a personal mission to visit every locally owned coffee shop in Kansas. . . for research purposes, of course.
Monica Frye | Explore Kansas Program Manager
Monica Frye, KE #6800, is the Explore Kansas Program Manager for the Kansas Sampler Foundation. She began the job in January of 2026, but has been exploring Kansas for the decade that she has lived here.
Monica grew up between Indiana and Ohio and, along with her family, loved exploring her home states, taking road trips, and stopping at quirky attractions like castles and caves along the way. Now as a Kansan, Monica has found many places to love on her Kansas travels, including staying at the Heartland Center for Spirituality in Great Bend, hiking the Elk River Trail in Montgomery County, and getting married at the top of her favorite Kansas landmark, Coronado Heights near Lindsborg. Monica's Explorer Quests include visiting every public library in Kansas and eating a piece of homemade pie in every county in Kansas.
Along with her husband Tim, who is her favorite exploring companion, Monica lives in McPherson, KS with two daughters, a corgi named Toby, and an orange cat named Apollo. Monica will connect with and inspire club members to be life-long learners and adventure seekers of the Sunflower State
Marci Penner | Director Emeritus
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.
