Cabinet Members & Staff

Don Hineman is a western Kansas farmer/rancher, in partnership with his son Andy.  He has served on numerous livestock boards and remains active in both livestock and grain industry organizations.  A twelve-year veteran of the Kansas House of Representatives, he served a two-year term as House Majority Leader.  His commitment to his local community has included serving on Dighton City Council and Lane County Commission.  He has also served as a Certified Lay Speaker in the United Methodist Church and is a member of the board of directors of Lane County Community Foundation.

Don holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Kansas and master’s degrees in business administration and natural resource management from the University of Michigan.  His passion for early childhood education and intervention was ignited by his wife Betsy’s forty-year career in early childhood.  Don and Betsy reside in Dighton and have two grown children and five grandchildren. 

Dr. LeEtta Felter was appointed in 2018. She has lived in Olathe since 1994 and is Councilwoman-elect on the Olathe City Council. LeEtta is also the longest serving current member of the Olathe Public Schools Board of Education. She is Vice President of AAG Investments and received a Doctorate of Education in Administration and Leadership (Ed.D) from Southern Nazarene University.

Terri Rice is Senior Marketing Manager for Cox Business, the facilities-based provider of voice, video, and data solutions for Cox Communications’ commercial customers. In this role, she leads the local Cox Business marketing team in planning, developing, and executing integrated multi-tactical marketing programs, while developing strategies responsible for commercial business growth. Terri is the recipient of numerous education and civic awards, as well as being recognized professionally. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Master of Business Administration. An active volunteer in both professional and community activities, she serves on various committees, boards, and is heavily involved in nonprofit work, giving back to the community whenever possible. Terri lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband and has one adult daughter and two adult step-children.

Dr. Tara D. Wallace was appointed to the Cabinet in 2024. She is a licensed clinical social worker and child trauma therapist in private practice.  Her ten-year career has led to specializations in art therapy, bibliotherapy, maternal mental health, naturopathy, yoga, and trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy/problematic sexualized behavior. She volunteers on numerous community boards whose missions support the wellbeing of children and families in Kansas.

Tara is also the founder of a non-profit, Lighthouse Therapeutic Community Outreach Foundation, which promotes (W)Holistic Wellness in low-income and low-access communities. In addition to providing free and reduced mental health services to families, Lighthouse TCO Foundation supports low performing schools by volunteering on literacy projects, facilitating social-emotional groups for students, and contributing to activities and projects to boost staff morale.

As an adjunct professor, best-selling author, and public speaker, Tara promotes awareness of issues related to child welfare and foster care, generational trauma, parental mental health, and social justice. She currently serves as chair of the Social, Economic, Justice and Peace Specialty Practice Section for the National Association of Social Workers. Tara is also a member of the Chi Delta Zeta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, and The Topeka (KS) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.

Tara lives in Topeka, KS with her husband, son, and their four dogs. When not advocating for the needs of children and families, she enjoys spending time with family, reading, writing, and creating works of art.

DiAnne Owen Graham was appointed to the Cabinet in 2018 and reappointed in 2021. She is President of Graham Advisors, LLC, a nationally recognized consulting firm that specializes in political and issue advocacy fundraising for diverse clientele that includes Presidential Candidates, Governors, U.S. Senators, U.S. Congressmen, Attorneys General, national and state political committees and numerous issue advocacy and nonprofit entities. DiAnne also serves as Co-Founder and Partner at Strategic Advisors, LLC, a comprehensive public affairs firm. She served as a political appointee in President George W. Bush’s Administration and held various roles with the U.S. Department of State including in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, and the Office of the Chief of Protocol. DiAnne also served as Chief of Staff to the U.S. Ambassador to the 2005 World’s Fair in Nagoya, Japan, among other roles in the private sector.

DiAnne earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree at The University of Mississippi and previously served on the Board of Directors of the Ole Miss Alumni Association. She is President of the Mid-Kansas Rebel Alumni Club. DiAnne also currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL), is a member of the Belizean Grove’s Executive Committee, formerly served on the Board of Directors for The Foundation for Andover Schools, and is a former Trustee for Historic Wichita Cowtown, Inc. She was selected as one of the Wichita Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Awardees in 2017. DiAnne lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband, Chris, and their sons, Owen and Parker who are middle school and elementary students in Andover Public Schools.

Senator Renee Erickson was appointed in 2021 and represents District 30. Her career experience includes working as a teacher, a data and assessment coordinator, a middle school principal, a financial planner, and the director of the USD 259 instructional technology center. She holds undergraduate degrees in both business and education with a master’s degree in public school administration from Baker University, and a master’s degree in family life education and consultation from Kansas State University.

Representative Kristey Williams was appointed in 2024 to the Children’s Cabinet and has served in the Kansas House since 2015. Her professional experiences include teaching secondary science, serving as mayor of Augusta, spearheading and fundraising for three major community projects, and serving as the House K-12 Education Budget Chair. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s in curriculum and instruction from the University of Kansas.

Monica Murnan is a licensed teacher and administrator who has had the opportunity to work in public school, non-profit, and education service center settings. Her career has been focused on early childhood systems at the community and regional level. As a founder of the Family Resource Center (The Center) in Pittsburg, Kansas, she has worked with various community groups to align systems to better support all kids and families. As a longtime resident of Pittsburg, she has served on the Library Board, PSU Alumni Association, United Way, and other non-profit boards in addition to serving four years as City Commission with one year as Mayor. Monica currently serves as Director of Community Supports at Greenbush where she works with early childhood systems and provides professional development in the areas of early childhood, poverty, data-driven community interventions and process alignment. Murnan and her husband Rob live in Pittsburg. They have three grown daughters and two grandchildren.

John Wilson was appointed in 2019. He is the President and CEO of Kansas Action for Children, a nonpartisan advocacy organization working to make Kansas a place where every child has the opportunity to grow up healthy and thrive. Prior to joining KAC, John served five years in the Kansas House of Representatives. John spent eleven years with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation—a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. During that time he coordinated strategic partnerships with corporations and celebrities, co-developed a national strategy for increasing physical activity and healthy eating in out-of-school time sites, and developed their youth engagement strategy. John also serves on the board of the Partnership for America’s Children. He is a 2006 graduate of the University of Kansas, where he studied visual communication.

Dyogga Adegbore joined the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund in 2004. Dyogga tracks financial activities on grants, contracts, interagency agreements and office funds, also coordinates meeting and travel arrangements. She has worked with agency heads in state government and private industry over 35 years. Most recently, Dyogga worked with the CEOs of the Kansas Board of Regents, Kansas State Fire Marshal, and Kansas State Bank Commissioner offices. She graduated with her Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree from Washburn University of Topeka and AAS degree, Platt College. 

Melissa Rooker was named Executive Director of the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund in February of 2019. Before joining the Cabinet, Melissa served three terms in the Kansas House of Representatives, representing House District 25 between 2012 and 2018. Her work in the legislature focused on children’s issues and public education. Melissa recognized that high quality early childhood interventions led to student success and made funding those programs her priority. She played a lead role in drafting a new school finance formula for K-12 public education that includes an expansion of the preschool at-risk program and full funding for all-day kindergarten.

Prior to running for office, Melissa spent 15 years as a development executive at Clint Eastwood’s Malpaso Productions. She retired in 2001 to raise her kids. Over the years, Melissa served in a variety of leadership positions with local, regional and state PTA in Kansas, and as a legislator served on the Johnson County Education Research Triangle Authority Board, Shawnee Indian Mission Advisory Board and the Kansas Forestry Service Advisory Council.

In 1986, Melissa graduated from the University of Kansas with a BFA in Art History. She and her husband Tom make their home in Fairway. They have two adult children, and one grandson.

Megan Brohaugh joined the Children’s Cabinet in January 2022. Prior to joining the Cabinet, Megan worked with the Kansas Attorney Generals office for 6 years working with Concealed Carry licensing, Private Detective licensing, and Bail Enforcement licensing. Megan has worked with the state government over 8 years. She attended Washburn university to study business law.

When she isn’t running to practice or a tournament she enjoys spending time outside with her two boys, Kaden and Jaxon and her husband, Alex.

Christie Wyckoff joined the Children’s Cabinet in May 2023. She graduated from Kansas State in 2008 with a BS in Management and Marketing. Before working in School Finance at KSDE for almost 5 years, she worked in the custom apparel industry through college and 10 years after.

Christie likes to volunteer and was a big sister through Big Brother Big Sisters for 6 years until she aged out of the program (but nothing has changed since then as they still talk all the time!) Her family, friends (and their families) are Christie’s motivation for her professional and community work.

She has been a K-State Football & Basketball season ticket holder for 20+ years and will travel almost anywhere to watch them. Christie also loves to garden and work on projects for her historic home. Summers on the lake, travelling, and live music are also big passions.