Garden City’s Sosa, Goodland’s Schears Re-appointed
TOPEKA, Kan. – Sunflower Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Werth of Hays to the foundation’s Board of Trustees, as well as the re-appointments of trustees Liz Sosa of Garden City and Ben Schears of Goodland to the nine-member board.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt made the appointments on April 27.
Schmidt appointed Werth, founding and managing partner of Werth Wealth Management, LLC, in Hays, to a three-year term.
Sosa, CEO of Epitome Enterprises in Garden City, will be serving her third and final term.
Sosa is set to become chairwoman of the board, taking over for departing chairwoman Andrea Krauss, who is finishing up her third term.
Schears, president of Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland, will be serving his second three-year term.
Trustees can serve up to three, three-year terms. All three appointees will start their terms at the board’s next meeting on June 9.
With 30 years of experience in wealth management, Werth specializes in providing comprehensive wealth management services for families, businesses, foundations, endowments and corporate retirement plans. Forbes named him to its Best-in-State Wealth Advisor list in 2019 and 2020.
“I am pleased to represent Kansas through my appointment to the Sunflower Foundation Board of Trustees,” Werth said. “The foundation’s philanthropy serves as a catalyst for improving the health and lives of Kansans. I am proud of my Kansas roots and am excited to work with an accomplished and sincere group of individuals to help advance their mission.”
Werth’s appointment broadens the philanthropic expertise of the Sunflower Board, said Billie Hall, CEO of Sunflower Foundation.
“Tim is active in his community and cares deeply about his clients and staff,” Hall said. “His model of leadership is service and humility – values that align with the Sunflower Foundation.”
A native of Hays, Werth graduated from Thomas More Prep-Marian, then earned his Bachelor of Science in finance and a minor in accounting from Emporia State University. He becomes the 29th individual, representing diverse backgrounds and locations in Kansas, to have been appointed to serve on the board since the foundation’s creation in 2000.
Sosa, who originally was appointed to the board by Schmidt in 2016, also is co-owner of The Corner on Main, a gift shop in downtown Garden City, and operations director for the Western Kansas Community Foundation in Garden City.
She is vice-chairwoman of the Western Kansas Regional Board of Trustees for Centura Health.
Sosa earned her Bachelor of General Studies in Business/Leadership from Fort Hays State University and an Associate’s degree from Garden City Community College.
Schears, who originally was appointed to the board by Schmidt in 2019, serves as president of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference, president of the Sherman County Community Development Board, and is a member of the Kansas Association of Technical Colleges. He earned his Master of Arts in History and Bachelor of Science in History from Emporia State University. He also has an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts from Cowley College.
This year’s trio of appointees, all hailing from western Kansas, have shown a commitment to learning, leadership and philanthropy, Hall said.
“Our trustees reflect the diversity of Kansas, and they bring unique perspectives from the communities in which they live, as well as from their life experiences,” Hall said.
The Kansas attorney general appoints eight of the positions on the board, with one appointed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas. The board is tasked with guiding the development of the foundation’s strategic direction and reviewing its priorities, timelines and outcomes.
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About Sunflower Foundation
Sunflower Foundation was established in 2000 as a statewide health philanthropy with a mission to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of all Kansans. The foundation believes that a thriving, sustainable nonprofit sector contributes to healthy communities, and we are committed to investing in mission-aligned nonprofits through grants, education, advocacy, collaborative learning, and capacity building. To learn more, visit the Sunflower Foundation website.