2026 Board of Directorse
Sarah Biles, APR
President
Sarah Biles has worked in public relations for more than 20 years. She is currently Director of Communications at Harvesters—The Community Food Network, the region’s nonprofit food bank which provides food to a network of 900 nonprofit agencies in 27-counties including food pantries, community kitchens and shelters. At Harvesters, she leads a team of four to promote awareness of hunger in our community and ways the public can take action to fight this issue.
Prior to Harvesters, Biles worked as Director of Community Relations at another nonprofit in Kansas City—Union Station.
Biles began her career as a radio reporter and anchor in St. Joseph, Missouri and later worked as an assignment editor in television news in St. Joseph and a news producer at Fox 4 television station in Kansas City. Biles graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana with degrees in Communications and English Composition.
In 2011, she earned her APR, becoming accredited in public relations. Biles has served as Secretary, VP Finance and President-elect for the Greater Kansas City PRSA Chapter and on the awards committee for PRISM.
Celeste Burks, APR
Celeste Burks is a Strategic Marketing Program Manager at The University of Kansas Health System, where she works to promote services with the ultimate goal of providing the best care for our community.
In her tenure, Celeste has managed public relations, community relations, internal and employee communications, social media, and marketing campaign management.
She recently earned her master of business in administration with an emphasis in marketing from Northwest Missouri State University.
Nez Savala, APR
Storytelling is the best part of her career! From telling the stories of the organizations Nez works with and community groups, telling stories to enhance awareness is her strength.
For nearly 25 years, Nez has developed her career in communications and public relations through municipal government, pre K-12 public education, community college, and nonprofit healthcare, as well as retail jobs that sharpened every skill imaginable as a PR professional.
Nez is the director of community engagement and public relations at Midwest Transplant Network in Westwood, Kansas, joining in March 2023. She earned Accreditation in Public Relations in June 2013, and served on boards and committees of PRSA St. Louis, now known as PRSA Mid-America. Nez graduated from Kansas State University and University of Missouri-Columbia.
She is looking forward to serving Greater Kansas City PRSA as vice president of professional development, to listen and learn, meet people, and hopefully tell great stories.
Michael Grimaldi
Michael Grimaldi retired in Spring 2024 following a 50-year career in newspaper journalism; public relations and strategic communications consulting at two of Kansas City’s premier agencies, and public engagement and communications with the City of Kansas City, Missouri.
He joined PRSA in 1989, is a member of the Public Affairs and Government Section and recently has worked with an ad hoc group creating a Seasoned Pros affinity group. He was GKC-PRSA secretary and treasurer in the 1990s and has served as Vice President-Finance since 2023.
Michael was the chapter’s Roger Yarrington Public Relations Professional of the Year in 2014.
Nicole Fowler
Nicole Fowler, who is responsible for newsletter communication and content development for GKC-PRSA, is the Director of Communications with AdventHealth in Kansas City.
In this role, Nicole oversees all internal communications and manages public relations for the regional health system. She has 12 years of experience in marketing and communications. 
Nicole holds a master’s degree in media communications, earned abroad in London, and a bachelor’s degree in history and international studies. Some of her key interests in public relations have been focused on crisis and public information officer duties; she is certified by FEMA as a public information officer and is on track for and advanced PIO certification in 2025.
In addition, Nicole is a member of the Kansas Hospital Association and Kansas City Health Care Communicators committees and was selected to the Leadership Leawood Program Class of 2025.
Nicole is responsible for GKC-PRSA newsletter communication and content development. Outside of work, Nicole is a mom to two daughters and enjoys traveling with her husband.
Adam Burns
Adam Burns enters his sixth year on the GKC-PRSA board and will serve as one of two VP of Communications for a second straight year, providing up-to-date professional development information via email communications as well as managing the chapter website.
Adam began his professional career as a sports journalist before transitioning to corporate and agency roles where he's handled corporate communications, public relations, internal communications, content marketing and more.
Now a part of Garmin's corporate communications and PR team, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids (with a fourth on the way in 2026), as well as his very good goldendoodle and friends. He occasionally relives his sports writing glory days when the opportunity presents itself.
Sheba Clarke, APR
Sheba Clarke, an accomplished PR professional, currently heads the Public Relations Department for the Grandview C-4 School District near Kansas City, Missouri. With a foundation in broadcast journalism, she seamlessly transitioned into PR, leading successful initiatives, including a historic rebranding effort, earning the 2023 Greater Kansas City Golden PRISM Award. 
Sheba, who handles social media for GKC-PRSA, is an active member of the Missouri Schools Public Relations Association (MOSPRA), a former MOSPRA Regional Director, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Kansas City Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She serves as a consultant for the National Schools Public Relations Association. Additionally, Sheba contributes to the Inez Y. Kaiser Memorial Scholarship committee, honoring the trailblazing figure who founded the first major PR agency led by a Black woman in 1950.
Sheba studied Journalism and Mass Communication at Iowa State University. Guided by a quote from the late journalist Sydney J. Harris, her communication philosophy revolves around the distinction between 'information' (giving out) and 'communication' (getting through).
Grayson Gilbert
Grayson Gilbert serves as a Marketing Specialist at Holganix, where he focuses on events and campaigns at the biotech research company.
As GKC-PRSA's VP of Membership, Grayson manages recruitment and retention of new members, onboards members, and educates them on available resources and benefits.
He can be contacted at [email protected].
Emily Hohenberg
Emily Hohenberg currently serves as a Senior Media Relations Strategist at Saint Luke’s, West Region of BJC Health, where she helps identify strategic opportunities that align with the mission, vision, and values and elevates the Saint Luke's brand.
She builds and maintains relationships with leadership, physicians, staff, and patients, as well as local and national news reporters, and collaborates with entity partners to create strategic media plans and placements to highlight and promote clinical care, research, expertise and innovation at Saint Luke’s.
Emily is passionate about telling heartfelt patient stories that could help impact others in Kansas City. She is a seasoned crisis communications professional and has obtained multiple certifications through the Mid-America Regional Council, Homeland Security, and FEMA for strategic planning and crisis messaging to effectively communicate in high-risk/crisis situations in the region. Emily sits on multiple committees for KC2026 in preparation for the FIFA World Cup. A member of PRSA since 2015, Emily has received over two dozen GKC-PRSA and Missouri Hospital Association of Public Relations and Marketing awards including being part of the three-person team recognized as GKC-PRSA Public Relations Team of the Year in 2021. Before entering the PR world, Emily worked in local television broadcasting for nearly four years.
Susan Seilnacht
Susan Seilnacht is Director of Business Development at Lathrop GPM LLP, a prominent full-service law firm with 360 attorneys across 13 offices. A skilled communicator with a degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Susan leverages her expertise in journalism, marketing, public and media relations to craft compelling narratives that help attorneys strengthen relationships and secure new business opportunities.
Before joining Lathrop GPM, Susan honed her communications and media relations skills at top-tier law firms Husch Blackwell LLP and Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP.
She also gained valuable experience in publishing, promotional products, and marketing consulting, bringing a well-rounded perspective to her work. Accredited in Public Relations since 2013, Susan blends strategic insight with storytelling to drive impactful results in the highly competitive legal industry.
Outside of her professional pursuits, Susan enjoys life near Liberty, Missouri, with her husband, son and two dogs. A passionate supporter of the local community, she can often be found enjoying Liberty North High School band performances, strolling with her dogs, or exploring Kansas City’s vibrant craft beer and culinary scene.
Theresa Freed
Theresa Freed, M.A., Director of Strategic Communication and Engagement for the Kansas Health Institute, in Topeka, leads the Communications division within KHI. She oversees media relations, graphics and digital communications.
Prior to joining KHI, Theresa had a leadership role in communications within three state agencies – the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the Kansas Department for Children and Families and the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. Most recently she served as communications director for the National Scleroderma Foundation, and prior to that, oversaw digital communications for Johnson County Government, in the County Manager’s Office. Theresa also has 13 years of experience in print and broadcast journalism.
An Olathe, Kansas resident, she has a master’s degree is mass communications from California State University, and has bachelor’s degrees in political science and broadcast journalism from the University of Kansas.
Norita Taylor, APR
Norita Taylor received her accreditation designation from PRSA in 2008 and has been a member of PRSA for 19 years. She is a past president of the GKC-PRSA chapter for 2018 and 2019. 
As director of public relations for the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, Norita leads all media relations in support of its government affairs and advocacy efforts for long-haul truck drivers.
She is a volunteer for the marketing committee of City Theatre of Independence and a supporter of the arts. Norita received a B.A. in Communications from Rockhurst University.
Under voluntary work, she is the president of St. Christoper Truckers Relief Fund and also a Board Member at Large at City Theatre of Independence.
