Thank you to those who were able to attend the 2023 Central Exchange Annual Meeting on January 18th.  It was a pleasure seeing everyone who was there in person and joined us virtually, as we did a little business, celebrated accomplishments of 2022, and looked ahead to what’s coming up in 2023.

At the Annual Meeting, our members voted in seven new Board of Directors. Congratulations again to Laura Bailey Brown, Gary Broils, Tracey DeMarea, Brandy Johnson, Steve Levy, Mat Overbaugh and Angela York. We look forward to your leadership!

LAURA BAILEY BROWN
Fisher & Phillips, LLP

Laura Bailey Brown is an attorney and partner at Fisher & Phillips LLP, where she focuses her practice on counseling and defending employers in a variety of complex employment law matters including employee defection, trade secrets, restrictive covenant, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, and regulatory compliance issues.  Laura represents clients across the spectrum, from small businesses to governmental entities to non-profit organizations to major corporations.  As a skilled trial attorney, she has experience in all phases of the litigation process and has represented clients before federal, state, and administrative tribunals.

When she’s not advocating for her clients in court or giving them the guidance they need to comply with the law, Laura can be found advocating for and supporting her female colleagues as a member of her firm’s Women’s Initiative Leadership Council and as a mentor to other attorneys.  Outside of the work setting, Laura spends her time chasing after her three children and busing them to all of their (many) extracurricular activities.

DR. GARY BROILS
RSM US, LLP

Dr. Gary Broils is a Business Consultant and has been working with Executive Leadership teams for more than 25 years.  As a Senior Director for his firm, RSM US LLP, Gary advises C-level clients, leads large complex delivery and is responsible for practice leadership.  Prior to joining RSM, Gary worked at Accenture, and there he concentrated heavily on the implementation of process improvements and systems integrations. He has also held various business operations and technology senior level positions at companies in the financial services and marketing research industries.

Gary has been a member of the CX Board of Directors since 2023. He brings expertise and insights to Central Exchange to ensure that diverse perspectives are integrated into decision making leading to positive impact on both the board and the organization at large.

TRACEY DEMAREA
Forsgren Fisher McCalmont DeMarea Tysver, LLP

Tracey DeMarea is Chief Operating Office of the law firm Forsgren Fisher McCalmont DeMarea Tysver. Before joining Forsgren Fisher, Tracey was the Executive Director of the Johnson County Bar Association, a 501c6 non-profit with over 1200 judiciary and attorney members.

Born in Fareham, South England, Tracey built a successful career in the National Health Service (the NHS) in England, reaching the position of Association Director of HR for the Devon Partnership Trust.  One of the largest providers of mental health services in the Southwest, she managed employment contracts and personnel for all Junior Doctors and Consultants.

Tracey moved to the U.S. in 2007. She is married to Andy and is a very fortunate stepmom to Alex (25) and Mia (21). She enjoys travel, music and concerts, crosswords, gin, and on a monthly basis she cooks meals for Uplift, a homeless organization, here in Kansas City.

Tracey became a U.S. Citizen in 2021.

BRANDY JOHNSON
Compass Minerals

Brandy Johnson is the Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at Compass Minerals, a global minerals mining company in the Kansas City area. Prior to her current role, Brandy served in various HR leadership roles with Compass Minerals. Before relocating back to the Kansas City area Brandy worked for a fortune 200 company and global leader in the chemical coatings industry, leading compliance, labor/employee relations and HR operations with responsibility for US, Canada, UK and Brazil regions. Brandy Johnson has also held HR leadership roles in Healthcare, manufacturing and construction industry, in addition to serving honorably for 8 years in the US Army National Guard as an Ordnance Officer.

As a Kansas City native Brandy is passionate about the community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Greater Kansas City Boys & Girls clubs. In addition, Brandy also leads a mentorship program for girls in collaboration with the Kansas City Public School District.

In her spare time Brandy enjoys spending time with her husband and their three children Ella, Norah and William.

Brandy Johnson holds an MBA from Webster University and a B.S from Lincoln University of Missouri.

STEVE LEVY
McCownGordon

Steve Levy serves as Chief Operating Officer of McCownGordon Construction and has been with the company since 2019. He has more than 38 years of construction operations experience across both field operations and project management; 27 years as a Superintendent and 11 years in an Executive level operations position.  He has managed construction operations for business units with revenue in excess of $350M per year.  Steve’s career includes executive-level roles at Balfour Beatty US and Cadence McShane Construction, both in Dallas, TX.

Steve serves on McCownGordon’s leadership team, playing an instrumental role in guiding strategy for the firm.  He is also active in the Kansas City community, serving on the Board of Directors for The Builders, A Chapter of the AGC and Central Exchange.  He was recently published in Ingram’s Magazine as well as ENR.

Steve holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering from Florida International University.  He currently resides in Leawood, KS with his wife Kathryn and they have three children.

MAT OVERBAUGH
StarTech.com

Specializing in driving big impacts through analysis and business partnership, he is an expert at disseminating complex financial analysis into big picture executive summarizations that lead to decisions.

Mat is also a passionate leader who focuses on growing the team’s skill-set through constructive feedback, exposure, and coaching. He has extensive experience with cash forecasting, business planning, budgeting/forecasting, international business, variance analysis, and executive presentations.

Currently, Mat serves as the Director of Financial Planning and Analysis/Reporting for StarTech.com. StarTech.com is a Canadian company that sells computer connectivity products across North America and Europe.  Previously, he held Finance Leadership roles at KBP Brands and H&R Block, and Payless ShoeSource in Kansas City.

Mat is a native Kansan who graduated from Washburn University with an undergrad and MBA in Finance/Accounting. He is a self-proclaimed finance nerd at his core, but developing team members into leaders is Mat’s career passion. He lives in Lenexa with his wife and four daughters, and loves coffee (anytime), coaching, and playing volleyball and basketball.

ANGELA YORK
Evergy

Angela York leads the Audit Services function at Evergy and has over 17 years of internal audit and risk management experience within the utility and financial services industries.

Prior to joining Evergy, she was an Audit Manager at the University of Kansas and started her career as an Internal Audit Consultant at Protiviti, a risk consulting firm. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Pittsburg State University.

Angela is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors and serves on the Board of Governors for the Kansas City Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors. She also serves on Pittsburg State University’s Internal Auditing Education Partnership (IAEP) Advisory Board.

Angela is a CX Emerging Leader graduate and is an active member of the Evergy Women’s Network, currently serving as President.