Anita Newton

“The progression of my career has been less about the function of business and more about solving business problems, grounded in the concerns of the customer,” says Anita Newton, 37. After earning a B.A. in political science from the University of Kansas and an M.B.A. from Harvard, she began at Sprint, working in customer care in the international group. In her most recent four years in marketing, she has witnessed a fundamental change in consumer-brand interaction. “Ten years ago, you wouldn’t think about putting an ad on a viral video, unfiltered online, or in a game,” she says. “It’s a fascinating job because consumers use media differently now than ever before.” As vice president of media strategy and digital marketing, she is responsible for the planning and deployment of all of Sprint’s media, including TV, newspaper and online. Apart from her responsibilities as VP and as mother of twins, Newton participates in the Children’s Advocacy Foundation, which she co-founded, the Women’s Employment Network and the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation. “It’s important to find avenues that matter to me and that benefit the community.”

Tom Proebstle

Tom Proebstle, 39, is partner and design director for the North American Office of Sydney-based Crawford Architects, which specializes in sports and public assembly projects and mixed-use urban developments. He made 14 trips to New Zealand in a recent 12-month period to oversee a project, and though he has designed buildings all around the world, it’s the projects he builds here in Kansas City that give him special satisfaction. “Our local work is so gratifying because it enhances the quality of our own community. I am thrilled to work with smaller projects in Kansas City because it gives us the opportunity to demonstrate and apply our skills and expertise.” Proebstle co-chaired the Mayor’s Skatepark Taskforce Committee, and looks forward to beginning design work on the recently approved Kansas Landmark Tower, a 1000-foot tower to be constructed by the Kansas Speedway. He says, “To me there is nothing more rewarding than to see a client’s dream realized in the space that we have designed for them.”

Matt Ruark

“As a native of Kansas City, I like to see the city succeed,” says Matt Ruark. “That starts with our real estate.” As vice president of Collateral Real Estate Capital, LLC, Ruark, 35, originates commercial real estate loans to develop projects locally. “We bring capital sources into Kansas City from across the country and to some extent, across the world,” he explains. “That provides better terms and lower rates to develop projects that might not otherwise be developed because of cost.” After earning a finance degree from the University of Nebraska and participating in the management training program at UMB Bank, Ruark took a job as a commercial real estate analyst at Collateral in 1996. Starting in 1998, he took three and half years to develop a company for a local investment firm, where he helped to created 52 jobs and $4 million in revenues. He returned to Collateral in 2002 as vice president, and in the five years since he has seen the company grow from four to 16 offices and continue to break its own records. He says, “I’ve found a job that I love, I work for a great company and I have great mentors.”

Teresa Schwab

When Teresa Schwab, 37, began as executive director of Oral Health Kansas in 2003, the organization was in its infancy, and dental care in the state of Kansas lagged behind national standards. As she reports, “There was no coordinated effort on the statewide level, especially as it relates to policy.” Thanks to the dedication of Schwab and others, the Topeka-based coalition has grown to more than 100 members, and has increased access to dental care through advocacy, public awareness and education. Schwab’s efforts over the last three and a half years represent the latest in a career devoted to helping others. In 1995, she and her husband sold all of their possessions and traveled to the Solomon Islands to work for the Peace Corps. Upon her return, she completed her MSW at the University of Kansas, then worked as an advocacy manager at the Kansas Children’s Service League prior to launching Oral Health Kansas. “It’s always been important to me to come to a point where I have a clear sense of mission. I have listened to the experiences in my life and let them guide where I have gone.”