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Park University’s Board of Trustees Add Three New Members

August 1, 2026 — The governing body of Park University — its Board of Trustees — has elected three individuals to serve three-year terms on the board for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Elected to the board were Juan Manuel Rangel Jr., Leon Versfeld, and David Westbrook, effective July 1. Juan Manuel Rangel Jr. serves as chief partnership officer and director of family engagement for SchoolSmartKC, where he leads strategic partnerships that improve educational opportunities for students across the Kansas City region. His career also includes leadership roles with Donnelly College, Metropolitan Community College and the National Conference for Community and Justice. Rangel serves as board president of Swope Health System and vice chair of the Kauffman School Board. He earned a master’s degree in education from Kansas State University and a bachelor’s degree in international business, marketing and Spanish from Northwest Missouri State University. Leon Versfeld is the founder and managing attorney of Versfeld & Hugo LLC, where he advises businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals on employment-based immigration and global mobility matters. He is also recognized as an expert witness in immigration law and has testified before the Missouri Legislature on employment compliance issues. In addition to his legal practice, Versfeld serves in leadership roles with several business and nonprofit organizations, including the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Foundation. He earned law degrees from the University of Pretoria in South Africa and has received recognition from Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers and the Kansas City Business Journal. David Westbrook is the founder of Corporate Communications Group Inc., a public relations and marketing consulting firm he established in 1981. During his career, he has advised higher education institutions, foundations, health care organizations and public agencies on strategic communications, issues management and public affairs. Westbrook currently serves on the Shawnee Mission Unified School District Board of Education and has held leadership roles with numerous civic organizations, including the Alphapointe Foundation, Overland Park Chamber of Commerce and Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri–Kansas City and later received an honorary doctorate from the university. Furthermore, the board reelected Scott Jackman, Weatherby Lake, Mo., as chair of the board, Mara Cohara, J.D., Weatherby Lake, Mo., as vice chair, Sarah Moe, Gladstone, Mo., as board secretary, and Jeff Anthony, Leawood, Kan., as board treasurer.