City Manager Michael Wilkes

If you’ve ever spent time with Michael Wilkes, you know his ringtone by heart. Responsive to the needs of councilmembers and the mayor, Olathe’s City Manager answers the call literally and figuratively, calmly walking them through whatever idea or concern they might have, whenever they might have them. But the gentle twang of those first four notes doesn’t just represent a servant leader in action, but where it all began, in sweet home Alabama.

Michael's full story can be read on Workplace.

Deputy City Manger Susan Sherman

When Deputy City Manager Susan Sherman drives home from work each night, she asks herself one question; did I make a difference today, and if the answer is yes, she knows it was a good one.

“I am here because people saw more in me than I saw in myself,” said Susan.

Growing up in Ada, Ohio, Susan didn’t realize that this could be her path until she attended Ohio Wesleyan, where the local city manager was a woman. Novel for the time, she recognizes that having someone who looks like you in a position of power doesn’t just matter, but lets you know that you matter too.

Susan's full story can be read on Workplace.

For Customer Experience Insights Manager Kelli Polk, the library’s success is personal. Growing up in a large, home-schooled family, the Olathe Public Library was a haven of possibilities, exposing her to worlds far from her own.

When it was time to select a career, there was no doubt where she wanted to pour her time, talent and passion. As Olathe Public Library’s Volunteer Coordinator, she had the opportunity to pay it forward, fostering the same second home for others that she thrived in as a child.

When Covid-19 hit, the library’s events and volunteer opportunities came to a halt, leaving library employees to process both the pandemic and their transition to the City of Olathe all at once.

This full story can be read on Workplace.