Higher M-Pact

Janet Thompson / Chair

CBIZ Cottonwood — President

Thompson is an owner and President of CBIZ Cottonwood. She leads the firm’s defined contribution practice and specializes in the design and administration of corporate retirement plans. She also serves as client relationship manager for many of the firm’s defined benefit and defined contribution clients. Janet earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Welfare from the University of Minnesota. She also founded and chaired the Diversity in Leadership committee for Palmer & Cay and is a board member of Awesome Ambitions, a not-for-profit organization mentoring young women in the Kansas City Missouri School District. Janet is married to Ed Thompson and has three children, Brandon, Stephanie and Sydney. She and her family have been active in the Shawnee community and schools for the past 30 years.

James (Jim) R. Carnes / Vice Chair

BlitzTrade LLC — CEO

Carnes is the CEO and founder of Willowbrook Partners, an Internet marketing company focused on subprime credit as well as debit products. Carnes is also founder and CEO of Blitztrade LLC, a high frequency stock trading company.

Terri L. Lewis / Secretary

Lawing Financial, Inc. — Vice President

Terri Lewis serves as vice president of Lawing Financial Inc. (LF) As a team member since 1996, Terri assumes multiple responsibilities within the organization. Working within the financial services industry for 30+ years, Terri’s primary focus is assisting small business owners with their strategic financial planning by identifying their business and personal objectives. Using the “Power of the Team Approach”, she is able to develop customized strategies to help her clientele reach their retirement, business transfer, growth and income objectives

Prior to joining LF, Terri worked within the framework of several national property and casualty insurance companies, providing client services in financial planning, business consulting and estate planning. She also assisted property and casualty agencies to develop their internal financial planning departments.

Her professional affiliations include being a qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table organization, an active member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Associates, the Society of Financial Service Professionals. In addition, she is a United Way Ambassador and is active in the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce.

Terri Lewis received her bachelors of science degree in journalism and business from University of Missouri. She has furthered her education by obtaining a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designations and earning her FINRA Series 6, 7 and 63 registrations. In her spare time, Terri enjoys spending time with her family, zumba and kickboxing.

Kim S. Perkins / Treasurer

Bridges and Yallaly, CPA, P.A. — Certified Public Accountant

Kim received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Kansas State University in 1990. She is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Certificates in Missouri. She spent 2 years at KPMG and then joined Butler Manufacturing Corp. in the Corporate Finance Department for 3 years. In recent years, Kim has focused on non-profit and small business accounting.

Her primary areas of practice are in accounting and bookkeeping services as well as business and individual income tax preparation.

Kim is a member of the Board of Directors of Wells for Life, Ichthus University Ministries, and Higher M-Pact. She also enjoys serving in various areas at Westside Family Church. She is married to Rick and the mother to their two sons, Joey and Mitch.

Shannon Demaree / Member

Lockton Benefit Group — Senior Vice President, Director of Actuarial Services

Shannon has more than 18 years of experience as a healthcare actuary pricing group health benefits. In her role at Lockton, Shannon provides actuarial expertise in the following areas: Health Reform Financial Modeling, IBNR reserve certifications, COBRA rate certifications, Actuarial value of plan design changes (including  CDHP), Analysis of stop-loss risk, Comparison of network pricing, Medicare Part D actuarial attestations, Analysis of funding options (fully insured vs.  self-insured), Detailed analysis of claims data and Budgeting in a multioption environment, accounting  for selection.

Prior to joining Lockton, Shannon was Vice President, Director of Actuarial Services for Wachovia Insurance Services (formerly Palmer & Cay), a national employee benefits consulting and brokerage firm. Prior to that, Shannon was the stop-loss actuary with Employers Reinsurance Corporation.  

Shannon received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Mississippi and a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. She is an Associate in the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Renee Flowers / Member

Higher M-Pact — Executive Director

Flowers holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Sciences from Sweet Briar College. In 1997, she earned a Master in Education in Mathematics Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Missouri teaching certification for grades 7 through 12. She is the wife of Higher M-Pact’s Founder, Tyrone J. Flowers and has played an integral part of the development of the organization. As an educator whose has worked in the public schools system and with various youth organizations, her experience has served the organization well.

Flowers is a member of The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Centurions Leadership Program. She is as an Alumnae Member of The Griffiths Leadership Society, established by the Mizzou Alumni Association. Flowers serves as an Advisory Board Member for Awesome Ambitions, Advisory Board Member for Kansas City House of Hope and a Kaleo Council Member for Kids Across America. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Tyrone J. Flowers / Member

Higher M-Pact — Founder & President

Flowers is the founder and president of Higher M-Pact. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in psychology, and went on to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate. While attending law school, he received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award. Formerly known as SERVANT programs, Higher M-Pact was founded in 1993, incorporated in 1998 and formally launched full-time in 2003. Flowers lives with his wife Renee in Kansas City, Mo.

Michael Jackson / Member

Kansas City Power & Light — Energy Consultant

Michael Jackson is an Energy Consultant for Kansas City Power and Light (KCP&L). His business segments include both Industrial and Automotive customers and as such, assists several large businesses in KCP&L’s Metro and North District. Jackson has been with the company 18 years and has worked in several capacities to include Operations Supervisor in Meter Reading/Field Services, Dispatching and is currently an Energy Consultant. In these roles, Jackson has worked in locations ranging Raytown, Lee’s Summit, Front Street and KCP&L’s Downtown facilities. Jackson has been a volunteer with numerous programs, Christmas In October, Habitat for Humanity, One Good Meal and the Quindaro Ruins cleanup project. Jackson holds a B.S and M. B. A. in Business Management from Friends University Wichita Kansas.

Michael D. Wedel / Member

B12 Capital Partners — Managing Partner

Prior to joining B12 Capital Partners Mike spent 17 years in various sales and marketing roles for Premier Pneumatics, Inc., a leading design engineering firm and manufacturer of material handling and pneumatic conveying equipment. As Vice-President of Sales & Marketing, he was instrumental in redirecting the company’s sales and marketing efforts; resulting in significantly higher revenues, higher margins and a successful exit strategy for the company’s owners through the sale of Premier in October of 2006.
Prior to Premier Pneumatics, Mike spent seven years with Eldorado Motor Corporation, a manufacturer of recreational vehicles, ending his tenure as Vice-President of Sales for the traditional RV product group. Mike is a board member of the Association for Corporate Growth in Kansas City and brings hands on knowledge and operational experience to the growth objectives of B12 Capital Partners. Mike is a 1983 graduate of Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas where he majored in Economics and Business Administration.