Liz Anne McElhaney Announced As Executive Director

Unified School District No. 232 announced the appointment of Liz Anne McElhaney as executive director of the USD 232 Education Foundation. The Board of Education formally approved her appointment at its regularly scheduled meeting on February 2. Her first day in the role was on February 17.

McElhaney will succeed Kevin Jeffries as the executive director of the USD 232 Education Foundation, who announced his retirement, effective at the end of February.

Most notably, McElhaney is an experienced fundraising and development professional with a strong record of donor engagement and stewardship, having served 10 years as director of the Olathe Health Charitable Foundation. She also served as the philanthropy director for four years with the University Health/Truman Medical Centers Charitable Foundation. Throughout her career, she successfully managed relationships with 500+ donors, oversaw a $1 million budget, and raised an average of $2.5 million annually.

“I’m honored to step into this role and expand opportunities for both teachers and students through the USD 232 Education Foundation,” McElhaney said. “I’m passionate about helping elevate learning across the district, and I truly believe this is the best school community around. I look forward to serving and supporting the USD 232 community in this new capacity.”

McElhaney earned her Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Mass Communications from Kansas State University with a minor in public relations and marketing.

The school district received a great response to the position, which made for an extremely competitive selection process. The appointment of McElhaney follows a thorough search process conducted by district administration and leadership from the Education Foundation. The position is cooperatively funded by the school district and by the Education Foundation.

Over the last 12 months, the USD 232 Education Foundation distributed more than $160,000 in grants to our schools and teachers.