Seminar Speakers

Dan Meers has been KC Wolf, the mascot of the Kansas City Chiefs, for more than 30 years. In 2006 he was selected as the first NFL mascot inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame. Dan travels throughout the United States and the world entertaining thousands of people both in and out of costume. He has performed in over 40 states and 12 different countries. He is in high demand not only as a mascot but also as a humorous and motivational speaker to audiences of all ages. His enthusiasm, optimism and love for life are contagious and make Dan an inspiration to all those he meets. Be it young or old, executive or blue collar, his audiences walk away with a smile and a renewed spirit to live life to the fullest. Whether you’re a Kansas City Chiefs fan or not, you’ll enjoy Dan Meers as he shares his unique wit and wisdom about life

Brian Johnson has spent over 20 years in sports media and sponsorship, holding leadership roles with 610 Sports, the Chiefs Radio Network, and the Royals Radio Network, and was the top revenue producer during his time with the Kansas City Chiefs. He founded Vision Sports and PrepsKC, Kansas City’s leading high school sports media and sponsorship platforms, before launching Sponsorship Focus in 2015. With expertise in sales, activation, and brand maximization, Brian helps companies navigate sponsorship challenges and deliver real value.

Ronnie Hawkins is an Executive Producer at KCTV5. He has 12 years of experience working behind the camera and has helped cover some of the biggest news stories in Kansas City, Sioux Falls, and Omaha. Along the way, he’s won regional Murrow awards, an Emmy, and a First Place plaque from KAB for Best Newscast. Ronnie’s favorite moment of his career so far was boothing postgame coverage as Kansas City celebrated the Chiefs first Super Bowl win in 50 years!

Jay Nix is a seasoned broadcast engineering leader with decades of experience in station operations and technical innovation. He began his career at KSNT-NBC in Topeka before leading engineering teams at KMTV-CBS Omaha, WOWT-NBC Omaha, and KSHB/KMCI. Nix has overseen major projects, including HDTV migrations, FCC Re-Pack initiatives, and the development of advanced broadcast infrastructure. Now serving as Director of Engineering for KSHB/KMCI and Engineering & Strategy Director for Scripps’ 47-station group, he continues to shape the future of broadcast technology.

Jillian Carroll-Letrinko is an Emmy Award-winning anchor/reporter/host gracing local and national television screens and radio and podcasting airwaves across the sports world. 

Today Jillian is the television play-by-play announcer and radio color analyst/commentator for the Kansas City Current in the National Women’s Soccer League. She is also the host of the Sports and SHEnanigans podcast, where women’s sports and pop culture collide, on the KC Sports Network.

Jillian spent six years as a Lifestyle Anchor after launching award-winning lifestyle programs in Kansas City on KCTV5/CBS and Wichita on KSN/NBC. Prior to her time as a Lifestyle Anchor Jillian patrolled the sidelines of MLS for Sporting KC as sideline reporter and broadcast host. Jillian also spent 8 years in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs, two years as a sideline reporter and digital host, and six years as a Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader.

Jillian holds her United States Soccer Federation D Coaching license and dedicated 15 years to coaching youth soccer in Kansas City. Jillian played NCAA D1 soccer at the University of Northern Iowa where she received her BS in Elementary Education with a minor in coaching. Before breaking into the world of television and sports broadcast, Jillian was an elementary teacher and is still extremely passionate about education. 

Jillian comes from a military family and is very grateful for the influence her father’s time in the US Navy has had on her and her 4 siblings. She currently resides in Brookside, MO with her husband Brian. 

Hartzell Gray is so Kansas City it hurts. He and his twin brother spent most of their childhood in the Waldo area, before heading to the ‘burbs.” After graduating from Lee’s Summit West HS, Hartzell attended UMKC on a full ride track and field scholarship before transferring to Mizzou to study Political Science and Sports Management. In 2013 Hartzell landed an internship at 96.5 The Buzz, now Alt 96.5, and hasn’t looked back since. Hartzell is the host of the 3x award-winning KC Morning Show podcast, as well as That’s The Gig! You’ve heard him on just about EVERY radio station in KC. Over the course of his career, Hartzell has emcee’d for the Big 12 Mens and Women’s Basketball Tournament, the Kansas City Monarchs and Sporting Kansas City.  He is the part-owner and voice of Fountain City Professional Wrestling and also an Eagle Scout, but don’t ask him to tie any knots, because he had other folks do that for him.

In 2012, Hanni left the Sunflower State in an effort to bolster his resume as the “Voice the Red Raiders” at Texas Tech. While at Tech he had a chance to call two trips to the College World Series and an NCAA tournament run in hoops as well.

 Jake Eisenberg enters his third season with the Royals broadcast team, primarily calling games on the Royals Radio Network alongside Denny Matthews and Steve Stewart. Previously the voice of the Omaha Storm Chasers, he made his MLB debut in 2022 with the New York Mets before joining the Royals full-time in 2023 as the youngest play-by-play broadcaster in Major League Baseball.

Prior to joining the Royals, Eisenberg spent five seasons broadcasting Minor League Baseball, including stops with Triple-A Omaha (Royals), Double-A Richmond (Giants) in 2019, High-A Winston-Salem (White Sox) in 2018, and Short-Season Brooklyn (Mets) in 2017. He was also part of the radio broadcast team for the Eastern League All-Star Game in 2019.

Wyatt Thompson serves as the anchor of the K-State Sports Network and returns for his 23rd season behind the mic as “Voice of the Wildcats.” The four-time Kansas Sportscaster of the Year and Kansas Broadcasting Hall of Famer, play-by-play announcer is the Senior Director of Broadcasting for the K-State Athletic Department. He serves as host of the Chris Klieman and Jerome Tang coaches’ shows on television and radio. 
 
Thompson came to K-State from Colorado State, where he was the play-by-play voice for the Rams for five years. In addition to his duties at CSU, he was also a sports reporter for Clear Channel Denver, the “Countdown to Kickoff” host for the Denver Broncos on KOA Radio and hosted the “Zone Sports Insiders” show on 760 The Zone in Denver. Thompson started his broadcasting career in 1976 as a sportscaster for various high schools, colleges and universities in Kansas, spending time at stations in Hays and Goodland. 

Roxanne Marati is a seasoned radio executive with over 20 years of experience and is Senior Vice President and Market Manager for Audacy Kansas City. Before her move to Kansas City in 2021, Roxanne served as Vice President of Sales for Audacy Denver.  She joined Audacy (then Entercom) in 2006, and has held roles overseeing New Business Development, Integrated Media and Events.  Roxanne is currently on the KAB Board of Directors.

Justin Fluke is the president and owner of Many Signals Communications, a local six-station cluster in Northeast Kansas. Justin is the Chairman of the KAB Board of Directors. Justin’s radio career officially started as a volunteer on Christian station KREJ, where he was born and raised in Medicine Lodge, KS, and hosted a Sunday show through high school. While getting his broadcasting degree at Fort Hays State, he worked for Eagle Radio before accepting a job with KNZA Radio group in Hiawatha in 2001. Originally hired as the Sports Director, Fluke joined the sales world in 2006, then was promoted to the management team as vice-president in 2015 before joining the ownership group in 2017 and then taking over full ownership as president of the company in 2022. 

Dan O’Donnell is the news director at KMBC/KCWE-TV the Hearst Television stations in Kansas City, Missouri.  He’s held that position since 2017.  Prior to that he ran the news department at WGAL-TV, Hearst’s station in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  In his nearly 30 years in local television Dan has won 13 Emmy Awards, two Walter Cronkite awards for political coverage and five consecutive Edward R. Murrow awards for news excellence.

Cici Rojas is an accomplished C-suite executive turned entrepreneur, having built enterprises both in for-profit environments, and for economic, political, and social change. In 2017, she transferred her development skills and extensive network to co-lead Tico Productions and Tico Sports LLC, a company established by her and her husband in 2014. The enterprise is a full service, multimedia production and bilingual marketing company that developed a Spanish language broadcast and community engagement platform for professional sports teams, including for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Active in civic and business communities, she serves on multiple boards, including Y-USA’s National Board of Directors, USA Volleyball, the Kansas City Ballet, and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. 

Wade Gerstner has been a dedicated voice in Kansas high school sports broadcasting since 1994. After earning his BA in Communication from Pittsburg State University, he worked in play-by-play and sports talk for KSEK Radio, ESPN Radio 1620 in Omaha, and KMZA Radio in Seneca. In 2006, he became GM of KD Country 94 & Z96.3 the Lake, later co-owning MSC Radio Group in Northeast Kansas. He has served as a fill-in play-by-play announcer for the K-State Sports Network since 2013 and has won multiple Kansas Association of Broadcasters awards. In 2024, he was honored as the KSHSAA Oscar Stauffer Sportscaster of the Year.