The Hesston College Board of Directors, the governing body for Hesston College, elected board member Ken G Kabira (Naperville, Ill.), a 1981 Hesston graduate, as chairperson during the May 2018 meeting. Kabira, who has served as a member of the board since 2014, will officially begin in his new capacity at the October 2018 board meeting, where he will lead the group in guiding and supporting college processes, plans and initiatives.

In his appointment as chair of the board, Kabira succeeds Kelvin Friesen, Hesston College class of 1973. Friesen was a member of the board from 2006-18, including leading the board as chairperson from 2012-18.

“I believe Ken G will do an excellent job as board chair, working with President Manickam to move the college forward,” said Friesen. “It has been my privilege to serve on the Hesston College Board of Directors, and it is my hope that Hesston College will continue to be a wonderful experience for students to study and learn in Christ-centered community.”

Kabira is a marketing and general management executive with more than 20 years of experience of accelerating customer metrics, brand awareness, revenue and profitability for leading organizations in the U.S. and abroad. He has served as a chief marketing officer in all three sectors of the economy – public, private and nonprofit. He currently serves as managing principal for TrueWorks, a Chicago-based marketing and management consultancy

Kabira has also used his expertise to make significant contributions to Hesston College, including guiding the college through a branding process in 2010, and serving as chair of the search committee that led the process to install Joseph A. Manickam as the ninth and current president of Hesston College.

“I am very honored and humbled to be selected to succeed Kelvin Friesen as the board chair,” said Kabira. “As an alumnus of Hesston College, I have benefitted enormously from the intellectual, social and spiritual formation I experienced at the college. Hesston gives a big experience to students who are making a critical transition in their lives. I look forward to working with the board, Dr. Manickam and the faculty and staff to make Hesston a Mennonite college for all.”

In addition to his Hesston College degree, Kabira also holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s of business administration from the University of Chicago.

Located 30 miles north of Wichita, Hesston College is a liberal arts college of Mennonite Church USA.

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Contact: Rachel McMaster, 620-327-8185, rachel.mcmaster@hesston.edu.

Photo by Larry Bartel, Hesston College