Education Committee

Before coming to LimeLight, Rachel spent 11 years working in account services at several agencies. She worked in bootstrapped agencies, mid-size, and large, working in a variety of industries. Her passion has always been in formulating strategies for clients with a thorough use of numbers. She’s been referred to as the “spreadsheet girl” — a title she wears with pride.

Every day, Rachel works to find solutions to our client’s most pressing questions. How do we make more money? Drive more leads? Close more deals? Each client is unique, and the plans she puts together are, too. They’re built from a thorough understanding of each of our client’s businesses and their unique opportunities for growth.

Franchise owner of Brain Balance of Lee's Summit, Mom to four amazing boys, and wife to Aaron Evans, my favorite public servant!

Kim is an avid community volunteer whose background is in education. She served 30 years in the Lee's Summit School District as Lee's Summit High School's journalism and English teacher for 12 years and an assistant principal at Campbell and Pleasant Lea Middle Schools for 18 years. She also served as an elected LSR7 School Board Member from 2017 to 2023. Now, she serves on the Chamber Education Committee and supports many non-profit organizations in Lee's Summit. 

Kim is an avid community volunteer whose background is in education. She served 30 years in the Lee's Summit School District as Lee's Summit High School's journalism and English teacher for 12 years and an assistant principal at Campbell and Pleasant Lea Middle Schools for 18 years. She also served as an elected LSR7 School Board Member from 2017 to 2023. Now, she serves on the Chamber Education Committee and supports many non-profit organizations in Lee's Summit. 

Chris Hahn

Summit Christian Academy

Saved by GRACE through FAITH, nothing I could ever do to earn SALVATION.  I am forgiven and saved because of what Jesus Christ did for me on the cross.  Because of his life, death, and resurrection my past has been forgiven, I have a purpose for living, and a place in Heaven.

I have not had a Moses and a burning bush moment.  I have not verbally heard God directing me to build an ark or travel to Nineveh. No Saul into Paul experience while on a walk.  While I did climb trees as a child, no Zacchaeus “climb down from there” directives. 

I was blessed to be born into a multi-generational family of believers, with my parents serving as Ministers of Education.    I was baptized as a child and publicly professed my belief in Jesus Christ when I was twelve.  My experience in church as a child was a multiple hour Sunday event, with small group / family gatherings each month.  Dinner as a family, with devotions and prayers to conclude was the norm. 

My desire was to be a professional athlete.  While I had the heart, and some of the gifts, I accepted in college my days as a player ending and decided to pursue being a coach.  As part of that process, I obtained a teaching degree.  I was blessed to be offered an opportunity 1,000 miles from home to become a teacher, coach, and athletic director. I served in that capacity for 10 years.  While serving, a decision was made to release the Head of School and the Principal four days into a new school year.  The decision I learned was based on a difference of philosophy and vision, specifically the timing of expanding the school to include high school.  At 29, with recently born daughter, I was asked to serve as the interim school administrator.  I agreed anticipating support from the faculty and staff I had worked closely with the previous ten years.  I was wrong. 

I was in a position of leadership for which I was underqualified, underprepared, lacked the professional degree, and missing the support of those I served with.  I did not know why God had placed me in this position or what I was going to do.  I decided to call my dad, who remains the greatest spiritual influencer in my life.  My dad listened to me as I shared my frustrations, fears, and questions.  I remember him concluding the call with, “you know what you need to do”, and reminding me that “God equips the called, not always calling the equipped”. For one of the first times, with nothing else to rely on, I prayed.  I prayed a lot.  I prayed 1 Peter 5:7 about casting my anxieties on Him.  I prayed Isaiah 55, believing the God’s ways and God’s plans, are beyond my control and comprehension.  My role was to serve, love, encourage and inspire our community and fulfill the school mission.  I have not stopped praying. 

Over the years my personal mission and life verses come from 1 Peter 5:2-10.  I believe God has called me to shepherd the flock he has placed me with.  My immediate flock would consist of my wife and children.  The flock is expanded to the School Leadership Team and Faculty, to the children and families of the school community, and into the relationships shared with the community at-large.  I believe I am called to this leadership platform, not because I want or must do it, but out of a desire to serve.  I believe I am called to set the example, not to be a dictator or ruler.  In doing so, I need to remain connected to Him, each day.  I know with the opportunity of time, experience, and reflection that He goes behind, with and before me.  I also know that as God continue to use me, the devil continues to attack. 

Over the years I have been blessed with incredibly personal and ministry highs.  I have also been challenged with ministry dysfunction and lack of unity.  I have seen synergy as a community lead to increased enrollment and expanded facilities.  I have been blessed to see three children grow up and become community and spiritual leaders in their own unique way.  I have been blessed to be a cancer survivor, while losing a family member to the same.  The consistent in the highs and the lows, remains prayer and my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Following 31 years in ministry at the same school, God opened a new door of ministry in 2021 far from family and home.  Many didn’t understand or agree with our decision to move.  It is like my start in leadership explained above.  New opportunity, lacking relationships, limited school cultural awareness and experience, bringing a desire to build relationships and shepherd the flock He as entrusted to me at Summit Christian Academy in Lee’s Summit. 

I remain a person of prayer.  I remain open to being used by Him to serve the children, families, faculty, and staff that I am humbled to serve.

Ben Martin taught and directed speech and theatre in Missouri high schools for 34 years before retiring in the spring of 2010 from the Lee’s Summit School District.  He served many years on the Boards of Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri (President 1987), Missouri State Thespians and the national board of the Educational Theatre Association.  Martin is an active advocate for arts education programs, and served as Executive Director for the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education until he re-retired in July, 2020.  He continues as an Arts Advocacy Captain for Missouri Citizens for the Arts.

He still feeds his theatre addiction through the Summit Theatre Group, a community theatre he co-founded in 2011 and by writing and directing innovative street theatre and online productions in Lee’s Summit.  Cellular ‘Cenes, his first script, was recognized as the top Promotional Event in 2013 by Missouri Main Streets.

Ben is an active member of the Lee’s Summit Rotary Club, currently program chair, and the Lee’s Summit Christian Church, where he serves as elder and a bus driver.  He serves on the Arts Committee for Downtown Lee’s Summit.   He is also the current President of the English-Speaking Union Kansas City Branch.

Ben, and his wife, Roxanne, are committed to the idea that travel broadens the mind and allows one to be a more discerning and educated citizen.  They led student tours to London, Dublin, New York and Paris.  Among their many additional adventures have seen them take more than a dozen cruises, trips to the Mediterranean, the Holy Land, New Zealand and Australia, Cuba, the Panama Canal, 23 National Parks, and almost all 50 states, including Alaska—which they visited both in the summer and winter.  They have ridden on a dogsled, crossed the Arctic Circle to see the Northern Lights (twice), sat for an hour with no air conditioning in a traffic jam on the Mojave Desert, survived an emergency landing at KCI, visited 6 different volcanoes (only one of which was erupting at the time) and sailed through a tropical storm on the Queen Mary 2.

If you ever need someone to talk about traveling and tips on how to best enjoy it, Ben would be happy to bend your ear for a significant period of time!

I first joined the Chamber in early 2000.  My first goal was to be a part of the Ambassador Committee.  I learned a lot about recruiting and retention which is vital to the success of the Chamber.

I have served on the Chamber Board of Directors, Chairperson of the Education Committee, Gala Task Force and somehow found myself participating in the 2nd season of Dancing with the Chamber Stars. 

I became part of the Coldwater Staff in 2013.  My main goal is to spread the good news of Coldwater and work with the community we serve.

Other involvements: Past President and current board member of LS Cares, Secretary of the Lee's Summit Youth Court Advisory Board, Lee's Summit Education Foundation Advisory Board, Vice President Lee's Summit Optimist Club, Sunrise/Sunset Rotary Member, City of Lee's Summit Human Services Advisory Board.

I have a B.A. in Social Sciences and minor in Economics. Certification in Stratego International Choices Training for Juveniles and Certificate of Achievement from the City of Lee's Summit Citizen Leadership Academy.