Evening at the Square 2026

Ben Rhodes

Ben Rhodes is a writer, political commentator, and national security analyst. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers After the Fall: The Rise of Authoritarianism in the World We’ve Made, and The World As It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House. He is currently co-host of Pod Save the World; a contributor for MSNBC; a senior advisor to former President Barack Obama; and chair of National Security Action, which he co-founded with Jake Sullivan in 2018. From 2009-2017, Rhodes served as a speechwriter and Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama. His new book, All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches, tells the story of fifteen speeches—some iconic, others long forgotten—which have both shaped and reflected the argument Americans have been having from our founding to the present day. At a time when American identity—and truth—is contested, All We Say reminds us that history is a living argument, offering a fresh and powerful look at who we are and who we could still become.

Annie Kelly Kuhle

Annie Kelly Kuhle is a partner at FP1 Strategies. Kuhle has worked at the highest levels of Republican politics as a strategist, general consultant, and media consultant. She has a proven track record advising gubernatorial campaigns, senatorial campaigns, congressional campaigns, independent expenditures, and party committees. Kuhle is a veteran of two presidential campaigns, has served as a regional political director at both the NRSC and NRCC and was named a “Rising Star” by Campaigns & Elections and a 40 Under 40 by the American Association of Political Consultants. An award-winning director and writer, with more than a decade of experience, Kuhle is one of the most sought-after operatives in Republican politics.

Amb. Allan J. Katz

Allan Katz is the founder and Board Chair of American Public Square, dedicated to bringing non-like-minded people together for civil, fact-based dialogue on the issues that matter most. Before launching APS in 2014, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Portugal from 2010 to 2013, representing American interests during a period of significant global and economic change. He has since become a sought-after moderator and speaker on civic engagement, civility, and American politics, and has spent more than a decade creating the conditions for honest, constructive conversation that moves communities forward.

Lauren Magarino

Lauren Magarino enjoys digging deep into the stories and issues shaping life in the Kansas City community. Her award-winning reporting has examined everything from federal government cuts affecting local veterans’ livelihoods and health care to the local impact of immigration policy on families and neighborhoods. Previously, Magarino served as an anchor and national correspondent for Scripps News, where she covered major national and international events, including presidential elections, impeachments, and wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. Throughout her career, she has given audiences a front-row seat to some of the most significant stories of recent years, with the clarity, context, and compassion.

Steve Kraske

The Founder’s Civility Award recognizes individuals who model the kind of thoughtful, respectful public discourse that lies at the heart of American Public Square’s mission. This year, we are proud to present the award to Steve Kraske, KCUR journalist and beloved voice of civic conversation in Kansas City.

Steve is host of “Up To Date,” a daily public-affairs program on 89.3 FM KCUR, Kansas City’s public-radio station. He launched the show 24 years ago this fall. The show airs at 9 a.m. weekdays. He was the long-time lead political writer for The Kansas City Star and a member of The Star’s editorial board. He retired from the paper in 2019 following a 33-year career. He has won numerous awards for his print and broadcast work. The Washington Post called him one of the nation’s top political reporters. In 2019, 435 Magazine named him one of the “50 most powerful people in Kansas City.” The Pitch has named him Best Media Personality, and Johnson County Community College presented him with its Headline Award. In 2016, he was a fellow at the Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas. He is a former John S. Knight Journalism fellow at Stanford University and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He serves as a board member on the Truman Foundation. Kraske has been a guest on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” MSNBC’s “Meet the Press Daily,” National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and CNN’s “Capital Gang” and “Inside Politics.” He was a regular panelist on “Kansas City Week in Review” on Kansas City Public Television for more than two decades. He has worked at daily newspapers in Illinois and Iowa in addition to a stint at United Press International. Since 2013, he has worked as a journalism professor at UMKC where his students call him “Kraske.”

Ebony Reed

This award honors the legacy of our dear friend and longtime champion, Bill Kort, whose life reflected a rare and inspiring combination of qualities: service to country, professional excellence, and a deep commitment to the Kansas City community. To carry forward Bill’s spirit of civic leadership and volunteer service, American Public Square created the William “Bill” Kort Volunteer of the Year Award.

This year, we are proud to present the award to Ebony Reed, Chief Strategy Officer at The Marshall Project and co-author of the bestselling Fifteen Cents on the Dollar: How Americans Made the Black-White Wealth Gap (HarperCollins, 2024). A trained journalist and media executive whose career spans The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, and major metro newsrooms, Ebony brings sharp insight, a gift for storytelling, and a sustained commitment to connecting leadership, media, and economic opportunity.

The Amb. Allan J. Katz Internship Fund

The “Amb. Allan J. Katz Internship Fund” was established in 2024 to honor the accomplishments of our founder, Allan Katz.

Today, APS operates a highly sought-after internship program through its Civics Education Initiative. During the academic school year, collegiate interns participate in and oversee the APS Student Committee with support from the APS Civics Education Associate. Students work together to increase civic engagement throughout their student body by hosting events and offering their peers opportunities to convene and discuss pressing local, regional, and national issues. Additionally, summer interns partner with APS staff in hands-on work that spans a number of aspects of organizational operations, including marketing, program planning, development, and more.

The Internship Fund will ensure the continuity and growth of this valuable program, providing opportunities for students while supporting the mission of American Public Square.

Through the Evening at the Square campaign, our goal is to raise money to help cover intern stipends for the next several years. Should you wish for your gift to be allocated to the Internship Fund, please contact American Public Square at (816) 601-1001 or email Erinn at erinn@americanpublicsquare.org.

Presenting Sponsors

McDonnell Foundation

Susan Seidler Nerman

David & Cynthia Westbrook

Jack and Glenna Wylie Foundation

Presenting Partner

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Platinum Sponsors

Pete Browne & Julie Walker Browne

DeBruce Foundation

Stacy & William Pratt

Leslie M. Westbrook & Paolo Frigerio

Gold Sponsors

Jennifer & Bud Bacon

Cathi & David Brain

Katherine DeBruce

Enterprise Bank & Trust

Peter Gattermeir

Nancy & Rick Green**

Health Forward Foundation

Hockaday Family Fund**

Jenny & John Isenberg

Mary & Mark Jorgenson

Amb. Allan Katz (ret.) & Nancy Cohn

Ward & Donna Katz

KCUR 89.3FM

Frank Lipsman & Janet Mark

Greg & Sybil Orman

John & Diane Phillips

Shook, Hardy & Bacon, L.L.P.

R. Lee & Christy Smith

Matt & Lindsey Smith

Kent Sunderland Charitable Fund**

World Giving Foundation

Anonymous

Silver Sponsors

Ann Baum – G. Kenneth and Ann Baum Philanthropic Fund

Evelyn & Dick Belger

Mary & Tom Bloch**

Joseph L. Falk

Sandi & Ed Fried*

The Guerin and Jacob Family

Jill Ingram Reynolds

City of Kansas City, Missouri

Charlie & Jeanne Sosland

Susan Stanton

Swope Health

University of Saint Mary

Jerry White & Cyprienne Simchowitz

Bronze Sponsors

Sarah & Jon Baum

Irv Belzer & Sue McCord-Belzer

Ryan Bernsten & Chad Staatz

Claire & Denton Bishop

Phil Blank

Stevi & Jeffrey Brick

Dr. Valerie Chow, M.D. & Judge Jon R. Gray (ret.)

Peggy & Terry Dunn

ECCO Select

Bill & Christy Gautreaux

Esther George

Mike Gerken & Debra Schmidt Gerken

Joe & Cathy Hiersteiner

Jack & Karen Holland

Linda & Topper Johntz, Jr.

Regina Kort

Marli Klumb

Cathy & Terry Matlack

Alana Muller & Marc Hammer*

Charlene & Max Muller

Ann & Bob Regnier

Rosanne & Howard Rosen

Lisa & Charles Schellhorn

Deborah Smith & Dr. Mark Myron

Betsey & Rick Solberg

University of Missouri Kansas City

Beth & Karl Zobrist

In-Kind Sponsors

zTrip

Special Event Hosts

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* Denotes philanthropic funds from the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City.
** Denotes philanthropic funds from the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.