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.

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

Steve Kraske 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.”

The Bill Kort Volunteer of the Year Award

As you may know, we lost our dear friend and long-time champion, Bill Kort, last year. Bill’s life reflected a rare combination of qualities: Service to country, professional excellence, commitment to historical memory, and a lifelong dedication to strengthening the Kansas City community. To honor Bill’s legacy, American Public Square will announce the creation of the William “Bill” Kort Volunteer of the Year Award as part of our Evening at the Square festivities in December – an event that was important and personal for Bill. The award celebrates individuals and organizations whose sustained civic leadership and volunteer service embody Bill’s spirit by:

• Inspiring collaboration and mobilizing others to create or sustain vital community institutions;
• Contributing time, expertise, and perspective over many years in ways that leave a lasting civic impact; and
• Carrying forward the values of service, a sense of humor, and integrity that defined Bill’s life.

You can help us establish this permanent award through a gift to our Evening at the Square campaign. Your contribution will help us create this lasting tribute while supporting American Public Square’s mission to build stronger, more connected communities through civil discourse, engagement, and education. Should you wish for your gift to be allocated to the Internship Fund, please contact American Public Square at (816) 601-1001.

Click here to watch our tribute to Bill Kort.

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

Stacy & William Pratt

Leslie M. Westbrook & Paolo Frigerio

Gold Sponsors

Peter Gattermeir

Health Forward Foundation

Amb. Allan Katz (ret.) & Nancy Cohn

Frank Lipsman & Janet Mark

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

R. Lee & Christy Smith

Silver Sponsors

Peter Browne & Julie Walker Browne

Bronze Sponsors

Sarah & Jon Baum

Ryan Bernsten & Chad Staatz

Mike Gerken & Debra Schmidt Gerken

Alana Muller & Marc Hammer*

Rosanne & Howard Rosen

Betsey & Rick Solberg

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.