Evening at the Square 2022

American Public Square at Jewell along with event co-chairs, Jeanette and Kevin Prenger and Shaun Stallworth, offers our sincere thanks to everyone who joined us on Tuesday, November 29 for the premiere annual event, Evening at the Square.

This year’s event featured Robert Costa, chief election and campaign correspondent for CBS News and co-author with Bob Woodward of the #1 New York Times bestseller “Peril.” Prior to joining CBS in 2022, Costa was a longtime national political reporter for The Washington Post and the moderator and managing editor for PBS’s “Washington Week.” During a moderated conversation, Mr. Costa will share his insights and observations about the American political system and election process.

The 2022 Evening at the Square event took place at the renowned World War I Memorial and Museum at 2 Memorial Drive, Kansas City, Missouri.

Robert Costa is the Chief Election & Campaign Correspondent for CBS News, where he covers national politics and American democracy. Based in Washington D.C., he is a regular on “CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell,” “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” “CBS Mornings,” and CBS’s popular weekend program, “Sunday Morning.” In recent months, has interviewed high-profile leaders ranging from Vice President Kamala Harris to Congresswoman Liz Cheney.

Before joining CBS News in 2022, Costa and legendary journalist Bob Woodward co-wrote “Peril,” which was published by Simon & Schuster. The book documented the tumultuous transition between the Trump presidency and the Biden presidency and was a # 1 New York Times bestseller. It was also cited in numerous subpoenas issued by the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Prior to working with Woodward, Costa served as the moderator and managing editor of “Washington Week” on PBS from 2017 to 2020. The primetime weekly news program, which features in-depth discussions with top reporters, is one of the longest running shows on television.

From 2014 to 2021, Costa was a national political reporter at The Washington Post, where he worked with colleagues on numerous investigations and covered Congress, the White House, and national campaigns. He served as a lead host of “Post Live,” the Post’s live interview series featuring his conversations with newsmakers such as Senator Bernie Sanders, Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and actress Jane Fonda.

From 2015 to 2020, Costa was a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, appearing on “Morning Joe,” “Meet the Press,” and “The 11th Hour,” among many other programs.

Costa holds a bachelor’s degree, with honors, from the University of Notre Dame, where he is a former trustee, and a master’s degree in politics from the University of Cambridge.

LEO MORTON

In August of 2017, Leo E. Morton was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of DeBruce Companies, a private investment firm managing a diverse portfolio of private equity and other asset class investments across a broad range of industries, including biotech, energy, manufacturing, technology and real estate.

Mr. Morton served as Chancellor of the University of Missouri-Kansas City for over 9 years after serving 3 years as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Prior to assuming the Chancellorship, Morton had been senior vice president and chief administrative officer for Aquila Inc.

Prior to UMKC, Morton’s management career spanned 40 years in a wide range of engineering and manufacturing positions with Aquilla Inc, AT&T Microelectronics, Bell Laboratories, General Motors, Rust Engineering Co. and Corning Glass.

Morton is on the board of directors for The DeBruce Foundation, Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation, Children’s Mercy Research Institute Advisory Board, Rolling Bridge Capital, Shot Tracker, HCI Energy, Behavioral Health Holdings, LTA Manufacturing, H&R Block Foundation, Nelson-Atkins Board of Trustees and Kansas City Urban Youth Academy. He also serves on the Investment Advisory Committee of TechAccel, Miracle of Innocence Advisory Board, MRI Global Campaign Committee, and acting advisor for Prep-KC, High Aspirations, Firebrand Fund and Community Linc. Leo is also a member of the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City and Mutual Investors of KC.

For his commitment to justice, Morton received the Henry W. Bloch Human Relations Award from the Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee in 2012. And in 2014, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce named Morton Kansas Citian of the Year. He has also been the recipient of numerous other awards and most recently received the Robert B. Rodgers Award from High Aspirations, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City in 2018, honored as a 2019 Kansas City Legend in Ingram’s 45th Anniversary Edition, and in 2020 received an honorary doctorate from Williams Jewell College.

Morton has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee University, and a Master of Science degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Lead

Presenting

McDonnell Foundation

Sue Seidler Nerman and Lewis Nerman

Platinum

Ecco Select, and Jeanette and Kevin Prenger

Greg and Sybil Orman

Stacy and William Pratt

Wiley Foundation

Gold

Bud and Jennifer Bacon

Allan Katz and Nancy Cohn

Grant and Amy Davis

DeBruce Foundation

Eller Corporation

David L. Johnson

John Phillips

Ann and Bob Regnier

R. Lee Smith

Silver

Alan and Mary Atterbury

Tom and Mary Bloch

Joe Falk

Sandi and Ed Fried

Mark and Mary Jorgenson

Bill and Regina Kort

Lynne and Mark O’Connell

UMB Bank

Special Events Hosts

Bill and Christy Gautreaux

Paul Russell and Beryl Raff

In-Kind Sponsors

The Inn at Meadowbrook

Cindy and Vince Johnston

J. Rieger & Co.

Katalyst

The National WWI Museum and Memorial

zTrip

Bronze

Ann Baum

Irv Belzer and Sue McCord-Belzer

Lew and Carol Berey

Claire and Denton Bishop

Phil Blank

David and Cathi Brain

Commerce Bank

Harper and Rebecca Hall Coulson

Sam Cullan and James Landrum

Enterprise Bank & Trust

SuEllen Fried

Bill and Christy Gautreaux

Alana Muller and Marc Hammer

Irv and Ellen Hockaday

Howe Street Group

Jenny and John Isenberg

Harvey and Michele Kaplan

Ward and Donna Katz

Marli Klumb

Howard Lubow

Tricia and Josh Maxfield

Martina and Pat McLarney

Optum

Park University

Jim and Becky Pruett

Jerry and Patty Reece

Bill Rubin

Shook, Hardy & Bacon

Swope Health

Ursula Terrasi

UMKC Department of Political Science

UMKC School of Law

Susan Wally

Lauren Weinhold and Scott Fuller

David Westbrook and Cynthia Wheeler

Wickham James

Beth and Karl Zobrist

Patron Party Sponsors

Beryl Raff and Paul Russell

In Kind Sponsors

Bliss Books and Wine

Boulevard Brewing Company

The Kansas City Star

KCUR

Marriott Kansas City Downtown

Mike’s Wine & Spirits

United Methodist Church of the Resurrection

zTrip