JoAnn Pottorff

is honored with a Brick from Gary Pottorff, Michael Pottorff, Greg Pottorff

JoAnn Pottorff has spent her life working with and for people. Our children, Michael and Gregory, and I know that she has been a wonderful wife and mother as well as being very involved in community affairs. She received her B.A. in elementary education from Kansas State University, Reading Specialist from Wichita State University and an M.A. in urban education from St. Louis University. She has worked as an elementary specialist with the Cooperative Urban education program in Wichita preparing college education students to teach in inner city schools. She has also served as former acting director of the Wichita Rape Center, now the Women's Crisis Center. She served two terms on the Wichita Board of Education during which she served as president. During this time she was also president of the Kansas Association of School Boards as well as chairperson of the Urban Boards of Education of the National Association of School Boards.

She is currently serving her seventh term as a Kansas State Legislator for the 83rd district in northeast Wichita. Her emphasis has been on finance and taxes, and she served as vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee, as well as her special interest on youth and children, particularly with the developmentally disabled.

She has served on the board of the Kansas Foundation for the Handicapped; the Parents as Teachers Board; the National Association of State Art Agencies Board; as chair of the National Conference of State Legislators Arts and Tourism Board; and chair of the Education, Labor and Job Training Board. She is past president of the National Conference of State Legislator's Woman's Network.

In addition, JoAnn has found time to be involved locally. She serves as a member of the WSU College of Health Professional's visiting committee; the Wichita Board of Realtors legislative committee; the Wichita Chamber of Commerce's Air Service Committee and the Military Affairs Committee; the Business Education Success Committee as member of their executive committee; former vice president of the Women's Advisory Committee of the Institute of Logopedics; board member of the Wichita Children's Home; past president of the Kansas Veterinary Medical Auxiliary; board member of the YWCA; and many other boards and committees.

She has been a member of Leadership Wichita and one of the first 100 women in Leadership America. She has been appointed by President Clinton to serve on the National Assessment Governing Board of the Department of Education.

We sometimes wonder how she has accomplished so much and helped so many and yet been a wonderful wife and mother to her family, but JoAnn seems to accomplish all of these things with grace and skill. She has been mentor to numerous women in our community as well as recipient of numerous local, state and national awards. Being a proud graduate of Kansas State University, she is especially proud of being named the first Alumni Fellow of the KSU College of Education. Her life has been dedicated to helping others, especially women, children, the disabled and disadvantaged and in trying to make Wichita and Kansas a better place to live. We feel she has succeeded in her desires and know that she has no thoughts of stopping her work. Our sons and I are proud to honor JoAnn in the Plaza of Heroines at Wichita State University.