Participants from the 2026 Leadership Kansas class will be in Pittsburg and the surrounding area from Oct. 14 through Oct. 16 for sessions on business, education, historic preservation, research, industry, economic development and government. They will engage with local experts and community leaders.
Stops in Pittsburg include a tour of the Besse Hotel to learn about the Kansas Small Business Development Center at Pittsburg State University (SBDC) and the Center for READing. They will also tour the new Kelce College of Business building. To learn about historic preservation and mixed-use development, they will go to The Drink Yard and later head to Block 22 for a presentation by Watco.
Participants will also visit Research Park for a MIMA prove-out facility preview and tours of EaglePicher Technologies and KBI.
At the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts, they will listen to a presentation on the relationship among Pittsburg State University, the city, and the chamber, and, while on campus, tour PSU track and field facilities, the Crossland College of Technology, and the Irene Ransom Bradley School of Nursing.
The visitors will also tour Miller’s Professional Imaging/Mpix.
In Columbus, participants will visit The Red Iron Activity Center and the Crossland Education and Training Center for tours and activities.
They will learn about area history at Big Brutus in West Mineral and the Heritage Hall Museum in Frontenac. At Camptown Event Center, they will view the newly renovated event space and learn about Jake’s Fireworks.
Leadership Kansas is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious statewide leadership programs, according to a release from the Kansas Chamber and Kansas Chamber Education Foundation. Participants are nominated by their peers or community leaders and then selected to join the program. The class aims to develop and inspire leaders from across the state.
This program runs from April to November, with sessions in Dodge City, Garden City, Hays, Hutchinson, Kansas City, Leavenworth, Manhattan, Pittsburg, Salina, Topeka, and Wichita.