Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Wichita Mayor Lily Wu joins us to discuss the opportunities and challenges that come with running a city that aims to grow in sustainable and strategic ways. A former anchor and reporter, Mayor Wu has a unique perspective on public narrative and crisis leadership.
Joni Wickham is a former Chief of Staff to Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Sly James, and previously worked with the American Federation of Teachers, the Missouri Department of Transportation, and in the office of Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. A recipient of the 2019 University of Missouri Truman School of Public Affairs Mel Carnahan Public Service Award, she was also named to the Kansas City Business Journal’s prestigious Class of 2023 Women Who Mean Business.
Mayor Lily Wu was elected Mayor of Wichita, Kansas in November 2023, and was sworn in as the City of Wichita’s 103rd mayor on January 8, 2024. Mayor Lily is the first woman elected to a full term in the largest city in Kansas. She is the first Asian American mayor in the state of Kansas. She has been a Wichitan since 1993, when her family immigrated to Wichita from Guatemala. Mayor Lily was an award-winning local television journalist and is a proud alumna of Wichita Public Schools, including Wichita High School East, Wichita State University, and the University of Hong Kong. As mayor, she champions an inclusive vision for the entire city, focusing on ensuring public safety, strengthening the economy, restoring trust in City Hall, and building a united community.
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Inspired by the leadership legacies of Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole, and the enduring civic contributions of the Greatest Generation, the Dole Institute of Politics strives to promote a new era of leadership that uses politics to bring people together through opportunities that emphasize bipartisan cooperation, public service, and civic education and engagement.
Wichita Mayor Lily Wu joins us to discuss the opportunities and challenges that come with running a city that aims to grow in sustainable and strategic ways. A former anchor and reporter, Mayor Wu has a unique perspective on public narrative and crisis leadership.
Joni Wickham is a former Chief of Staff to Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Sly James, and previously worked with the American Federation of Teachers, the Missouri Department of Transportation, and in the office of Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. A recipient of the 2019 University of Missouri Truman School of Public Affairs Mel Carnahan Public Service Award, she was also named to the Kansas City Business Journal’s prestigious Class of 2023 Women Who Mean Business.
Mayor Lily Wu was elected Mayor of Wichita, Kansas in November 2023, and was sworn in as the City of Wichita’s 103rd mayor on January 8, 2024. Mayor Lily is the first woman elected to a full term in the largest city in Kansas. She is the first Asian American mayor in the state of Kansas. She has been a Wichitan since 1993, when her family immigrated to Wichita from Guatemala. Mayor Lily was an award-winning local television journalist and is a proud alumna of Wichita Public Schools, including Wichita High School East, Wichita State University, and the University of Hong Kong. As mayor, she champions an inclusive vision for the entire city, focusing on ensuring public safety, strengthening the economy, restoring trust in City Hall, and building a united community.
For more information, visit our website: doleinstitute.org
Find us on our other platforms:
Facebook | facebook.com/DoleInstitute
X | https://x.com/DoleInstitute
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/doleinstitu...
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-...
Inspired by the leadership legacies of Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole, and the enduring civic contributions of the Greatest Generation, the Dole Institute of Politics strives to promote a new era of leadership that uses politics to bring people together through opportunities that emphasize bipartisan cooperation, public service, and civic education and engagement.
