2023 Inductees

He is also Senior Pastor of Faith Temple Church in Topeka, Kan. Dupree is a graduate of Wyandotte High School, Kansas City Kansas Community College and the University of Kansas, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in women’s studies. In 2003, he received a law degree with a certificate in family law from the Washburn University School of Law.

In a nomination letter, Dupree is described as having an “enthusiasm for learning and a desire to help anyone he can.” Committed to education, Dupree knows first-hand how getting an education can change the course of one’s life as he is the first in his family to graduate from college and become one of a small group of minority District Court judges in the history of Wyandotte County. Dupree often tells people that KCKCC prepared him for law school even more than a four-year university, and he is known for encouraging students to attend community college. In fact, his youngest daughter is now a second year Presidential Honor Roll student at KCKCC. Dupree is a natural role model to youth within his church community and consistently places importance on spiritual and civic education whether he is giving back in the community, in the courtroom or in the church.

She is currently professor and associate dean for innovative partnerships and practice at the University of Kansas School of Nursing. Godfrey received a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master’s degree in nursing and credential as a Clinical Nurse Specialist from the University of Kansas Medical Center. She then earned a PhD in nursing, also from MU.

She often writes about new care delivery models that can be influenced by a stronger emphasis on the nurse within, and her work with the International Society of Professional Identity in Nursing is “transforming the way nurses, health care professions and society” understand what it means to think, act and feel like a nurse. Godfrey was also instrumental in promoting a collaboration between KU and the KCKCC Nursing Department, creating a curricular model that allows KCKCC ADN students to earn both their ADN and BSN degrees at the same time. In doing so, not only are there additional educational opportunities for those students looking to enter the nursing career field, but they can complete their education faster and with less debt. She has also dedicated countless hours to providing professional development to KCKCC’s registered nursing and practical nursing faculty to share her research on developing students’ form of identity.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting from the KU and earned his law degree from Harvard Law School. He has spent his life working to improve the life of others, particularly in the Latino community, as well as for low-income families.

His commitment to education has led to his work in improving quality education attainment at the local, regional and national level. As part of that commitment, he serves as board chair for the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Development Fund, which provides hundreds of scholarships to local Latino students who are attending college. In a nomination letter, he is described as having an “unwavering commitment to ensuring young adults, especially those in the Latino community, have every educational opportunity to achieve their fullest potential.” In addition, HDF provides programing in both English and Spanish about college access to thousands of students throughout the Kansas City area. Other boards he serves on include the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Unidos IS, which help to address the gaps in education for low-income families and communities of color. Locally, he has been a champion for El Centro’s Academy for Children, the organization’s early childhood education preschool. His support helped the preschool move to a dual language program in 2014.

He was the lead microbiology instructor for many years and was instrumental in developing many of the experiments used in that course as well as creating a microbiology lab manual. He was the first instructor to teach an online science class at the college in 1996, online nutrition, and instrumental in starting the KCKCC Community Garden and fruit tree grove. In addition to science, Smith taught U.S. History during the summer for the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences. He received a bachelor of science in biology and a master of science in microbiology, both from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a master of arts in the history of science with minors in renaissance and medieval history from KU. He also received an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in urban leadership and policy studies in higher education from UMKC.

He was also President of the KNEA Faculty Association for five years and served on its executive council throughout his career. In the community he helped found the Wyandotte County Ethnic Festival an event which he has coordinated for over 15 years. The festival celebrates the rich ethnic diversity of Wyandotte County and provides an educational experience for all ages. More recently, he was integral in the creation of the KCKCC and Wyandotte County Historical Mural project, which can be seen on the KCKCC Main Campus. Even after his retirement, Smith continues to be involved at the college, serving on the Campus Art Committee. Smith was a key figure in creating the Campus Art Gallery and curated the first art gallery show there in 2014. Recently he received another award, the 2022 Wyandotte County Historian of Year, from the Wyandotte County Historical Society.

. Prior to his retirement, he was a math instructor and department chair at KCKCC for more than 30 years, touching the lives of thousands of students. Prior to that he was also a teacher in the Kansas City, Kansas School District. He is described as having a “love for education” and is well known and respected throughout the community. As a college professor, he helped many college students as well as those still in high school who needed extra help in understanding math. In the community he has used his talents by serving as volunteer treasurer for several local elected officials.

.He has more than 21 years of experience in designing, implementing and evaluating programming for at-risk populations and gathered the information necessary to start High Aspirations while serving as a graduate teaching and research assistant at UMKC’s Henry W. Bloch School of Business. He has received associate degrees in applied science and arts, a bachelor’s degree in sociology, a minor in Black studies and a masters of public administration in urban affairs.

His work with High Aspirations and as a mentor can be traced back to his relationships with Henry Bloch and Bill Dunn Sr., who inspired him to start the organization. Since that time, almost 150 young African American males, many from Wyandotte County, have been a part of the mentoring program at High Aspirations. Wash continues to hold the youth he works with to high standards, lifting them up and mentoring them to become responsible individuals. He is a national member of Alpha Kappa Delta and the International Sociology Honors Society and is a Harvard Annie E. Casey Innovations in American Government award winner and is an alumnus of the Kansas City Tomorrow’s program.