Executive Board
Michael Austin
Chairman
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Chairman Austin is a free-market economist and Knowledge & Decisions Economic Consulting President. He has spent his professional life educating and fighting for pro-family, pro-freedom public policy.
Michael served as Chief Economist to two Kansas Governors. He also served as the Director of Fiscal Policy at the Kansas Policy Institute, where he regularly consulted with Kansas state legislators. Michael currently serves as a Legislative Director with Americans for Prosperity – Kansas Chapter.
The American Enterprise Institute named Michael an “Emerging Poverty Scholar” and a “Leadership Network” member for his work and passion for lifting Kansans toward financial freedom. Michael is also a Research Fellow with the State Financial Officers Foundation, a consortium of State Treasurers, Auditors, and Financial Officers across the country.
Locally, Michael is recognized as an “Emerging Leader” by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and the University of Kansas. The Kansas Black Republican Council also awarded him the Jim Bolden Award for many years of dedicated public service.
Television host Bill O’Reilly, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Tax, and the Foundation for Economic Education have featured his work. He is a frequent guest on NewsMax, OANN, and other media outlets.
Michael was appointed as a Kansas Advisor to the U.S. Commission on CivliRights during the Trump administration. Michael also volunteers as Chairman of the Kansas Black Republican Council and volunteers his time as a Judge to the annual Kansas CASA Volunteer Award selection.
Michael is a graduate of Washburn University’s School of Business and earned a Master’s in economics (with honors) from the University of Kansas.
Jonathon Westbrook
Vice-Chairman
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Jonathon Westbrook is an accomplished law enforcement professional and an academic scholar serving in Kansas City, Kansas. Born and raised in Wyandotte County, he has served on various community boards, and Kansas state commissions. He received his bachelor’s in organizational leadership from Donnelly College and Master of Public Administration from the University of Kansas.
Westbrook has been recognized many times for his contributions to Kansas City, receiving the American Society for Public Administration Stanley Fisher Award, Buck O’Neil Legacy Award, Kansas City Chiefs Kingdom Award, and the Friends of Yates Black Man of Distinction Award. These acknowledgments underscore his unwavering dedication to public service and improving the lives of his fellow Kansans.
In 2020, Westbrook gained experience in policy and government at the national level when he was selected as a White House Fellow. While there, he served in various offices, including the Domestic Policy Council, Office of American Innovation, Small Business Administration, and Office of Public Engagement.
Jonathon has been a member of the Kansas Black Republican Council since 2017 and has enjoyed empowering Kansans and others across the country with resources and ideals that ensure growth and success.
Kaleb James
Recording Secretary
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Bio coming soon.
Danedri Herbert
Correspondence Secretary
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Danedri Herbert is the communications director for Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach. A reformed journalist, her work has appeared in newspapers across the country under her own byline. However, she’s placed and ghost written dozens of guest columns for everyone from soccer moms to U.S. Senators. She is the co-author of “What Was Really the Matter with the Kansas Tax Plan – the Undoing of a Good Idea.”
After covering politics as a conservative journalist for years, she jumped into politics serving as the communications director for a gubernatorial campaign. She has served as a precinct committeewoman and as chair of the Kansas Third District Republican Party. She is a graduate of the Eisenhower Series and the FBI’s Kansas City Citizens Academy. She is a former flight attendant, a former vice president of the American Legion Auxiliary, and a graduate of Kansas State University.
She believes KBRC is uniquely positioned to help grow the Republican Party and to promote policies that will improve our community, state, and nation.
Danedri once won $50 for being the most average person, and she is featured in the 2012 book, “The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation’s Most Ordinary Citizen.” She and her husband live with a good pooch in an old house with a front porch.
Jy Maze
Treasurer
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Jy Maze is the founder, president & CEO of Maze Freight Solutions, a third-party logistics
services business based in Overland Park, Kansas. She leads MFS which provides logistics
services including one or more elements of commercial procurement, supply chain management,
and fulfillment activities for all sizes and categories of enterprises.
Jy Maze’s career encompasses transportation and supply chain management for over 17 years.
Wanting to change the lack of diversity in the logistics industry led her to founding Maze Freight
Solutions in 2017. Jy is also a speaker, author, and community advocate.
Jy Maze was selected for Forbes Magazine’s inaugural 2021 Next 1000 List which was a new
initiative to celebrate and profile entrepreneurial heroes who are redefining the American dream.
Jy received a 2020 Enterprising Women of the Year Award from the national Enterprising
Women magazine. Maze Freight Solutions was honored as the “2021 Kansas Minority-Owned
Service Business of the Year.” Jy was honored by the Kansas City Business Journal as a
“Women Who Means Business” in 2024.
Jy is an entrepreneur who is driven to gain greater respect and value for minority
management and ownership for industry in our country. She first excelled as a
freight broker and supply chain manager at a male-dominated logistics giant for
nearly nine years.
Taking a giant step, Jy launched Maze Freight Solutions (MFS) in 2017 and she
has become an outspoken advocate for the power of diversity. Jy moved her
business forward by utilizing Black leadership and management and with diversity
throughout the entire MFS team.
Today, MFS is known for setting a standard as highly proficient nationally
certified Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE), Women-Owned Business
Enterprise (WBE) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE).
Jy is now proudly helping other diverse businesses gain respect in the logistics
industry, too
Jy helped Amanda Adkins run for 3rd congressional district in 2020. She joined the Kansas
Black Republican Council in 2023.
Jy served on the City of Overland Park, KS Infrastructure Advisory Group in 2021. She assisted
in helping to lay out the budget for the next 15 years.
Willie Dove
Immediate Past Chair
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Willie Dove has been a Kansan since 1989. He is a small business owner, a veteran of the US Army, and an active West Side Family Church member. Chairman Dove also serves as the Chair of the Leavenworth County Black Republican Council. Chairman Dove has been married to Dr. Sunday C. Dove for over 30 years, and they are the proud parents of two sons and five grandchildren.
Damien Denmark
Public Relations Officer
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Damien Denmark is a passionate leader, entrepreneur, and advocate for empowering the African American community in Kansas. Born and raised in Texarkana, TX, Damien’s journey has taken him across various sectors, from private business to public economic development, all while staying driven by his deep desire to make a meaningful impact
After relocating to Kansas during the pandemic, Damien settled in Liberal, KS, where he spent three years contributing to the community’s growth and development. Now residing in Olathe, KS, he’s bringing his expertise and vision to restart the local chapter of the Kansas Black Republican Council, where he’s committed to cultivating African American voices and helping create a unified and consistent brand for the Council statewide.
A serial entrepreneur and the owner of Southwind Marketing, Damien thrives on helping small businesses unlock their potential by growing their brand and connecting them with the resources they need to succeed. He’s driven by the belief that every small business has the power to make an outsized impact on its community.
As a Leadership Kansas Graduate (Class of 2024), Damien is deeply involved in local nonprofits and community-building efforts throughout the state, using his voice and experience to inspire others to get involved and create lasting change. When he’s not working to support the growth of businesses and communities, you’ll find him cheering on his favorite teams—an avid Oklahoma University fan and Indianapolis Colts supporter.
Damien’s ultimate mission is to educate, motivate, and empower the next generation of leaders, and he’s dedicated to amplifying African American voices in Kansas, pushing for inclusive growth, and ensuring the success of future leaders within the Kansas Black Republicans.
Local Councils
Michael Austin
Chairman
Douglas County
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Chairman Austin is a free-market economist and Knowledge & Decisions Economic Consulting President. He has spent his professional life educating and fighting for pro-family, pro-freedom public policy.
Michael served as Chief Economist to two Kansas Governors. He also served as the Director of Fiscal Policy at the Kansas Policy Institute, where he regularly consulted with Kansas state legislators. Michael currently serves as a Legislative Director with Americans for Prosperity – Kansas Chapter.
The American Enterprise Institute named Michael an “Emerging Poverty Scholar” and a “Leadership Network” member for his work and passion for lifting Kansans toward financial freedom. Michael is also a Research Fellow with the State Financial Officers Foundation, a consortium of State Treasurers, Auditors, and Financial Officers across the country.
Locally, Michael is recognized as an “Emerging Leader” by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and the University of Kansas. The Kansas Black Republican Council also awarded him the Jim Bolden Award for many years of dedicated public service.
Television host Bill O’Reilly, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Tax, and the Foundation for Economic Education have featured his work. He is a frequent guest on NewsMax, OANN, and other media outlets.
Michael was appointed as a Kansas Advisor to the U.S. Commission on CivliRights during the Trump administration. Michael also volunteers as Chairman of the Kansas Black Republican Council and volunteers his time as a Judge to the annual Kansas CASA Volunteer Award selection.
Michael is a graduate of Washburn University’s School of Business and earned a Master’s in economics (with honors) from the University of Kansas.
Dan Thompson
Chairman
Johnson County
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Bio coming soon
Joseph Elmore
Chairman
Sedgwick County
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Chair Elmore serves as the chair of the Sedgwick County Black Republican Council. Retired from the United States Air Force after serving 20 years, Chair Elmore received an Associate Degree in Aerospace Technology from the Community College of the Air Force, and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Industrial Management from Newman University.
Eric Snell
Chairman
Shawnee County
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Bio coming soon
Delbert Selectman
Chairman
Wyandotte County
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Bio coming soon