City: Overland Park
Term Ends: June 2027
Neelima Parasker was appointed to the Kansas Board of Regents by Governor Laura Kelly in 2023.
Regent Parasker is the President and Chief Executive Officer of SnapIT Solutions LLC, an innovative technology company providing IT services, software product development solutions, training, and staffing. With more than 20 years of experience in IT, she has held many leadership positions. She is a Board Member of KansasWorks State Workforce Board and served on the Community Development Advisory Council at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
Regent Parasker studied at Osmania University, India, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. She later earned her Master of Science in Computer Science from Oklahoma City University.
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City: Pittsburg
Term Ends: June 2026
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Blake Benson is president of the Pittsburg (KS) Area Chamber of Commerce. A native of Forrest City, Arkansas, Benson holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Arkansas State University. Now in his 27th year of chamber and economic development work, Benson is a Certified Chamber Executive and a graduate of the Institute for Organization Management. He previously served as marketing director for the Rogers, Arkansas, chamber and as vice president for the Fort Smith, Arkansas, chamber.
A past president of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce Executives Association, Benson is a graduate of Leadership Kansas and has served as board president for Ascension/Via Christi Hospital-Pittsburg, the Pittsburg Rotary Club, Pittsburg Family YMCA and Mt. Carmel Foundation. Benson was appointed by Governor Laura Kelly to the Kansas Board of Regents in 2022.
City: Kansas City
Term Ends: June 2025
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Kathy Wolfe Moore was appointed to the Kansas Board of Regents by Governor Laura Kelly in 2024.
Regent Wolfe Moore served in the Kansas Legislature for a dozen years, retiring in 2022. Her service to the state of Kansas also includes a recently concluded term on the Board of Healing Arts.
She is the External Liaison for the University of Kansas Health System, where she has worked for 20 years. In addition, she serves as a member and is a past chair of the Wyandotte County Economic Development Council. She previously worked as chief of staff to Unified Government of Kansas City, KS and Wyandotte County Mayor Carol Marinovich.
Regent Wolfe Moore holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from the University of Kansas.
City: Manhattan
Term Ends: June 2025
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Carl recently concluded a highly successful 42-year career with BNSF Railway, the largest freight railroad network in North America with more than $20 billion in annual revenues and 35,000 employees. He was promoted through roles of increasing responsibility from his initial hire as an Intern to Executive Vice President of Operations and then to Chief Operating Officer following the $44 billion sale of the company to Berkshire Hathaway in 2010. He eventually rose to lead all aspects of the organization as Chief Executive Officer in 2014 and was invited by BNSF to continue to serve on the Board of Directors after his retirement from executive duties in 2020.
Throughout his tenure at BNSF, Carl delivered consistent financial outperformance. He increased annual revenues by 64 percent from $13.6 billion in 2009 to a peak of $22.3 billion in 2019 while doubling the net margin. He improved return on invested capital (ROIC) from 9.1 percent to 15.2 percent during the same time period.
He also created a culture of resiliency and ensured the company’s ability to adapt to changing market conditions. Under his leadership, BNSF was able to experience growth despite a contraction in the freight railway transportation market from 2014 to 2020 and to successfully offset a significant decrease in revenues derived from the transportation of coal by expanding the consumer products and agricultural freight businesses.
At BNSF, Carl recognized the importance of employee engagement and development at all levels of the organization. He championed a new leadership model and implemented the annual leadership development program for all managers, rolled out comprehensive training initiatives for the broader employee base, and achieved an unusually high employee retention rate with an average employee tenure of 13 years.
In addition to his many professional achievements at BNSF, Carl has made numerous contributions to the broader community. He has served as the Chair of both the Kansas State University Foundation and the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. He currently serves on the Salvation Army National Advisory Board as well as on the board of American Royal. He was inducted into the Kansas Business Hall of Fame in October 2023, was named “Outstanding Philanthropist” by the Dallas Chapter of the Association of Fund Raising Professionals in 2020, was recognized by the naming of the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at Kansas State University in 2018, cited as “Distinguished Citizen” by the Longhorn Council/Boy Scouts of America in 2017, and lauded as “Railroader of the Year” by Railway Age Magazine in 2016.
Carl holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Kansas State University from where he graduated summa cum laude. He also holds an Associate of Arts from Coffeyville Community College.
In June 2021, Carl was appointed to the Kansas Board of Regents by Governor Laura Kelly.
City: Topeka
Term Ends: June 2026
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John B. Dicus was appointed to the Kansas Board of Regents by Governor Laura Kelly in 2022. He is the chair, CEO and president of Capitol Federal Savings, where he has worked for 39 years. He also serves as trustee of the Washburn University Foundation, a trustee of the University of Kansas Endowment Association, board member of the Greater Topeka Partnership and appointed to the Washburn University Board of Regents.
Regent Dicus holds a bachelor’s degree in business and master’s in business administration, both from the University of Kansas.
