Board of Directors

FRANK R. FREEMAN - President

Frank started with Blue Valley Federal Savings and Loan and subsequently worked at Metropolitan Savings and Loan, both in Kansas City, Missouri. He continued his career as a Mortgage Loan Underwriter, Operational Auditor and Fraud Auditor. He was at the Hyatt the night of the collapse where he lost his significant other and was injured.

BRENT WRIGHT - Board Member

Brent is a Kansas City attorney who grew up in Lenexa, Kansas. He graduated from the University of Kansas and received his J.D. from Washburn University School of Law. His mother and step-father were both killed in the collapse. His father was also in attendance but survived.

JOHN SULLIVAN - Board Member

John is a Dallas, Texas attorney who grew up in Raytown, Missouri. John graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia and received his J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law. His parents, Robert and Kathryn Sullivan, were together at the Hyatt the night of the collapse where his mother was killed.

VINCENT ORTEGA - Board Member

Vince is a retired Deputy Chief of Police from the KCMO Police Department and is now CEO of Ortega Enterprises, LLC. He was the first officer to respond to the collapse.

BILL QUATMAN- Board Member

Bill is an attorney and licensed architect, who is General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company in Kansas City. Bill has written several articles and spoken nationally at conferences on the Skywalk collapse. Bill is head of the design and construction committee for the memorial and is working with the artist, the fabricator and the construction manager for the memorial project.

DAVID CHAVEZ - Former Board Member (from Feb 2007 through July 2011)

David is the Chairman and CEO of LatinPointe, Inc, an Olathe, Kansas based Hispanic community strategy corporation. He specializes in producing Hispanic-themed programming and “signature event branding efforts.” David recently was the Executive Producer for the 2007 ALMA AWARDS honoring Latino performances in TV, Film and Music. David lost his Aunt, Connie Alcala, who was a member of Mariachi Estrella, a mariachi group performing at the Hyatt on the night of the collapse. Several other members of the group were also killed. In his hometown of Topeka, Kansas, David led an initiative to honor the legacy of Mariachi Estrella, one of the first all female mariachi groups in the U.S., with the installation of “Mariachi Divina,” a 17-foot bronze female mariachi memorial that now sits on the grounds of city hall and the Topeka Performing Arts Center.