Board Members and Committees
TBA Officers
Monica Gee is a 30+ year professional dog groomer who specializes in color, hand scissoring, and breed-specific trims. In 2015, Monica took her last test and grooming to complete her Master Certification. This certification is something only 8 groomers in the United State have accomplished.
Monica was honored to be awarded the National Association of Creative Pet Groomer of Year in 2017. Monica was selected by customers to Pet Fancy’s Groomer of the year in 2019.
Monica completed Southern Leavenworth County Leadership Class in 2019. Monica was awarded outstanding leader in her class.
Monica has served on the Board for Grow Leavenworth County since Spring 2019. She donates her time to serve on the Tonganoxie City Planning and Zoning Commission.
Monica is most proud of her accomplishments as President of Tonganoxie Business Association. This adventure has allowed her to be a small part of making Tonganoxie better.
Laura is co-owner of Prairie Fire Signs & Graphics with her husband Tim. Laura has a background in healthcare (speech-language pathology), and rehab management.
Laura joined the TBA in fall of 2017 and became a member of the board in the summer of 2018. Laura has proudly resided in Tonganoxie for 3.5 years with her husband, daughter, and dogs (George, Vera, and Walter). Laura enjoys helping build local business in our community with likeminded business owners.
Tammie was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas. She graduated from Turner High School, then married and raised 3 children in Tonganoxie. She chose her career path as a firefighter after volunteering on a rural department beginning in 1998. In 2002, she started volunteering for the City of Tonganoxie Fire Department. While attending KCKCC and KU Fire Training Institute, she obtained AEMT and Firefighter I and II certifications along with Hazmat Ops. She was hired full-time by the Tonganoxie FD in 2010, and in 2015, was promoted to Captain.
TBA Board Members
- I became a Real Estate Agent in 2009.
- From 2009-2013, I worked for Weichert Real Estate
in Overland Park. - December of 2013 became a Real Estate Broker and Started Skeet Real Estate
and moved into the Old Meadows Construction Office. - 2014 Joined the Tonganoxie Library Board of Directors to help with the plans and development of a New Library.
- In 2017, I Became President of the Board.
- January of 2016, I started Skeet Insurance, selling all Property and Casualty lines of insurance. For Personal, Business and Commercial. We just hired Andrew Keehn as our Life and Health Insurance specialist we are offering Life Insurance and other supplemental Health Insurance products from Aflac. Some of the insurance providers we carry include Progressive, Farmers Alliance, SafeCo, Dairyland, Foremost, Berkshire, Liberty Mutual, Metlife and more.
- January 2019, We moved Downtown to a much larger 3,000 sq feet location. The building was built in 1889 and has a lot of history. It was a bakery, an ice cream place, and bus stop at one time.
- I am also a Board member for the Tonganoxie Business Association.
- I was one of the founding members of Citizens Against Project Sunset, which organized the town and the fight against TYSON. While on in the Leavenworth Country Leadership program, my team was responsible for raising awareness and securing the donations to put Leavenworth County in the SAFE program, for Firefighters EMT and Police.
- I currently have 3 agents, Mary Claypool, Zach Kaighin, and Cole Concannon, we also have a new agent Alex Broers starting this month. The new larger space help accommodate more agent workspace and our training meetings.
- Coming very soon is a real estate training book series that I have been asked to write will be published.
- I am currently the 2019 State Director for the Kansas Association of Realtors representing the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors.
- I also was awarded the TOP 10 Agents in Kansas Award.
- I am 4 Generation to be in the Tonganoxie area, My Great Grandmother Delia McKone Skeet, (her son) Grandfather Harry Skeet, and my Dad Billy Skeet, all went to the Pony Creek Schoolhouse. my grandfather Harry was on the Pony Creek School board when the decided to close and consolidate with Reno. My Grandfather , Father, and I graduated from Tonganoxie High School.
- The Famous Kirby McRill is my Great Great Great Uncle.
- Delia McKone Skeet’s Mother, Elenore McRill was Sister to Kirby ALSO,
- Henry George Skeet, who is Delia’s husband , my great grandfather. His sister married Frank McRill who was Kirby’s brother
- SO double related and that makes My family the closets living relative to Kirby McRill.
- If you go to ansestory.com, that is all there. John McKone, Delia’s father, so my great great grandfather was in the Civil War and is buried in the Reno Cemetery.
Raquel is the Customer Service Supervisor at Mid Star Lab/Capitol Orthopedic. She has been at the company for a year and a half. She is happily married to Russ, going on 20 years. They have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. She spends her free time enjoying her family and volunteering for various groups, including President of Team Tongie.
As a resident of Tonganoxie for nearly 15 years, I’ve come to appreciate the sense of community and pride we have for our town. As we build for our exciting future, our local businesses are paving the way. I feel that becoming involved in the community, be it through our great schools, churches, local government, or any of the great events throughout the year, is a great way to learn the core values our neighbors hold dear. As a father of two daughters, I hope to instill in them a spirit of volunteerism, and an appreciation for supporting local business and neighbors.
In my 20 year career in banking, currently helping businesses of all sizes achieve their financial goals with Sunflower Bank in Lawrence, I’ve seen firsthand how businesses and communities thrive when they work hand in hand to support each other, and I’m proud to be a part of Tonganoxie Business Association’s efforts to make our bright future a reality.
Katherine Sutton-Miller is the District Manager for Ferrellgas in Tonganoxie, KS. Katherine is Texas-born but has been in Kansas City for most of her life, graduating from Lansing High School. Katherine spent most of her adolescence figure skating receiving the highest level of achievement as a U.S. Figure Skating gold medalist. When Katherine isn’t servicing the propane needs of the local community, she is traveling with her son Wesley, daughter Kennedy, and husband Charles. She also enjoys hiking, camping, and being on the water. Katherine has been with Ferrellgas since 2012 and earned the Ferrellgas Chairman’s award in 2013. She is a well-rounded individual who lives with passion, dedication, and motivation.
I am Senior Vice President and Senior Commercial Loan Officer for First State Bank and Trust in Tonganoxie. I have been with the bank for 15 years, and my banking career spans 35 years. I enjoy taking care of my customers, and I have served in numerous volunteer capacities over the years in the communities that I have lived. In addition to being a Board Member with the Tonganoxie Business Association, I currently serve on the Board of the Leavenworth County Development Corporation. Tonganoxie is a wonderful community to live in, offering many opportunities for new and existing business. I am proud to be a member of this great community, and I look forward to many more years of service.”
Economic Development Coordinator
Leavenworth County Development Corporation
Lisa started working with Leavenworth County Development Corporation in August 2017. As an Economic Development Coordinator, Lisa assists businesses in Leavenworth County with their expansion and retention projects. Lisa serves as an ex-officio member for Tonganoxie Business Association, the Leavenworth Mainstreet Program, Leavenworth-Lansing Chamber of Commerce, Basehor Chamber of Commerce and as a voting member of Grow Leavenworth County. As a military child and then spouse, Lisa has moved 28 times in 10 different states and to Germany 3 times. Lisa graduated from the University of Kansas and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Lisa and her husband have two children, three dogs and live in Leavenworth County. One of her favorite hobbies is teaching Zumba classes.
Committees
- Spooktacular Committee (Spooky Planners)
- Christmas Tree Committee
- St. Patrick’s Committee
- Sunflower Stroll Committee
- Plein Air Art Contest Committee
- Downtown Beautification Project
- Annual Dinner Committee
- Business Leadership Committee
- Community Outreach Committee
- Economic Development Committee