By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Five people with ties to northwest Kansas were honored Friday as part of the NextGen Under 30 program.
Fort Hays State University graduates Kaitie Blackburn, Jana’s Campaign executive director, and Kendahl Goetzman, Dierks Law Firm; Mark Faber, FHSU 2021-22 student body president; Kylee Landreth of Paradise Roots Pharmacy of Plainville; and Lucas Goddard of the Northwest Kansas Economic Innovation Center in Norton were honored as part of the program at a black-tie awards dinner in Topeka.
Blackburn was honored for her work in the nonprofit sector. Goetzman was honored under the law category. Faber was honored under the education category, Landreth was honored in the health care category and Goddard was honored in the retail and e-commerce category.
Blackburn was in the FHSU class of 2015 and has been with Jana’s Campaign since 2016. Goetzman, a Hays native, was in the FHSU class of 2017 and lives in Manhattan.
The NextGen Under 30 mission is to identify and honor talented young adults and to encourage them to follow their lifetime family and career goals in Kansas, according to the program's website.
The program honorees had to be nominated for the program.
NextGen Under 30 recognizes and encourages the next generation of innovative, creative and inspiring individuals who push the boundaries in various categories of endeavor. Award winners are selected based on their participation in and contribution to their communities. A panel of respected business and civic leaders serve as judges, the program's website said.