The Rockhurst University Leadership Series (RULS) brings some of the world’s foremost thinkers and luminaries to Kansas City's Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts to speak on aspects of their leadership. Past guests to Kansas City have included James Brown, David Brooks, Caroline Kennedy, Joe Montana, Condoleezza Rice and Capt. Scott Kelly.
2026 Special Guest
Jim McKelvey
Innovator, Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Block, Inc. (Formerly Square)
Image
The Rockhurst University Leaders Council presents the 2026 Rockhurst University Leadership Series on April 1, 2026, featuring Jim McKelvey.
Thank you to our 2026 Sponsors
Magis Sponsor:
VIP Sponsor:
Image
Jesuit Sponsors:
Image
Image
Kansas City Sponsors:
The Rashford-Lyon Award
During RULS, Rockhurst University honors the recipient of that year's Rashford-Lyon Award for Leadership and Ethics. The 2026 award honors members of the Dunn family with its Rashford-Lyon Award for Leadership and Ethics, recognizing the family’s impact on the Kansas City community through its century-old business, JE Dunn Construction, and their philanthropic and civic leadership. The company’s longtime CEO, Bill Dunn Sr., is a 1946 graduate of Rockhurst. He and his late wife, Jean, gave each of their sons the gift of a Jesuit education at Rockhurst as they prepared to help lead the family company. Honored with the Rashford-Lyon Award will be Bill Sr.; Bill Jr., ’70, ’82 EMBA, and his wife Marianne; Terry, ’71, and his wife Peggy; Steve, ’74, and his wife Anne; Kevin, ’80; and Bob, ’83, ’90 MBA, and his wife Amy.
The Dunn family has stood as a pillar of Kansas City’s economic power for more than one hundred years. JE Dunn Construction is one of the largest general contractors in the U.S., with regional offices across the country, more than 5,000 employees, and total construction work completed to date exceeding $8 billion. Family members are also leaders in their communities, giving their time by serving on nonprofit boards of directors and even as elected leaders of area communities.
Their efforts are guided by a long-held set of values that include the importance of faith and family as well as an approach to business that prizes honesty and ethics for customers and employees alike. Through their family business and their leadership in the Kansas City community outside of it, the Dunn family exemplifies the core values of Jesuit leadership Rockhurst University teaches.
The Rashford-Lyon Award for Leadership and Ethics is named for two of Rockhurst’s influential leaders: the late Tom Lyon, Ph.D., and the Rev. Nick Rashford, S.J. Established in 2014, the Rashford-Lyon Award for Leadership and Ethics honors recipients who exemplify high ethical standards of business conduct with excellence in leadership as demonstrated by outstanding initiative, impact of work and inspiration to others.
Past recipients include Tom Lyon, Ph.D.; Jane Chu, Ph.D., ’05 EMBA; Mayor Sly James, ’80; Patricia Cleary Miller, Ph.D.; Tom McCullough, ’64, and Tom McDonnell, ’66; Jean Dunn, Wendy Doyle, ’94, Lisa Ginter, ’87, Ama Karikari, M.D., ’07, Marny Sherman, ’75, and Bridgette Williams, ’16 EMBA; Joe Reardon, '90; Madeline Romious, ’95 MBA; Dave Harrison, ’81; and Denny Thum, ’74.
