IN-PERSON | Central Exchange Member Showcase

What better reason to gather together, than to celebrate and support each other!
Beloved seasoned members and others new, let's eat delicious food and learn about each other, too!

Join other CX members, partners and guests on May 17th from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm for a special Member Showcase, as we feature four CX members in this social and informative program! New and experienced members and partners will have the opportunity to meet and connect with one another, eat lunch, and hear from Megan Adams, Becca Brader, Kayla Lagud, and Becky Smith about their passions and work.

 Attend this program if you want to...

• be in community with fellow women,
• learn more about your membership,
• learn about a new topic, resource or organization that can serve you and vice versa,
• and walk away feeling inspired by your conversations!

Kayla Lagud (pronounced “La-good”) is a tax analyst at Lockton Companies. She enjoys the variety of the work she sees and treating different tax issues like a puzzle to solve. She enjoys data analysis, and process improvements. In addition to enjoying her work in tax, Kayla has a passion for disability advocacy and awareness in the workplace, whether that is working with employee resource groups, human resources, or local organizations. This comes from her own personal experience entering the disabled community after losing her leg and gaining a prosthesis after a car accident in 2016. The experience has led her to be more willing to speak up for herself and others.
 
Kayla began participating in Central Exchange events as a corporate partner member in 2017 off and on. She graduated from Emerging Leaders in 2022. Recently Kayla changed employers and felt that Emerging Leaders was very helpful in her decision to make a change for herself. A KC native, Kayla enjoys going to concerts, the KC symphony, and local sporting events with her friends and family. She is always down to try a new coffee shop or restaurant!



Becky Smith is the Corporate Development Manager for the Kansas and Missouri Chapter of JDRF.  She started her career in retail design bringing her to Kansas City from her home state of Ohio to work for Hallmark Cards. At Hallmark she had a 27-year career in a variety of roles in retail design, marketing, product development, licensing and brand strategy & development.  In 2019, she "retired" from Hallmark but not done, with a 13 year old son at home at the time.  After a little time out and a trip to France, she took a digital marketing director position at Cox Automotive.  The pull to mission-driven work was nagging her, and in 2022 she joined JDRF.  
 
Her son Hunter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in 2014 when he was 8 years old.  JDRF became a lifeline for her family and she had various volunteer leadership roles at JDRF before joining the staff.  She enjoys using her end-to-end marketing and strategy experiences to align vision and objectives, and resolve complex challenges. She is a data-driven leader with a collaborative and empowering leadership style, a passion to foster strong relationships with internal teams, clients, and external partners. Her focus at JDRF is in developing and cultivating corporate partnerships, institutional funding and advocacy.
 
Becky is a mother, wife, and avid Buckeye and Chiefs fan.