John Mendez

John Mendez, Class of ‘74, graduated from Donnelly and went on to earn his Bachelor of Science in public administration in 1976 from St. Mary College. In 1986, Mendez completed his master’s in liberal arts from Baker University. Today, he is widely known throughout the Kansas City, Kansas community for his work as city leader and community activist. Mendez also helped transform the city’s two community governments into one unified government in 1997. He was recognized as a “Reasons to Believe” Role Model for USD 500 in 2008. Mendez may be most well known for the years he served on the Board of Commissioners, representing the third district. In 2009, he was re-elected to the Unified Government 2nd district at-large commission seat by a margin of 73 percent, allowing him to continue to serve on the Board of Trustees for more than 15 years, and currently works part-time as an adjunct instructor.  

John Mendez was inducted in 2010.