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Presenting the Candidates for The Arc’s Board of Directors
Debbie Sigman – currently serving in her fifth year on the Board
I am the Executive Assistant to Jeff Breault, Investment Advisor and Vice President at Carey, Thomas,
Hoover and Breault. Outside of my “paid” job I stay very active. I am the president of the Orchard park
neighborhood association; I am the vice president for the Altar Society at Christ the King Church. I so
much enjoy being a Special Olympic coach for various events. I coach a little girls T-Ball Team thru
TRYC. I play co-ed softball, enjoy jogging and I attempt to play golf.
A previous job of mine was Day Services Director for Creative Community Living in Butler and Cowley
County. This was a great opportunity for me to get to know wonderful men and women with disabilities.
My heart has stayed in that field so serving on The Arc board and attending the activities and helping in
any way with the guys and gals we serve is so fulfilling for me. I just love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My husband is Brian; he is a Sergeant with the Wichita Police Department . Brian has been on the
department for 20 years and loves it. He also owns a business “Sigs Taxidermy”, this is a gross
profession that I do not help him with at all, YUGH, and he is very good at it and enjoys it very much. I
have a wonderful Step-Son, Garrett. A teenage boy, what joy!!!!!!!! Just kidding he is a super kid, “A”
student and runs track. Garrett is 6’1 and wears a size 15 shoe, WOW.
Anita Buchanan – currently serving in her third year on the Board
I am a partner with PeopleMatter Group, LLC. I am a passionate believer in helping companies with rightfit hiring processes, and provides effective tools for companies to use for blue-ribbon employee and
management development practices. In addition, I specialize in helping small businesses with human
resource compliance practices.
I have more than 25 years of professional experience in communications and human resources including
employment at both for-profit and non-profit companies and ownership of Buchanan Human Resources
Consulting. I hold a bachelor’s degree in communications and a Master’s in Business Administration from
Baker University. I have obtained the Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR) certification, and am
a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). I served as the 2010 Vice President
of Membership for the Wichita chapter of SHRM. In addition, I am a former state president for the Kansas
Association of Health Care Communicators and a former board member for the Kansas Hospital Human
Resources Association. I enjoy the opportunity to mentor HR students and help them develop as
professionals, and enjoy doing volunteer work.
Olivia Knoblock – currently serving in her first year on the Board
I’m currently married to my husband, Shane who serves in the U.S. Air Force. We have 2 children, both
boys ages 18 & 10. We’re originally from the St. Louis, Missouri area and the Military brought us to
Wichita 17 years ago and we’ve been here since and consider this home.
I currently serve on the United Way Young Leaders Steering Committee representing Bank of America.
I’ve formerly served on Bank of America’s local Wichita Foundation Committee which evaluates and
allocates funds to local organizations within our community. I assist in leading the Bank of America
Wichita Community volunteer activities which consist of recruiting, informing and training volunteers who
support countless local community volunteer needs
My son is a recent graduate of Derby High School and hearing him talk about the Panther Pals program is
inspiring. I’ve been lucky enough to get to see this first hand at events held at Derby High School. It’s
inspiring to see high school age kids who truly want to make a difference in the lives of kids with
disabilities!
I’ve toured and volunteered at The Arc several times and have been thoroughly impressed with the overall
organization. A few key areas being the friendliness of the staff towards new volunteers, the various
programs and events offered to the kids, the engagement and partnership with local area schools, and the
smiles I see on the kids faces every time I’m around them!
Presenting the Candidates for The Arc’s Board of Directors
Steven Peiffer – currently serving in his first year on the Board
I am a native of Kansas and grew up in Andover. I went to college at K-State where I received a BA in
Business administration and then continued on to receive a Masters of Accountancy (MAcc). I met my
wife Sara while in college and she received her degree from Newman University. We have been married
for over 8 years and have a 2 year old son Bodie. We both have deep ties to the community and feel that
Wichita is the only place that feels like home.
I am a Manager of assurance services at Allen, Gibbs & Houlik, L.C. (AGH). I have been with AGH for
approximately 6 years and spent a few years before that with a different firm. I am Certified Public
Accountant with an active permit to practice. I am also a Certified Fraud Examiner.
The biggest assets that I would bring to the Arc’s leadership would be proficiency in financial analysis
including budgeting and knowledge of upcoming accounting pronouncements which might impact the
Arc’s financial information.
In middle school and high school I spent my free period working in the mentally handicapped (TMH)
classroom as a student aid. That experience has led me to understand that there is a great need in the
community for programs to support these individuals and help them grow. The Arc Mission is definitely
something that I can get behind and believe in.
Chris Cole – currently serving in his first year on the Board
We have two children, Phil (20) and Katie (17) who have developmental disabilities secondary to Fragile
X Syndrome. Both are physically active and attend school in the Wichita School District. Phil attends
Chisolm at the time, and Katie is a senior at Northwest High School. My wife, Jennifer, is an elementary
school teacher at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School.
Jennifer and I both attended Benedictine
College, and I attended the University of Kansas School of Law.
I am an attorney, now in practice for 20 years. The scope of my legal practice is quite narrow,
concentrating almost entirely in the defense of physicians, hospitals and other health care providers in
medical malpractice claims and lawsuits.
My experience comes as a parent of having two children, now approaching adulthood, with
developmental disabilities. We have been members of The Arc for a number of years. Our children have
attended YESS camp for the last 5 or 6 years, frequently attend Movie Night at The Arc. We have slowly
become more involved in other events, such as the SOC Walk and volunteering at the Lights On St. Paul.
Pat Jones – New to The Arc’s Board
I am married to Mike Jones, Business Manager at Dental Associates. We have a blended family; I have
two children, he has four; numerous grandchildren.
My oldest brother was born with spina bifida and lived until he was 18 years old. He was fortunate to be
able to attend grade school but the area high school could not accommodate him. My parents struggled
to find opportunities for him to be engaged and occupied.
I have worked in the nonprofit field for over 15 years. I have served on the board of directors for the
Association of Fundraising Professionals; Board Chair two terms, three terms on the Nonprofit Chamber
of Service, and a three year term on the Dress for Success Worldwide board.
I am currently working on the Program Committee for the Nonprofit Chamber of Service and previously
served on the Governance committee. I worked on the membership, governance, and nominating
committees on the Association of Fundraising Professional’s board.
I have helped several organizations with board development, strategic planning, fundraising, and
community resources.