Board of Directors

Kate Ferrell Banks provides the SOCI board steady leadership with a wealth of wisdom culled from two decades running an investment firm and the entrepreneurial confidence to take calculated risks when necessary. She serves as a member of the Aligned board of directors were she channels her strong support for children and business acumen to improve education in Kansas and Missouri. She co-founded Ferrell Capital, a private investment holding company and worked as a project coordinator at Ferrellgas, an 80-year business started by the Ferrell family that has grown into one of the nation’s largest propane retailers. Today, Kate blends her business sense with her love of baking to lead VAIN foods, a premier producer of exceptional vanilla extracts in fine specialty food stores across the United States.   

Amanda L. Adkins is a leader in business innovation, an entrepreneur in multiple endeavors, and a former nominee for U.S. Congress. She is often described as a ‘go-getter’ given her enterprising nature and energy to start projects in business, philanthropy, and politics designed to generate positive outcomes.

Adkins is the founder of Avisée LLC which offers management consulting to create new enterprises and/or improve business performance with a core focus on high growth STEM industries. Amanda’s interest in growing STEM jobs was inspired by her 15 years as a senior executive at Cerner Corporation (now Oracle Health). The hallmark of her Cerner career was building the population health business advising providers and employers across the United States on how to cut healthcare costs and improve health outcomes for individuals and families.

In the course of this work, Adkins has been a leader for consideration of social determinants of health in communities (SDOH). A belief in the importance of SDOH was a major consideration when she co-founded Systems of Care Initiative (SOCI), a philanthropic organization dedicated to helping young children be healthy and ready for kindergarten and later success in life.

Janice Smith joined SOCI Communities in February 2019 after serving as the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund’s Executive Director for five years. Previous to her state service, she held the position of Executive Director of The Opportunity Project (TOP) in Wichita, a non-profit organization currently serving 700 low-income children across three centers that serves as a state and national model for high quality early childhood programming. She has been instrumental in developing and implementing innovative early childhood programs proven to have strong positive longitudinal outcomes for at risk children. She is a leader in local and state collaborations to support quality initiatives in early childhood and has been a key player in the development of financial private-partnerships. 

Prior to joining TOP, Janice was a classroom teacher and administrator for the Mulvane and Wichita Public Schools. She has also served as an Adjunct Professor with Wichita State University, Newman University, Butler Community College and Cowley Community College. Janice holds a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Wichita State University. She holds an MA in Communications from Wichita State University and a BA in English/Education from Park College, Parkville, Mo.