KU News Release

Sunflower Foundation taps KU law professor for advocacy initiative

Elizabeth Weeks Leonard

LAWRENCE — A University of Kansas School of Law professor has been tapped for a new program of the Sunflower Foundation: Health Care of Kansans that provides nonprofit leaders from across the state an opportunity to learn how to become effective public policy advocates for their organizations and the people they serve.

Elizabeth Weeks Leonard, associate professor of law, is one of 15 members of the first Sunflower Foundation Advocacy Fellowship class. The nonpartisan initiative aims to bring the perspective of the nonprofit world to public policy.

“This is a critically underserved area for nonprofits,” said Billie Hall, president and CEO of the Sunflower Foundation, which surveyed nonprofit leaders prior to launching the initiative. “The fellowship program provides nonprofit leaders the opportunity and skills to become powerful voices for the Kansans they serve.”

Leonard teaches health law courses at the law school. She also is vice president of the board of directors at Health Care Access, a clinic for low-income, uninsured residents of Douglas County. She said she hopes her experience with the fellowship will enhance her performance in both of those roles.

“Related to teaching, I hope to gain skills and insights that I can share with students to help them prepare for careers as advocates for clients with health care needs and health policy reform at the state and national levels,” Leonard said. “Related to my community service, I hope to become a better advocate for the clinic as an organization and the uninsured patients whom it serves.”

The fellowship program includes six sessions over the course of a year, including one visit to Washington, D.C. Topics include how to develop advocacy strategies, build coalitions and grassroots efforts, navigate the political process and work with the media.

“We believe bringing the nonprofit perspective to policy discussions not only benefits the individuals and their organizations, but is important if we are going to find solutions to today’s complex health problems,” Hall said.

The Sunflower Foundation is a charitable organization with a mission to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of Kansans.

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