2026 Hall of Fame Honorees

Mark McDonald is a lifelong Jayhawk, raised in southwest Kansas and a graduate of the University of Kansas, class of 1982. He moved to Kansas City shortly after graduating and began his career as a freelance photographer with The Kansas City Star. For the past 44 years, Kansas City has been both his home and the backdrop for his work behind the camera.

Over the years, Mark has had the opportunity to work closely with a wide range of companies and organizations, helping to tell their stories through photography. Just as importantly, he has enjoyed documenting the people, moments and character that make Kansas City unique, capturing pieces of the city’s life and history along the way.

Mark has been married to his wife, Debby, for 43 years, and together they have 2 adult children.

When he’s not working, Mark enjoys staying active on the tennis court several times a week. Additionally, he shares his love of music by playing trumpet in the Village Church brass choir and rhythm guitar with a group of close friends.

Hallmark Cards, Inc. has been creating a more emotionally connected world for more than 115 years. Founded and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, Hallmark is a family-owned company with a diversified portfolio that includes Hallmark greeting cards, gifts, and ornaments; Hallmark Media’s feel-good entertainment channels; Hallmark+; Crown Center; and Crayola®. With distribution in nearly 100 countries, Hallmark’s brands touch millions of lives each day.

Community impact is embedded in Hallmark’s purpose, beliefs and values – and supports our broader mission of enriching lives. As a company, one of the ways Hallmark connects people is through Hallmark Gold Crown stores, with the first hospital-based location launching almost a decade ago inside The University of Kansas Hospital on 39th and Rainbow. The location reflects Hallmark’s belief that meaningful connections shouldn’t be hard to make, especially during times of uncertainty, caregiving or healing.

In addition to the collaborative launch of the hospital store, the Hall Family Foundation, established by Hallmark’s founding family, has been a longstanding supporter of The University of Kansas Health System. Over more than 45 years, the Foundation has invested $86 million to support research, planning, capital projects and community health efforts that strengthen care across Kansas City and the region.

These investments reflect a long-standing commitment to excellence, access and impact. The Hall Family Foundation has been a committed partner in the cancer center’s pursuit of National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center designation, recognizing not only world-class laboratory and clinical research, but also the responsibility to translate that excellence into prevention, treatment and outcomes that reach people where they are.

Together, Hallmark Cards and the Hall Family Foundation share a deep belief in the power of connection—to heal, to support caregivers and patients, and to build healthier, more resilient communities.

Joe Reardon is the president and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. In this role, he serves on the KC2026 Board of Directors, the group of sports executives, government officials and civic representatives from across the region that have delivered a strategic vision for securing the 2026 World Cup. Among his achievements in this role, he co-led the successful “Better KCI” business-focused campaign for a new airport, speaking to more than 100 businesses and organizations.

A civic-minded individual, Joe is the former mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas. During his 2 terms as Mayor/CEO, Joe saw through several notable accomplishments, including the successful effort to bring Google high-speed fiber to his community in a competition that included more than 1,100 cities across the nation and the opening of Sporting Park Soccer Stadium as the state-of-the-art home of Sporting Kansas City.

A lawyer by training, Joe is a Jayhawk with a juris doctorate from the University of Kansas. Over the years, he has won a number of awards including Rashford-Lyon Award for Leadership and Ethics from Rockhurst University, the Ilus W. Davis Award from the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission and more. Additionally, he was named a recipient of Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers and named Kansas Mayor of the Year by the Kansas Mayors’ Association.

Jack Newman served on The University of Kansas Health System Board of Directors from 2014 until his term ended in 2025. He served as vice chair for the last 5 years of his term.

Jack has a master’s degree in healthcare administration and is a CPA. He spent most of his professional career advising and serving healthcare provider system executive teams, physician leaders and boards of directors. He served as the partner-in-charge of the national healthcare strategy practice for KPMG and then as the executive vice president of the Cerner Corporation, where he interacted mostly with large metro-based and multistate systems of care.

Additionally, he has served on the board of directors of Benedictine College, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, Enterprise Bank & Trust, EPR Properties, Hallbrook Country Club and Heartland Health.

Jack has been married to his wife, Kathy, for 54 years. They are proud parents of a son and 3 daughters. They are blessed to be Nan and Poppie to 12 grandchildren.

Monte Coffman is an experienced healthcare executive and community leader with a career spanning more than 4 decades. He has served as executive director of Health Management of Kansas Inc. and Windsor Holdings Inc., where he oversees a wide range of long-term care services including skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, as well as home and community-based care programs across the state of Kansas.

A graduate of Washburn University with a bachelor’s in business administration in management and finance, Coffman also completed theological studies at the University of the South. He began his career in operations management, serving as a director of operations for Top Management Services Inc. for 14 years.

Deeply committed to community service, Coffman has held numerous leadership roles, including founding president of the Coffeyville Public School Foundation and the Coffeyville Men's Basketball Association. Additionally, he has served on many other local boards and committees in Coffeyville supporting healthcare, education, economic development and civic initiatives.

Monte and his wife, Amber, have lived in the Coffeyville community since 1992. They have 3 adult children and 3 grandchildren.