Lauren Lane is a graduate of Kansas State University. She received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting with a second degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. After interning with Sink Gordon Accountants & Advisors during her final two year at Kansas State, she began working for them full time in May of 2022. While her main office is in Manhattan, Lauren also maintains an office in the Clay Center branch where she works with many individuals and businesses from the Clay Center community on tax and other matters. She is passionate about many things, but most recently has enjoyed traveling, whether that be for concerts, sporting events, or just to explore a new city.
Ryan Rourke holds a bachelors degree from KSU in Music Education and a minor in Dance. Upon graduation from KSU she taught 6th-8th grade Choir at Fort Riley Middle School and then at Wamego Middle School. Ryan also served as the assistant director for the Flint Hills Academy of Music in Wamego where she taught private piano, voice, guitar and ukulele lessons. She currently teaches music for grades K-5 with USD 379 in her hometown of Clay Center Kansas. Ryan volunteers her time as a musician at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church by playing the piano and singing. She also enjoys using her dance background to teach Tap and Ballet classes at Stark Dance and Baton Studio. Ryan is a USD 379 Clay Center High School alumni and is grateful for the opportunity to teach all the young children of Lincoln and Garfield Elementary. “It is a joy to be an elementary music teacher in my hometown because I see around 500 students every week. What a wonderful opportunity to create a positive impact in the lives of so many young children in our community.”
Luke Byers is the Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent for the River Valley District of K-State Research and Extension. Kansas is his adoptive home; originally, he hails from right outside the small town of Newburg, Pennsylvania. South-central Pennsylvania is the heart of the state’s dairy region, so Byers was surrounded by agriculture from a very young age. His father was the agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at a local school district, and the family had many neighbors and friends who owned and managed farms. Byers worked on several of these local farms growing up.
Only two universities in Pennsylvania offered degrees in agricultural economics (economics is his second vocational passion) and both presented financial challenges. Because of this, Byers attended the University of Wyoming, over 1,5000 miles from home, graduating in 202 with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business and Economics. Graduating during the beginning of the global coronavirus pandemic was difficult, but he believes it positioned him to understand and weather various kinds of adversity. Byers moved to Manhattan, Kansas in August 2020 to continue his education in agricultural economics at Kansas State University. In his first semester, he was recruited for an innovative research project in the department, researching the relationships between midwestern row crop farmers and their farm equipment credit suppliers. He worked with the Kansas Farm Management Association of K-State, helping them study and interpret loan data from around the state.
Byers says his most important work has been helping himself and others understand farmers’ agronomic and financial circumstances, as well as discovering opportunities to serve them. His most valuable experience has been listening to the stories of Kansas farmers. Byers met his wife, a farmer’s daughter from Westmoreland when he moved to Kansas. He credits her support to the success he has found in this position.
Working for the River Valley Extension District has been a tremendous privilege for this season of his life, and Byers is thankful for this season of his life. “I am grateful for all the opportunities I have had to work alongside the members of this community to promote a vibrant and salubrious agricultural economy.”
Dawson Miller grew up in the small town of Morrowville, Kansas, and graduated from Washington County High School. He enjoyed sports in high school and went on to throw javelin at K-State for a year. He graduated from Purdue Global with a degree in business management and went on to join Jeff Newell at Tri-County Insurance in 2019. Tri-County is a multi-line, independent agency. His job is to find the best coverage and premium for clients from the many communities they represent. Having grown up in a rural community, Miller spent many hours working on his grandparent’s farm and with his father in construction. These experiences have helped him understand the needs of many of his clients.
Miller married Samantha Carson from Clay Center, daughter of Mark and Julie Carson. They purchased a home in Clay Center in 201 and his wife has a daycare in their home. They have four children – Ripley, age 6; Treedyn, age 3; Koe, age 2; and Hazie, 2 months. He is a member of the Clay Center Library Board, St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, and has coached Rec. League teams that his daughter has been on.
