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Kansas City District News

  • February

    Man in park ranger uniform stands with wooden award in his hands.

    Kansas City District announces 2022 Ranger of the Year Award

    Ask a park ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers what they like most about their job and you will likely get a response about being outdoors in nature and the freedom of not being stuck behind a desk every day. One of the more unique positions within USACE Kansas City District, park rangers, or Natural Resource Specialists as they are officially known, are responsible for developing wildlife conservation activities, managing environmental programs and supporting recreation through public safety, much of which is done in the great outdoors.
  • A man in a military uniform, a construction vest and hard hat speak with a woman in a construction jacket and hard hat, while another person watches from near by.

    250 miles in 24 hours: Lt. Gen. Spellmon visits the Kansas City District

    From Kansas City to St. Louis – Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, 55th Chief of Engineers and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commanding general, covered over 250 miles while he visited the Heartland last week. Lt. Gen. Spellmon visited the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, to see the district’s projects and the people behind the great work supporting our nation on Jan. 26, 2023.

  • January

    A large group of people pose for a photo in front on a large stone wall.

    Annual Natural Resource Workshop: a chance for education and collaboration

    For the first time since 2019, the rangers and natural resource specialists from all 18 Kansas City District lake projects and the Kansas City District Headquarters management were able to gather in person for the annual Natural Resource Management Workshop in Bolivar, Missouri. The Kansas City District has lake and river projects in four states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. With such a widespread area of responsibility, it is not always easy for park managers and rangers to meet one another. This four-day annual workshop allowed for the rangers to have their required continuing education on natural resource management, visitor assistance, visit projects close to the workshop and network with other rangers
  • Don Gillette, recently retired from the Kansas City District, on his own time playing his hammer dulcimer in 2012.

    Gillette retires from federal career, not from hammer dulcimer

    When records manager Don Gillette retired from the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, at the end of 2022, he did not stop playing his beloved hammer dulcimer.
  • Man performs CPR on a CPR doll that is lying on a table.

    Life-saving skills taught at Kansas City District

    Safety is the top priority not only at home but also at work. Cynthia Wiederstein, Administrative Officer, Construction Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, knows just how important safety is and advocated for the Construction Support Division within the District to receive life-saving CPR and first-aid training on Dec. 20, 2022, at the district headquarters. The instructors for the CPR and first-aid training class were none other than her daughters-in-law, Deena Kerschner Johnson and Veronica Carrillo Johnson. Deena owns Heart and Soul LLC and has been training others in CPR since June 2021.
  • Man in red jersey poses with glass trophy and red football helmet with a gray background.

    Adaptive in the face of adversity: Matthew Scholten, Human Resource Assistant

    He’s the first person to greet you when you walk into the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center office, but there’s more than meets the eye with Matthew Scholten. While Scholten’s current title is Human Resources Assistant with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, he is also a retired Army staff sergeant and an adaptive athlete for the Kansas City Chiefs wheelchair football team. His time within the Army shaped how he would live the rest of his life and led to him finding his love for wheelchair football.
  • An ariel view of a large building with trees in the background.

    Bridging the gap: Warrant officers bring unique skills to mega projects

    In the U.S. Army, warrant officers provide a unique and specialized role to a unit. Warrant officers are the few subject matter experts within their respective fields, with the ability to solve technical problems, provide advice to commanders, and lead troops all while supporting the larger mission. Their numbers are few, making up less than three percent of the force, but their role within an Army unit is invaluable. It might seem like a no-brainer then, to have a skilled warrant officer assigned to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction project, but you’d be hard-pressed to find many within USACE. Knowing there are so few of these uniformed technical experts within USACE, it may be surprising to learn that the Kansas City District has not one, but two warrant officers assigned to two of its district mega projects.

  • December

    Col. Travis Rayfield spoke to the construction crew during the Enclosure ceremony at St. Louis Nov. 30, 2022.

    Enclosure ceremony marks construction milestone at Next NGA West campus

    From the outside, it might look like the Next NGA West campus is ready for business. However, there is still a lot of work to be done before the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency’s new campus in St. Louis, Missouri, is ready for occupancy.
  • This daughter and father dynamic duo is made up of Aubrie Saulsberry, daughter, left, and Arthur Saulsberry, father. Both work in different sections at the Kansas City District office in Kansas City, Mo. This photo taken by Jennie Wilson on Nov. 30, 2022. Arthur helped influence Aubrie into considering federal employment and she also had examples and stories from her mother and grandfather.

    Father-daughter combo: USACE Kansas City District benefits

    Parents and families often offer those first glimpses of career visions that come to our sons and daughters. For Aubrie Saulsberry, she has known all of her life that her father, Arthur Saulsberry, has worked for the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for many years as the Chief of Small Business Programs. She heard from him that he loves working as a civilian for USACE and after an early start in the St. Louis District, has thoroughly enjoyed serving the small business community in Kansas City.

  • October

    Lineman industry professional participate in the 38th International Lineman’s Rodeo at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, Kansas, on Oct. 15, 2022. The rodeo is a chance for industry professionals to come and compete in four different events to practice their skills alongside each other, either as a journeyman team or as an apprentice. | Photo by Reagan Zimmerman, Kansas City District Public Affairs

    From Florida, Puerto Rico to Kansas: 249th Engineer Battalion practice industry skills at 38th International Lineman’s Rodeo and beyond

    Soldiers from the 249th Engineer Battalion, Prime Power, put their lineman skills to the test when they competed in the 38th International Lineman’s Rodeo at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, Kansas, on Oct. 15, 2022. Teams and apprentices from four of the five companies within the battalion competed: three active companies, Alpha Company, Charlie Company and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, and the battalion’s reservists, Delta Company.