High Plains Heritage Foundation plans annual meeting and reception for new executive director

The public is invited to the High Plains Heritage Foundation Annual Meeting on Thursday, August 15, at the banquet room at Napoli’s Restaurant, 2 Rock Island Road. The event is also a reception for the new HPHF Executive Director Karem Gallo. The event is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. with the short annual meeting to held at 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

Karem Gallo was selected by the High Plains Heritage Foundation Board of Directors to serve as the organization’s Executive Director after a regional search was conducted. “We are thrilled to have someone who has both deep ties to the region and the professional background to be successful in this role,” said Kay Burtzloff, HPHF board chair.

Gallo has been a realtor with the Heritage Real Estate Group in Liberal since 2015 and will continue in that role, in addition to her HPHF duties. She also owns an art studio in Liberal, Prairie Mermaid and Watercolor.

Gallo is currently a commissioner on the Kansas Arts Commission and is also a member of the Southwest Kansas Board of Realtors, and belongs to both the state and national realtor associations.

Locally, Gallo is a member of the Liberal Noon Kiwanis, and a member of the Liberal Rotary Club, and the Liberal Diversity Council. She is a 2020 graduate of the Liberal LEAD class, a 2020 graduate of the Right Track Leadership Academy-Kansas Association of Realtors, and a 2021 graduate of the National Association of REALTORS® Leadership Academy.

A graduate of Turpin (Okla.) High School, Gallo has a BA in interdisciplinary studies from Newman University and an AA in graphic design from Seward County Community College. And will start working on an MBA in Leadership from Newman University fall of 2024.

Gallo may be contacted at the High Plains Heritage Foundation office at 150 Plaza Drive in Liberal, 620-626-7733 or [email protected].