RYANA PARKS-SHAW HAS MANY “FIRSTS” TO HER NAME

At Missouri State, she was the chartering president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., which is the nation’s first intercollegiate historically African-American sorority.

In 2000, as part of her career in health administration, she was named the then-youngest vice president for Truman Medical Center in Kansas City.

Most recently, she was the first Black woman to be appointed mayor pro tem in the history of Kansas City.

FROM HOSPICE TO A DIFFERENT SERVICE: HOLDING OFFICE

Parks-Shaw devoted most of her career to health care administration, often working in hospice care.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Missouri State, then a master’s degree in health care services administration from Southwest Baptist University.

After school, she moved to Columbia, Missouri, as a hospice volunteer coordinator.

She fell in love with the work, which involves caring for people near the end of their lives.

“I was young and at an impressionable age and I saw the power of what people can get done when they work together and have commitment.”

She met a police officer — her future husband, Michael Shaw — and they married in 1996.

In 1998, she moved back to Kansas City, which is where she’s been ever since.

They have three adult children, and Michael is the director of public works for the city.

In her career, Parks-Shaw has worked with the Missouri Department of Health as a program director for the bureau of chronic disease control.

She has also worked at Planned Parenthood, at Truman Medical Center (now called University Health hospital) and as a longtime Avon representative, opening two stores.

In 2018, she felt she had accomplished many career and personal goals. She wanted to give back.

Friends and acquaintances encouraged her to run for public office, saying she was a leader who could unite others. Her husband encouraged her immediately.

“I texted my dad, and my dad says, ‘Well, I’ve been wondering what’s taking you so long!’” she said.

She ran for the office of state representative and lost — however, as soon as her campaign ended, she was encouraged to run for city council, a race she won in August 2019.

BRINGING HER STRONG WORK ETHIC TO CITY COUNCIL

By March 2020, the city was under quarantine. Being new to the office, Parks-Shaw didn’t know what to expect. COVID allowed her to really help people.

“It was odd, but ultimately it gave me an opportunity to do tons of events,” she said.

“You couldn’t get toilet paper, face masks or hand sanitizer, so I put together all of these opportunities. We distributed 20,000 rolls of toilet paper to vulnerable seniors. We started working with Meals on Wheels teams to make sure they could have access to the essential items. It made me feel like I could live out my purpose of trying to help people.”

Her first two years in office, she continued her work in hospice. Parks-Shaw said it brings her peace.

“As weird as that sounds, I know it’s a special gift to be able to sit with somebody as they’re transitioning. Not everybody can do that, and because it feels like a gift to me to be able to do that, I continued to do it.”

After a night of sitting with patients and families, getting only an hour or two of sleep, she’d head to daytime meetings or council meetings.

In summer 2023, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas appointed her as mayor pro tem until 2027.

It’s a position that could be considered “vice mayor,” and it means she acts as mayor whenever Lucas is unavailable. She also still works full time as a councilwoman.

She represents the 5th city council district and is on numerous boards. Her days are packed: meetings, graduations, ribbon cuttings, kick-off’s, fundraisers, etc.

She’s had as many as five public speaking engagements in a day. The only day she doesn’t work is Sunday.

After church, she and Michael frequently drive around town and talk about areas that need to be addressed.

When it’s tough to fulfill her calendar commitments, she hears her mom’s voice saying: “Ryana, you’ve got to do what you said you’re going to do,’” Parks-Shaw said.

“As difficult as it is sometimes, I still seem to make it happen because of the work ethic that my parents instilled in me.”

HER TIME AT MISSOURI STATE HELPED HER GAIN LEADERSHIP SKILLS

When she was looking at colleges, Missouri State provided opportunities through athletics and a Minority Leadership Scholarship.

Parks-Shaw lived in Blair-Shannon, was part of the Black Student Union and ran track for three years.

Some of her favorite memories include playing piano and singing in Blair-Shannon with her fellow Bears.

She was the chartering president of Missouri State’s chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the nation’s first intercollegiate historically African American sorority.

Determined to bring it to campus, Parks-Shaw organized 14 other students and hosted meetings, fundraisers and community events.

“It was a lot of work. Once we got started, I was the chapter president, so I definitely had a leadership role there,” she said.

On campus, Charlotte Hardin was a mentor. Hardin spent more than 30 years at the university, retiring as assistant vice president of multicultural programs and student diversity.

“Hardin was one of the mentors who was instrumental in helping many Black students to advance,” Parks-Shaw said.

Hardin says Parks-Shaw stood out immediately: “She was energetic, personable, a great organizer. She had very strong leadership skills and early on demonstrated a commitment to public service.”

The two have kept in touch. Parks-Shaw’s youngest son is a student in MSU’s College of Business, set to graduate this fall.

Hardin and Parks-Shaw saw each other a few years ago at Homecoming when the mayor pro tem was back on campus.

Hardin was not surprised at all that this Bear has become a civic leader.

“She did all those things on a smaller level when she was here,” Hardin said.

“She was an asset to the campus community and has continued to share her talents and add value to the Kansas City community. I am very proud of her.”