Contact

For general questions please contact us at: office@kansas2kenya.com

K2K Co-Directors

Joe Bob Lake and Patrick Parker

director@kansas2kenya.com
The website points out some of the accomplishments of the Community and Medical Teams in Kenya, but we would be remiss if we did not recognize the gifts the K2K relationship brings to transform people in both communities. Team members both U.S. and Kenyan share in awe the stories of care, of hope, of personal growth, of friendships made, and of spiritual touchpoints. 

K2K makes a difference in people’s lives, and we look forward to sharing the Director’s role to carry on this blessed work.

Joe Bob has over 40 years of experience as a CEO or COO in both private and public companies. He additionally has 8 years of senior management experience in the nonprofit sector. He currently is a partner with Bill Wood in Corps Consulting, LLC, offering executive retained search services.

He graduated from West Point in 1964 and following graduation from West Point he served as an armored cavalry platoon leader in Vietnam and as a troop commander in the 82nd Airborne Division. Joe Bob currently serves as Chairman of Empowering Minds International, a 501c3 nonprofit his wife Nyakio Kaniu-Lake founded that provides social services to the marginalized in Kenya including Agatha Amani House, a shelter for women who are victims of sexual or domestic violence.

Joe Bob currently wears two hats in the K2K organization serving as Co-Director of K2K along with Pat Parker and also as Co-Team Leader of the K2K Community Team, along with his wife Nyakio, since 2011.. The K2K Community Team has established long standing relationships in Kenya supporting Agatha Amani House in Naivasha, Kenya, Ngeya Primary School, Osborne and St. Nicholas Libraries and All Saints ACK a small parish in Maai Mahiu, Kenya. A recent addition to the Kenya partners is the Karati Boarding School for children with mental and physical disabilities. He also served as Chairman of the K2K Steering Committee from 2013 thru 2020

Joe Bob and his wife Nyakio live in Leawood, Ks. They are members of St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church in Overland Park.

Pat retired after 35 years as Director of Pharmacy, IV Therapy, and Anticoagulation from Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Lawrence, Kansas.  He earned an Associate of Science degree from Kansas City, Kansas Community College, Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Kansas, and a Master of Science in Pharmacy through Kansas University Hospital.

Pat started as the Kansas-2-Kenya pharmacist for medical missions beginning in 2008 and after a couple years accepted Team Leader responsibilities for the Medical Team.  He represented the University of Kansas, Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH), and K2K in developing educational programs with the University of Nairobi.  Early example educational opportunities include presentations at the International College of Health Sciences Conference, University of Nairobi School of Medicine, and yearly Leadership presentations and Medical Team mission experiences for Pharmacy Residents from LMH and Pharmacy Interns from KU.

More recent programs include the first education and certification for pharmacist-provided vaccine administration for Kenyan pharmacists.  In 2020, the education coalition sponsored its first 3 Kenyan pharmacy students to the U.S. for 2 months of shared intern experiences.       

Pat and his wife, Dr. Marilyn Parker, a Clinical Nurse Specialist, live in Lawrence.  They have been active locally with Health Care Access, Douglas County Senior Services, Lawrence Douglas County School Health Advisory Board, and St Margaret’s Episcopal Church.  They have 5 children and 8 adorable grandchildren.

K2K Team Leaders

Community Team

Nyakio Kaniu-Lake
 nyakio@empoweringmindsinternational.org
Nyakio Kaniu-Lake grew up in Naivasha, Kenya and now lives in Leawood, KS. She has a BS in Business Management and a MS in Counseling Psychology and is a Mental Health Therapist. Nyakio is the Founding Director of Agatha Amani House, a shelter for women and their children who are victims of sexual and domestic violence and the Founder and Executive Director of Empowering Minds International a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that offers mental health services and support for domestic violence shelters for the marginalized within the Kenyan communities. She is the Gender Equality coordinator for Kansas2Kenya, an outreach mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. She and her husband have been team leaders for the Kansas2Kenya mission trips to Kenya for the last 7 years. She was a member of the 2015 Global Leaders of the world Class and is some alumni of the Global Women Leadership Network. Nyakio currently serves on the Vestry at St. Thomas Episcopal church in Overland park, Kansas, and serves on the Avila University Advisory Board for the International Advocacy Program. 

Medical Team

Tanya Robb
trobb@lawoto.com 
My name is Tanya Robb, and I enjoy helping as a team leader with the Kansas 2 Kenya mission. I love being able to help so many people in just a short amount of time in the clinics we set up. Kenyan people are so grateful, and I feel like I can truly give back. I have developed great friendships with the Kenya group, past members as well as the translators and pharmacists. It has been a rewarding experience and I look forward to it every year.

Diane Kruger
wichita@kansas2kenya.com
I was so incredibly moved by my first trip to serve the people of Kenya, I cannot find words to describe. I was changed in a very integral manner. I stepped outside my small little comfort zone, and did something I had only dreamed of doing…God moved me in such a way, that I cannot imagine not doing this work today…  K2K’s programs have made a vital impact on the people and community, as I have witnessed over the past 5 years of involvement in both Community and Medical Teams. Every day I give thanks to God for giving me the desire in my heart, the strength in my body, and the resources around me continue the strong work we have started, and helping to bring hope for a brighter future for the next generation. 

Nahirony Sánchez Coronado
nahirony.sanchez@gmail.com
I had the opportunity to participate in the K2K mission in 2018 and have never looked back. It was a wonderful experience that allowed me to grow personally and professionally. I met new people who became friends, enjoyed the new culture, and became proud of all the hard work our K2K team could accomplish in just a couple of days. Being part of the pharmacy team means lots of planning before traveling to ensure we will have all the supplies and medications for our team and our patients. It’s a tiring experience, but it’s 100% worth it by how grateful our patients are for the services provided, the personal growth our pharmacy residents and interns accomplish by the end of the trip, and the satisfaction of helping another person during potentially difficult times. I am grateful to be part of this team, and I look forward to this experience every year.

K2K Community Chaplin

Deacon Fran Wheeler
frances.wheeler11@gmail.com
My first time visiting Kenya was an extremely humbling, gracious, and joyous experience. The team’s time spent during our visit was most certainly meaningful, effective, and so gratefully appreciated. Visits with people of all ages seemed to glow with a delight in each other’s presence, and an inspiration of God’s hope.

K2K Administrative Staff