Meet the Staff

Port KC is staffed by a hard-working group of executives, real estate and development managers, councils, accountants, assistants, and liasons.

Executive Office

Jon Stephens

President & CEO

Jon is an economic development professional who has spent his career focused on utilizing thoughtful development concepts to improve the community. He is passionate about his city, and has built … Continued

Jon is an economic development professional who has spent his career focused on utilizing thoughtful development concepts to improve the community. He is passionate about his city, and has built a reputation for creativity and collaboration.

Previous leadership roles include serving as president of one of the largest urban redevelopment districts in America, director of economic development for Kansas City, Kansas, and CEO of VisitKC. And, as an entrepreneur, he has guided boards and corporations to innovative success.. 

A University of Missouri alumnus, Jon is a frequent speaker on civic issues, and is an active board member for many organizations, including Visit KC, KC Streetcar, KCPT, Arts KC and the KCADC.

Real Estate & Development

Contact Joe Perry

Joe Perry

Vice President, Real Estate

Joe oversees the management, development and marketing of properties owned or operated by Port KC. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the real estate finance, marketing, development, … Continued

Joe oversees the management, development and marketing of properties owned or operated by Port KC. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the real estate finance, marketing, development, architecture, urban planning, public policy, public/private finance and development disciplines.

Before coming to Port KC, he spent eight years as commercial director for Gale Communities, Inc. where he managed planning, zoning, infrastructure, and building construction. He has public/private financing experience managing tax increment financing and transportation development district projects.

He holds a degree in Real Estate Finance from the University of Missouri – Columbia and a degree in Architecture and Urban Design from the University of Kansas. He is a licensed real estate professional in the states of Missouri and Kansas.

Contact Chase Johnson

Chase Johnson

Development Manager

Chase is responsible for the day-to-day management and overall successful execution of real estate development projects. He has worked in the fields of planning, urban redevelopment, and real estate for … Continued

Chase is responsible for the day-to-day management and overall successful execution of real estate development projects. He has worked in the fields of planning, urban redevelopment, and real estate for over 10 years.

Before joining the Port KC team, he spent the last six years as an urban planner and Development Specialist for the City of Kansas City, MO, where he managed a wide range of planning, transportation, redevelopment and P3 projects. Prior to that, he worked in the commercial real estate field in Fort Worth, Texas, and as a professional athlete with the San Diego Chargers and Carolina Panthers organizations.

Chase holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Texas Christian University (TCU) and a Master’s Degree in Regional and Community Planning from Kansas State University.

Aaron Plump

Development Manager

  Aaron is responsible for the day-to-day management and overall successful execution of real estate development projects. Aaron comes to Port KC after working in commercial construction. Before joining the … Continued

 

Aaron is responsible for the day-to-day management and overall successful execution of real estate development projects. Aaron comes to Port KC after working in commercial construction.

Before joining the Port KC team, he spent five years as a Project Engineer for JE Dunn Construction Company, where he managed a wide range of planning, scheduling, material procurement, and closeout management. Projects focused on healthcare, higher education, and project solutions. Aaron is a University of Kansas graduate where he played running back for the Jayhawks. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Architectural Engineering Degree from KU.

In his free time, Aaron gives back through the nonprofit Entitled Learning taking his engineering knowledge and putting it the hands of the next generation.

Multimodal Logistics

Contact Richard Grenville

Richard Grenville

Vice President, Multimodal Logistics

Richard is responsible for all Port Terminal Operations and business development of freight related business. His extensive career in the maritime industry has afforded him a wide breadth of experience … Continued

Richard is responsible for all Port Terminal Operations and business development of freight related business.

His extensive career in the maritime industry has afforded him a wide breadth of experience and innovation in the transportation/logistics field. His corporate career of more than 35 years includes many aspects of marine and terrestrial transportation in international and domestic arenas.

A native of London England, Richard graduated in 1970 from the Naval Training school “Arethusa” in Kent England. Richard attended King Edward VII nautical College (University of London) and Plymouth Polytechnic (Exeter University) earning his DOT Second mates Certificate FG.

Finance

Contact Joseph Lohman, CMA

Joseph Lohman, CMA

Director, Finance

Joe is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) whose responsibilities include accounts payable, accounts receivable, financial reporting, budgeting, capital planning and grant reporting. He volunteers with International Trade Council of Greater … Continued

Joe is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) whose responsibilities include accounts payable, accounts receivable, financial reporting, budgeting, capital planning and grant reporting. He volunteers with International Trade Council of Greater Kansas City and IMA-KC Chapter.  He is an alumni of the Leadership Northland program with the Northland Chamber of Commerce.  He has served as a poll worker for elections multiple times.  Joe volunteers at his church in a variety of roles.  He previously worked as Director of Finance with New International, a non-profit, for four years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Northwest Missouri State University.

Legal

Brian Rabineau

General Counsel

Brian serves as the General Counsel, overseeing all legal matters on behalf of Port KC.  He previously served as Deputy General Counsel for several years. Before joining Port KC, Brian … Continued

Brian serves as the General Counsel, overseeing all legal matters on behalf of Port KC.  He previously served as Deputy General Counsel for several years.

Before joining Port KC, Brian was a Senior Associate City Attorney for the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and handled legal matters related to economic development incentives. Prior to that, he was a law clerk to the Hon. Paul M. Spinden (Ret.) and an Assistant Attorney General for governmental affairs in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Brian is licensed to practice law in Missouri. He earned his degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he served on the editorial board of the Missouri Law Review.

Megan Elder

Asst. General Counsel

  As Assistant General Counsel, Megan taps into her passion for law to make sure Port KC remains successful and protected. Prior to joining the Port KC team, Megan focused … Continued

 

As Assistant General Counsel, Megan taps into her passion for law to make sure Port KC remains successful and protected. Prior to joining the Port KC team, Megan focused her skillset on estate planning, civil litigation, and even criminal charges at a law firm in Lawrence. While in law school, Megan interned for the Missouri Public Defender System at both the appellate and trial offices in Jackson County. Megan is licensed to practice law in Missouri and Kansas. She earned her degree from the University of Kansas School of Law.

Mary Barnes

Contract & Compliance Paralegal

Mary is an integral member or our legal team. She drafts and reviews contracts, maintains records, and acts as a compliance officer for Port KC. She brings several years of experience … Continued

Mary is an integral member or our legal team. She drafts and reviews contracts, maintains records, and acts as a compliance officer for Port KC. She brings several years of experience in records organization, project management, and contracts and compliance management. In her career, she managed the off-boarding process for corporate electronic records and was directly involved with document information security, ethical walls procedure, and database administration.

Mary is a Kansas City native and joined the Port KC team in 2020. She is currently a part of the Leadership Northland Class of 2023-Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce, sits on the Pension Board of Trustees for Jackson County, is a member of the Junior League of Kansas City, National Contract Management Association, The Links, Inc. and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Mary earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Communications

Meredith Hoenes

Director, Communications

Human Resources

Contact Jolene Mead

Jolene Mead

Director, People and Operations

Jolene is responsible for the day-to-day operations and coordination of human resource functions, processes and transactional activities. In this capacity, she serves as point of contact for staff and stakeholders. … Continued

Jolene is responsible for the day-to-day operations and coordination of human resource functions, processes and transactional activities. In this capacity, she serves as point of contact for staff and stakeholders. She also provides support to the President & CEO.

Jolene holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Communication from Park University and is a Society of Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP).

Operations

Jocelyn Knight

Office Administrator

  The little things matter and Jocelyn makes sure everything is in order down to the tiniest detail. As office administrator, she handles schedules, events, in-house planning, office supply management, … Continued

 

The little things matter and Jocelyn makes sure everything is in order down to the tiniest detail. As office administrator, she handles schedules, events, in-house planning, office supply management, and environmental care. She keeps our contractor list in order and is our contact/liaison for Port KC’s board members. Her level of care is evident in each project she handles or person she encounters. She is the first face you will see when you walk into our office or the voice you’ll hear on the phone. In her personal time, she is a mom to three kids.

Asset Management

Bill Rulon

Superintendent

Bill has been with Port KC for 12 years. As Property Superintendent, he oversees ongoing projects and events, meets with and obtains bids from vendors and makes sure Berkley Riverfront … Continued

Bill has been with Port KC for 12 years. As Property Superintendent, he oversees ongoing projects and events, meets with and obtains bids from vendors and makes sure Berkley Riverfront receives proper care and maintenance. He is an ambassador to Berkley Park patrons, vendors and Richard Gebauer tenants. He also oversees projects, maintenance and tenant issues at Richard Gebauer properties.