Evergy (EVRG) Announces Appointment of Two New Board Members

Evergy, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVRG) today announced that Dean Newton and Jon Rolph will join Evergy’s Board of Directors. Newton’s board appointment will be effective Oct. 15, 2024 and Rolph’s appointment will be effective Jan. 1, 2025.

Newton serves as the president and chief executive officer of Delta Dental of Kansas, the largest dental insurance carrier in Kansas. Headquartered in Wichita, Kan., Delta Dental of Kansas and its subsidiary, Surency Life & Health Insurance Co., offer a suite of health and insurance products in more than 30 states. Newton has a successful track record of leadership, results, employee engagement and innovation. During his tenure, Delta Dental of Kansas has been recognized as National Company of the Year for insurance and has received national and local recognition for innovation and corporate culture.

In addition to his role at Delta Dental of Kansas, Newton serves as president and chief executive officer of Surency. Newton is also a former member of the Kansas House of Representatives. He began his career as an attorney at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, LLP.

Newton is active in both the Kansas City and Wichita communities, including serving as a board member for the Wichita and Greater Kansas City Chambers of Commerce, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, the Kansas City Area Development Council and the United Way of Greater Kansas City.

In addition to his current role as chair of the Board of Directors at Surency Health, Newton previously served on the Board of Directors for CommunityAmerica Credit Union, where he served as the board chair for several years and helped lead the development of CommunityAmerica’s long-term strategic plan.

“Dean Newton’s expertise and strategic insight demonstrated in multiple executive roles positions him well for Evergy’s Board of Directors,” said David Campbell, Evergy’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “His experience leading a successful regulated business through an evolving business landscape will bring important insight as we navigate significant growth and change in the energy sector over the next decade.”

Rolph serves as the chief executive officer of Thrive Restaurant Group, which owns and operates more than 190 restaurants in more than 15 states. Headquartered in Wichita, Kan., Thrive is the nation’s second-largest Applebee’s franchise and has a portfolio of restaurants including Carlos O’Kelly’s, HomeGrown, Modern Market, BakeSale and Qdoba. He has held several key leadership positions to help guide and operationalize the company’s impressive growth trajectory over his 22-year career at the company, including restaurant-level chief operating officer, vice president of administration and marketing, and his current role as chief executive officer.

Rolph is active in civic and community leadership in Kansas and has served on the boards of several local and national organizations, including the Wichita Children’s Home, United Way of the Plains, the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of Visioneering Wichita, Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, the Center for Combating Human Trafficking, and the Wichita Metro YMCA boards.

His current board memberships and affiliations include roles as vice chairman of the Greater Wichita Partnership, director of INTRUST Bank, chairman of Centralized Supply Chain Services, chairman of the Applebee’s Franchise Business Council, and vice chairman of the Kansas Board of Regents.

“Jon Rolph brings more than two decades of business leadership to Evergy’s Board of Directors, with a demonstrated track record of driving results and growth at Thrive Restaurant Group,” Campbell said. “His familiarity and leadership in Wichita and our region will also be of tremendous value to our board of directors, shareholders and customers.”

“We have a generational opportunity for economic development in our service territory. Maximizing that opportunity is a key part of our strategy. Dean and Jon are both well-known and well-respected business and civic leaders in our region, and today’s announcement reflects Evergy’s commitment to regional expertise and perspectives on our board,” Campbell continued. “We are excited to add them both as directors, and we look forward to their contributions.”

Newton will serve on the board’s Operations Committee and Rolph will serve on the Finance Committee.

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