About the Board
Our Team
President / Founding Member
Dylan Van Gerpen, PSA, SRS, AHWD
Dylan Van Gerpen is the past president and current secretary of Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood Association and was also responsible for the historic Northeast’s beloved Scare-It Halloween for 7 years. Dylan has called the Northeast his home for the last 14 years, along with his partner Scott and their two dogs. Dylan is a full-time real estate agent and has been heavily involved in many HNE projects over the years, and continues to find ways to advance the betterment of the 35,000 + residents that call the Historic Northeast home.
Vice President
Jim Ferraro - J.D.
Jim and his family has a lifelong connection to the Historic Northeast, having lived in several of our neighborhoods. Currently residing in Columbus Park, Jim is an attorney and has been a member of the Missouri Bar Association since 2003, and has been active in the Legal and Estate Planning Community in Kansas City as past president of the Family and the Law Section of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and a member of the Kansas City Estate Planning Society. He continued his professional affiliations while living in Louisiana as a member of Shreveport’s Tax and Estate Planning Council. He remains an active part of the legal community in NW Louisiana.
Secretary / Founding Member
Cynthia Herrington
Past president of the Independence Plaza neighborhood association and northeast advocate, Cynthia returned to the Midwest from New York City, where she was a creative and art director for productions, commercial shoots, and more. Cynthia and her partner have been restoring a historic mansion on Independence Ave for many years, and also use their space as a community hub, events, Airbnb, and anything else these creatives can think of.
Treasurer / Founding Member
Evie Craig, MA, CFRE
Evie Craig, MA, CFRE, is the Executive Director of The Arts Asylum. She served as Presidentand CEO of reStart, Inc., for 16 years and brings more than 30 years of administrative,fundraising, community organizing, and marketing to her current position. She has served onthe board of directors of the Association of Fundraising Professionals - Kansas City Chapter,the HMIS Governing Board of the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness, and theDowntown Council of Kansas City and is Vice President of Missouri Citizens for the Arts.. Eviehas been the recipient of the following community awards: Influential Women of Kansas City,Urban Hero, Jim Davis Award - Downtowners, Buck O’Neill Legacy Award, and the Herman andDorothy Johnson Local Advocate Award - Empower Missouri. As President of the Paseo WestNeighborhood Association, she is committed to cultivating community collaborations.
At Large Member / Founding Member
Jimmy Fitzner
Jimmy, currently the Indian Mound Neighborhood Association President, was born and raised in the Lykins neighborhood, attended elementary school in Indian Mound, and played baseball in Sheffield. Beyond raising his family in the Indian Mound neighborhood, you can also find Jimmy championing the entirety of the Historic Northeast through public engagement as well as performing in bands across Kansas City,
At large Member
Leticia Torres
Leticia is a Kansas City resident, born in Mexico and raised in the United States. She has been a proud Lykins resident for more than 10 years. Having grown up in the Northeast, she has witnessed both the positive growth and the challenges her community has experienced.
Leticia currently serves as the language access leader and treasurer for the Lykins neighborhood Association, where she works to ensure residents have access to information and meaningful opportunities to participate in neighborhood decisions.
She is passionate about supporting thoughtful and equitable redevelopment, which strengthens the Northeast communities while preserving affordability and opportunity for longtime residents.
At large Member / Founding Member
Jonathan Cokely
A Pendleton Heights board member of 6 years and past president, Jonathan has also promoted the Historic Northeast through RideKC Development Corporation as a transit ambassador. His transit advocacy has been about public transportation access and ridership, a cleaner environment, and safer transportation conditions for pedestrians and cyclists.
