Andrea Chavez, Executive Director of Grants and Administration. Andrea grew up in Baldwin City, KS and received her bachelors in Sociology from The University of Kansas and her masters in Business Administration from Washburn University. In her free time, she loves to spend time with family and friends, watch KU football and basketball, and travel. She is a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan, and on Sundays you can find her watching and cheering on her team. Her favorite thing about working at Peaslee is that no day is the same and she loves helping and working with such a diverse population of people. Working at Peaslee has given her the opportunity to be more involved in the community.

Andrea.Chavez@peasleetech.org

Charlie Lauts, Enrollment Service Coordinator. Charlie has her Bachelor’s in Industrial Arts Education and her Master’s in Industrial Technology from Kearney State College in Nebraska. She grew up in Nebraska and is a farmer’s daughter. Every Sunday night, her and her family have a family zoom to catch up and hang out. In her free time, you can catch her gardening, riding her bike, golfing, or hanging out with her 2 boys, Devin and Ryan, and husband, Tom. She loves to cheer on the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Royals, and the Chiefs. Before working at Peaslee Tech, she taught at Lawrence High School for 33 years as a shop and drafting teacher. She has been here for at Peaslee for 4 years and loves helping people find a forever career.

Charlie.Lauts@peasleetech.org

Kiah O’Quinn, Administrative Assistant. Kiah grew up in a military family and grew up moving around but calls St. Louis home. She went to Cosmetology school in Overland Park, Kansas and spent 4 years working as a stylist before the pandemic. In her free time, she loves to hang out with friends and family. She is a huge St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, and KU fan (ROCK CHALK). Her husband, Conner, has also converted her into a Dallas Cowboys fan but don’t worry her first team will always be the KC Chiefs. She loves to binge watch shows with her husband like Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and any crazy documentaries. She has been at Peaslee for 4 years now and loves the people she works with and seeing people gain knowledge to a new career and all the resources Peaslee has to offer.

Kiah.Oquinn@peasleetech.org

Elijah Houston, Facilities Maintenance Technician. Elijah went through the Facilities Maintenance program through Peaslee last year and is now a full time employee. Elijah is Richard’s right hand man at Peaslee Tech, from mowing the lawn to fixing the sinks, he’s the guy for the job. In his free time, he likes to drive his car and hang out with his American Bulldog/Lab mix, Lucy. His favorite dessert is peach cobbler and his favorite thing at Peaslee Tech is that every day is different and he gets to do a wide range of things here.

Elijah.Houston@peasleetech.org

Richard Easter, Building and Maintenance Operator. Richard is the jack of all trades, whether it’s fixing the trucks or building a house, he can do it all. He grew up in Oklahoma where he met his wife, Iona, of 61 years. They have two boys and three grandchildren, which keeps him busy. He worked in the retail industry for 40+ years, where he owned and operated 4 stores. In his free time, he likes to work in his workshop and make homemade bowls crafted from trees. He has been at Peaslee from the very start.

Richard.Easter@peasleetech.org

Scott Wilhite, Professional Driving Program Coordinator. Scott was previously a CDL instructor at Johnson County Community College before he came to Peaslee Tech. He has been a CDL instructor for about 10 years now. He grew up in Baldwin City, Kansas. In his free time, he likes to hang out on his family farm with his wife, Lacey, and his 3 kids. When he’s not at Peaslee, you can find him at the rodeo with the family. Scott is a KState and Kansas City Chiefs fan and will be cheering them on during football season.

Scott.Wilhite@peasleetech.org