Cici Rojas
President and CEO
Cici brings to Central Exchange extensive experience leading community and advocacy organizations, most recently serving as Vice President of Community Engagement for Truman Medical Center. Rojas has also served as the President and CEO of both the Dallas and Kansas City Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and as Vice President of Strategic Alliance with the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Rojas is active in civic organizations on the local, state and national levels. She is the national Chair for the Latino Coalition Foundation and a Member of the Camp Fire USA National Board of Trustees. In Kansas City, she is Chairwoman of Hope House, and a member of the Executive Committee Board of Directors for both KCPT Public Television and Friends of the Zoo. She also serves on the following Boards: Metropolitan Community College’s Foundation; Guadalupe Centers, Inc.; Kansas City Convention and Visitor’s Association; Heartland Women’s Leadership Council, and the BATS Exchange Listing and Hearing Review Council.
Jackie West
Director, Central Exchange South and Membership
Jackie has been on staff with Central Exchange since 1993. In her role as membership director, she is responsible for the recruitment and retention of members and works closely with the Membership Council in meeting their goals. She also has a dual role as director of Central Exchange South and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Overland Park facility.
Jackie is active in the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of Ohio State University with a BS in Business Administration.
Edgar Palacios
Membership Experience Manager
Edgar is a bilingual “utility player” who is passionate about building relationships and connecting people to the resources they need in order to be successful. He is a strong believer in the power of teamwork and has been described as a collaborative leader that pays close attention to detail, efficiency and executes in a determined and precise manner. He most recently worked at Truman Medical Centers providing support to both the Vice President of Community Engagement and Chief Financial Officer.
Edgar attended Rockhurst University, graduating with a Master in Business Administration. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri – Kansas City, earning a Bachelor of Music degree. As an aspiring philanthropist, Edgar enjoys volunteering in the community.
He served as Social Committee Chair prior to becoming President of the Young Latino Professionals of Greater Kansas City, an organization dedicated to providing access to networking, professional development, civic engagement and philanthropic opportunities to its members.. He also serves as President of the Kansas City Chapter of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs. He maintains his connection to music by working with local arts organizations and serves on the board of new Ear Contemporary Chamber Ensemble as their Marketing Chair. Edgar was honored to have been a Man of the Year candidate for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in early 2012.
He lives in Roeland Park, KS, with his wife, Amanda, and their son, JoJo.
Heidi Stigers
Business Office Manager
Heidi has been a part of Central Exchange team as business office manager since June 2004. Prior to taking on this role, she served as office and import manager for Expeditors International. Her responsibilities at CX include overseeing accounting and administrative functions. Heidi works closely with the Finance Committee in order to monitor CX's financial performance. Additionally Heidi oversees the facility rentals at both locations.
Heidi is an active volunteer with Habitat ReStore and Hillcrest Family Housing. She received an M.A. in international management from the University of Denver and a B.A. in political science from Northeast Missouri State University.
Richandra Myles
Administrative Assistant
Richandra began working for Central Exchange as a temporary employee in October 2004 and took on the permanent position of administrative assistant in early 2005. As the first-line contact for most CX members, Richandra answers the phone and checks people in to programs and events. She also helps with billing, membership coordination, marketing communications and with programs. The Kansas City native is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a B.A. in communication studies.