Commissioners

J Beto Lopez, Chairman

Commissioner Lopez is a senior associate with ARO Real Estate Co.  He has been involved in commercial real estate brokerage, finance, and development for the past 12 years.  Beto is highly committed to the local community and participates in various civic endeavors.  He is a graduate of Rockhurst University and received a Master of Business Degree from Baker University.

 Gerry Winship, First Vice Chairman

Commissioner Winship is employed by Bank Liberty. He has been the owner of Winship Travel for 26 years. Prior to that he was with Farm & Home Savings for 20 years.

He has served as Chairman of the Jackson County ElectionsBoard and as Commissioner of the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority. He isa graduate of Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa. He has a Missouri and KansasCommercial Real Estate License with Prudential Real Estate.

 Jon Gray, Second Vice Chairman

After more than 20 years of serving as a circuit judge in the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit of Missouri, Jon R. Gray joined the Kansas City office of Shook, Hardy & Bacon as a partner in the General Litigation Division. He is licensed to practice before the Missouri Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

In August 2007, Judge Gray became chair of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association. He is also active in The Missouri Bar, the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and the Jackson County Bar Association. Judge Gray has served as a faculty member for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy in regional and national seminars since 1987 in addition to serving as faculty for the Kessler-Edison Program in Trial Techniques at Emory University School of Law and the Missouri Judicial College. His reviews and commentaries have appeared in legal and non-legal publications.

Judge Gray is a 1973 graduate of Grinnell College, where he majored in American Studies, and a 1976 graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. He is a life member of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Alumni Association and the NAACP.

 Deron Cherry, Treasurer

Commissioner Cherry is Managing General Partner of United Beverage, an Anheiser Busch distributor. Mr. Cherry played for the Kansas City Chiefs in the free safety position and was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1996. Mr. Cherry attended Rutgers University

 Michael Smith, Secretary

Commissioner Smith is the Owner and President of the Twin Lakes Insurance Agency.  He has been in the Insurance Industry for 26 years; co-founding Twin Lakes Insurance Agency in 1982.  He has earned the designation of Certified Insurance Counselor, CIC, through the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research.  He is a life-long resident of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, where he is actively involved in the community.