Dr. Brungardt serves as the Director of the Center for Civic Leadership, which houses KYLA. Dr. Brungardt started the Department of Leadership Studies at Fort Hays State University in 1993, and later went on to create the Center for Civic Leadership in 2001. He has taught in the field of leadership studies for the past 13 years and was recently awarded the Omer G. Voss Distinguished Professorship under the Regent’s Faculty of Distinction Program. Over the past 12 years, he has presented and facilitated over 100 workshops throughout America. In addition, Dr. Brungardt has authored and co-authored three books and a dozen articles in the field of leadership studies. He received his B.A. in Political Studies and his M.S. in Political Science/International Relations from Fort Hays State University, and his Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction and Policy Studies from Kansas State University.