2024 Difference Maker: Kathy Medley is a driving force behind Sikeston's tourism success

(Photo by Aaron Eisenhauer)

A hot air balloon festival, a rodeo history museum and a solar eclipse. If you’ve been to Sikeston in the past 30 years, you’ve likely attended an event planned by Kathy Medley, the executive vice president of the Sikeston Regional Chamber. Through leadership and direction, Medley guides the growing tourism industry in the City of Sikeston.

According to the Sikeston Regional Chamber website, the resident population is 16,237. For small towns, growth often originates outside the immediate community, with the cultivation of such growth falling to leaders like Medley. A perfect example of the benefit of tourism surrounds Sikeston’s organization of events surrounding the recent solar eclipse.

“Missouri started [hosting] Zoom meetings with the communities along the path of totality, and they were meeting two years out,” Medley said. “I'm like, this seems extreme.”

The amount of preparation that felt extreme to Medley soon became a necessity – the solar eclipse was no small occasion. The solar eclipse and the surrounding events Medley led in preparation were a smash hit, resulting in, at the very least, a 26% growth of population for the days surrounding the phenomenon. Through communicating with chamber membership, rearranging crawfish boils, organizing concerts and organizing roles with the Department of Public Safety and Sikeston Parks and Rec, Medley had a hand in it all.

“It was a huge event, and it was fun,” Medley said. “But I’m glad it's over.”

There’s no misinterpreting the community’s gratitude for Medley’s work, but she isn’t finished. The Sikeston Rodeo, a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association-sponsored event, brings tens of thousands of visitors to Sikeston annually. Medley hasn’t missed a year since moving to the area 35 years ago, having watched her children, and now grandchildren, experience the wonders of the rodeo. It is important for Medley, and many others in the community, to properly honor the rodeo’s undeniable influence on the history of Sikeston.

“I always thought it would be awesome to have a rodeo museum,” Medley said. “Recently, we decided we have the room to do it, and we have the staff to run it.”

The ensuing process was a masterclass in collaboration. From meeting with the Jaycees for memorabilia donations and their “blessing”, to applying for a grant funded by the state of Missouri, and generously receiving a location from the city, Medley sparked the existence of the much-appreciated hub for the community. With renovations currently underway, the new Sikeston Visitor’s Center and Rodeo Museum unifies the past, present and future of Sikeston.

Promoting multifaceted approaches to community well-being is Medley’s forte. Medley recently graduated from the Delta Leadership Institute, a 10-month-long, leadership training program that develops skills in local leaders surrounding community and economic growth, regional collaboration and policy development.

“You can see how other communities are facing the same problem that you are and how they've solved them,” Medley explains. “And they look at us and say, ‘Look how they've done this.’ It's kind of a big sharing [experience].”

There’s no questioning Medley’s decades-long, excellent leadership. But for Medley, more important than the award itself, is the opportunity to recognize those in her organization who helped get her to this point. Her view of ideal leadership is one of collaboration; giving and taking at equal intervals.

When Medley was asked what she learned and wanted to pass on, her answer was simply profound. “It’s okay to help others. If you've taken the lead and now someone else has, that's awesome,” Medley said. “You help them, and you learn something from their leadership.”