Joyce Ellis

Joyce Ellis (Greif) is an Associate Professor of Health and Human Performance at Fort Hays State University. Joyce joined the Osborne H.S. Kayette Club in 1971 and was a member all four years of attending high school. Irene Thornburg was her sponsor for three years and Marjorie Splichal was the sponsor during her senior year. Joyce still has the club scrap book that Marjorie made for their club! She remembers joining Kayettes because she wanted to be involved in school organizations. The club was promoted as a “service organization” and because she has always wanted to help others she decided it was a good club to join. Joyce liked the idea of helping others and being a part of an organization where she could fit in.

Ellis says, “As I participated in Kayettes I learned some basic leadership skills. I was a very quiet shy kid. I came from a very poor family and was certainly not one of the popular kids in school. Of course not many students wanted to serve as officers so I think I was convinced to be the president elect my junior year, and then became the president my senior year. During those years I learned how to plan for an organized meeting and how to spearhead projects. Belonging to Kayettes and actually being an officer gave me the courage to run for Student Council my senior year and I actually served as both StuCo president and Kayette President my senior year. I believe I have used those leadership and organizational skills throughout my life in both professional endeavors and my personal family life. The greatest value was what I learned about service to others and I have strived to serve others throughout my life in all I do.”

Her favorite service projects were taking kids trick or treating and the “slave labor auction” where local businesses could purchase their time to clean windows after Halloween for a donation. Joyce had the honor of meeting Wanda May Vinson at the Regional Conference that her club hosted. Wanda May shared with her that because of her attention to detail and organization it was easy to see why the conference was so successful. “I will never forget how good that made me feel. Of course I had Wanda May second to God in the hierarchy so you know how much it meant to even have her talk to me! I came from nothing but because of my experiences of being a leader in high school I started to believe in myself and still do today.”

A favorite memory is the Senior Mother Daughter Tea. At this event Joyce was awarded the Wanda May Vinson Scholarship and it was a complete surprise! She was determined to go to college and because her family didn’t have much money, that scholarship was “like winning the lottery”! Ellis said she was on top of the world and extremely proud to have a note signed by Wanda May. At the end of the event the group sang “Pass it On” and Joyce said at that time she would find a way to “pay it back”
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Rhonda Holt, KAYAN Board Member and friend says, “Joyce has definitely “paid it back” over and over again. She is known across the state, and at the national level as a leader with a passion for her work. She has served on numerous committees and boards at the state, district and national level and everyone knows a task assigned to Joyce will be done quickly and professionally. Joyce definitely sets an example for others in the way she gives of herself, her time and her talents. She continues to “Pass it On” by making everyone she comes in contact with feel good about who they are and their ability to achieve greatness.”