Ms. Cheatum joined Great Plains Energy in 2001 as Director of Human Resources, bringing human resources and operations experience from Wal-Mart and PepsiCo.

Ms. Cheatum served as Interim Vice President of Human Resources for KCP&L from February 2004 until she accepted the role of Vice President, Administrative Services in March 2005. In July 0f 2008, Ms. Cheatum assumed responsibility as the Vice President of Procurement. In her new role, she will be responsible for leading the Procurement Team in the development of strategies associated with the procurement of goods and services for the company, as well as identifying value improvement initiatives, key supplier development, M/WBE development and performance based contracts.

While at Wal-Mart®, Ms. Cheatum was a Regional Human Resources Director for McLane Food Service, covering eight locations in eight states. During her 12 years at PepsiCo, Ms. Cheatum held a variety of positions as an Operations Manager, Labor Analyst and Human Resource Manager. As Human Resources Manager for PepsiCo, Ms. Cheatum provided support to more than 4,000 employees in five states for Pizza Hut®, Inc.

Ms. Cheatum is on the board of St. Luke’s Hospital Northland; Vice-Chair on the INROADS/Kansas City Board; Board member for Mid-American Minority Business Development Council (MAMBDC); and a member of the UMKC HR Advisory Council. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Washburn University and a master’s in Business Administration from the University of Kansas.