Marlou Wegener

Marlou Wegener is employed with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas as the director of community relations and the chief operating officer of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation.  She has primary responsibility for researching, developing and implementing corporate community relations projects. Marlou is also responsible for the company’s corporate giving program, the administration of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation, the Shield Against Violent Environments program and annual employee giving campaigns and volunteerism activities.

Marlou has served on numerous boards of directors and committees during her 34-year career. Currently, she serves as the Topeka Civic Theater board of directors’ chairperson, the Capper Foundation advisory council chair, Jana’s Campaign board of directors and chairs the development committee, and the Shawnee Heights Public Foundation board of directors. She is an appointed member of the Greater Topeka Partnership Riverfront Advisory Board and the Washburn University Leadership Institute Advisory Board.

Marlou is a graduate of the 1999 Leadership Greater Topeka class, the Oral Health Kansas Dental Champions Leadership Program in 2006 and was a 2010 class member of Leadership Kansas. Marlou was the state program chair for the Leadership Kansas class of 2017. She was also the chairperson of the inaugural Leadership Greater Topeka advisory board.

Marlou was awarded the 2008 Outstanding Volunteer of the Year for Capper Foundation and was named the 2007 Communicator of the Year by the International Association of Business Communicators. She was also awarded the inaugural Marge Heeney Community Service award from United Way of Kaw Valley in 2020. In 2024, Marlou was awarded the Leadership Kansas Alumnae of the Year. Marlou received the 2024 Athena Award from the Greater Topeka Partnership which is designed to highlight excellence in leadership and the impact of women making a difference in the Topeka community. In 2025, Marlou was awarded the Community Activator recognition by Leadership Greater Topeka and was featured at KSNT’s Everything Woman honor.

Marlou has three children and six grandchildren and enjoys reading, watching baseball, and cheering on the Kansas City Royals in her spare time.