Evan Absher:
Before joining the UMKC School of Law faculty, Professor Absher designed, created, and implemented a national program that assisted 120 mayors and cities to implement entrepreneurial friendly programs, policies, and practices. This program directed over $120 million into cities to support more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems. This program model has since been adapted by federal agencies, such as the Economic Development Agency and National Science Foundation, to execute large scale programs with local implementation. Professor Absher is also the co-founder of Folks Capital, a consulting company that helps investors, philanthropists, and policymakers grow economic agency through shared ownership.
Ayyoub Ajmi:
Ayyoub Ajmi is a passionate advocate for using innovative solutions to promote access to justice. He serves as the Director of Legal Innovation and Technology at the University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC) School of Law, where he drives transformative initiatives at the intersection of law and technology. In this role, he leads the Legal Technology Laboratory (LTL), a global initiative that empowers multidisciplinary teams to address social, civic, and economic challenges through technology-assisted solutions and data-driven policies. In 2017, Ayyoub founded CiviLaw.Tech, a consulting firm providing legal tech solutions to organizations seeking to make a meaningful impact. Connect with Ayyoub Ajmi on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayyoovod/.
Erica Andrade:
Erica Andrade was appointed President and CEO of El Centro on July 1, 2023. She was born in the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas and is the proud daughter of a strong, resilient immigrant mother from Guanajuato, Mexico. Erica has worked at El Centro, a Latino serving, Latino led nonprofit organization with a strong 48-year history of serving Wyandotte and Johnson Counties, for over 22 years. As a Spanish first organization we support our Latino community by providing access to services that reducing language barriers to individuals so they can benefit from resources they need, and deserve, to thrive. We also provide empowerment opportunities to build health, wealth, and power. Prior to being named CEO, Erica served as Chief Program Officer for five years, and Health Navigation Manager for 10 where she oversaw program development, evaluation, fundraising, grant writing and compliance and well as strategic vision setting. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 2001 with a BA in Latin American Studies and from University of Missouri in Kansas City with her MPA 2019.
Zoda Ballew:
Zoda is a graduating 3L at UMKC School of Law. She was born and raised in Kansas City and spends far too much time playing and coaching volleyball. After she crushes the Missouri Bar Exam, she will start her judicial clerkship. Zoda's legal passions include criminal law and education policy. She hopes to one day be a fierce advocate for systemic change in local education and criminal law reform.
Andrew Bergerson:
As a historian of everyday life in modern Germany, Andrew Stuart Bergerson writes scholarly non-fiction on topics such as the role of ordinary people in the collapse of democracy into fascism, and our responsibility to the fascist past and present. Drew prefers to work collaboratively, transnationally, and intermedially with colleagues, students, and citizen scientists to discover the meaning of the past for the present. As a gamemaster, he has run role-playing campaigns in the Pætheon.com for over forty years, a fantasy world that confronts players with ethical and political questions from the real world. Since 2015, he has been writing his memoirs of the campaigns he played with his children. While releasing the prequels as audio podcasts, digital stories, and print zines, he continues to invite players to enter the Pætheon – if they dare – and coauthor the world with him.
Cassady Brewer:
Cassady V. “Cass” Brewer, Shareholder, Carlton Fields, and Emeritus Professor of Law at Georgia State University College of Law, focuses on tax law and business transactions, with deep experience in the intersection of tax-exempt organizations and for-profit enterprises. Before joining the firm, Cass was a tenured professor of law at Georgia State University College of Law, teaching courses on federal income taxation, nonprofit organizations, and business taxation, including corporate and partnership tax. His research and speaking engagements have centered on federal income taxation and social enterprise law.
A fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, Cass previously served as a partner and practice leader in the tax group at Morris, Manning & Martin LLP, in Atlanta before beginning his teaching career in 2011. His background in both academia and legal practice gives him a unique perspective in advising clients on complex tax and business matters.
Brewer received his LL.M. (Taxation) from New York University, where he served as a graduate editor of the Tax Law Review. Brewer received his J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Arkansas Law Review. He received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University.
DeAngela Burns-Wallace:
Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace is president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation in Kansas City, Missouri, dedicated to advancing economic mobility through strategic investments in education, workforce development, and entrepreneurship.
With a career spanning diplomacy, public administration, higher education, and philanthropy, she is nationally recognized for driving systems-level change to improve equity and opportunity across communities.
Before joining the Kauffman Foundation, she served as secretary of administration and chief information technology officer for the State of Kansas, becoming the first African American to hold either cabinet position. Her higher education leadership includes roles as vice provost at the University of Kansas, assistant vice provost at the University of Missouri, and assistant dean at Stanford University.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Burns-Wallace was a U.S. diplomat, with postings in China, South Africa, and Washington, D.C. She currently serves on the Stanford University Board of Trustees and is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
While her career has taken Dr. Burns-Wallace around the world, she has never been far from the neighborhoods of Kansas City where she was raised and draws inspiration for leading a life of service.
Kate Burns:
Kate serves as the Executive Director to MetroLab. Before joining, she was a Senior Associate at Cityfi, a firm focused on fostering innovation and new thinking in the urban environment. Previously, she was a part of two mayoral administrations. Kate was the Technology Policy Advisor for Mayor Jenny Durkan in Seattle, WA. And before moving to Seattle, she was the Innovation Policy Advisor for Mayor Sly James in Kansas City, MO. These roles shared similar missions and values, including drafting new regulatory schemas for transportation networks and short term rentals, as well as implementing and promoting privacy and surveillance regulations. Kate was a part of the MetroLab network while in Seattle in Kansas City, and continues to uphold a passion for the work between cities and universities. She has a juris doctorate from the University of Missouri Kansas City, and a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Kansas.
Dan Carroll:
Dan is a passionate advocate for the great work happening in Kansas City around affordable housing. He believes that, as a community, we are poised to create positive change at scale. He is a Founder and Board Chair of The Way Home, which seeks to be an accelerant to this great work. Dan is a long-time supporter and former Board Chair at Community Linc, an organization dedicated to ending homelessness for this generation and the next. Dan is the Founder of AdPredictive, which seeks to unleash marketer’s creativity through technology. He is also the Co-founder of The & Company, an empowering technology for people. Through these initiatives and others, Dan seeks to use business models and technological innovation to create positive impact at scale.
Jean-Paul Chaurand:
For the past eight years, Jean Paul Chaurand has served both the Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation and The H & R Bloch Foundation as Executive Vice President. Jean Paul is also a sitting director if Children’s Mercy. Before his time at Bloch Foundation Jean Paul was the Chief Operating Officer at the Guadalupe Center and held positions at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.
William Crumpler:
William Crumpler works as a program analyst for KC Digital Drive, where he focuses on supporting digital inclusion and civic technology initiatives through research and data analysis. Prior to KC Digital drive, William worked as a research associate in the Technology Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a think tank in Washington, D.C. William graduated with a degree in Materials Science and Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Abigail Eccher-Young:
Abby Eccher-Young serves as the Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer for the State of Nebraska, where she leads the state's cybersecurity strategy pioneering an interdisciplinary cyber command practice among multiple states and Nebraska counties. Having served most of her career in city and county government, most recently as CIO for the City of Lincoln, Nebraska, Abby is working to create interlocal partnerships while developing communities of practice for cyber beyond IT. As a graduate of UMKC School of Law who participated in its Law, Technology, and Public Policy program, Abby has put her legal education to work negotiating several key public private partnerships ranging from Criminal Justice data systems to rural broadband, as well as many digital transformation and modernization projects across US communities.
Anna Fiorella:
Anna Fiorella is a nonprofit leader and social impact strategist with over a decade of experience in fundraising, business development, and cross-sector partnerships. As Senior Manager of Business Engagement at ArtsKC, she leads revenue strategy and innovative programming that supports artists, arts organizations, and community well-being. Her work at the intersection of arts and social entrepreneurship includes launching sustainable earned revenue models, driving corporate investment in creative communities, and co-designing programs that center artist leadership and civic engagement. She is passionate about equity, systems change, and building infrastructure that allows creative entrepreneurs to thrive.
Marcus Flores:
Marcus Flores serves as the Executive Director of the Parkville Living Center having founded the organization in 2020. In this role, Mr. Flores provides overall leadership and strategic vision for the organization as well as program development and implementation. He leads the Tech Connect program which teaches older adults how to use computers, smartphones and other technology to enrich their lives. Under Mr. Flores’s leadership, the Parkville Living Center expanded to provide senior center services in both Dearborn and Weston in Platte County beginning in January 2024. Mr. Flores received his Bachelors of Environmental Science from the University of Kansas in 2003. He served in the United States Air Force from 2007-2012. Marcus was recognized as the June 2023 Patriot of the Month by the Missouri State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This honor was sponsored by the Platte Purchase Chapter of the NSDAR. Mr. Flores is actively involved in the community having spearheaded the initial cohort of the Parkhill School District’s Dialogue on Race in 2022-2023 and ongoing restorative justice practices. He joined the Board of Directors of the Linwood Avenue Ministry Project (LAMP) in 2023. Mr. Flores is an active member of the Parkville Presbyterian Church, internet native, and proud father to a 17 year old super star.
Barbara Glesner Fines:
Barbara Glesner Fines is the Rubey M. Hulen Professor of Law and Dean Emerita of the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law, where she has been a member of the faculty since 1986. She served as Executive Associate Dean from 2008 to 2016 and as Dean from 2017 to 2023. Glesner Fines received her master of law degree from Yale University and her J.D. (cum laude) from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Professor Glesner Fines is an expert on professional ethics, legal education and the professional identity formation of law students. She has authored numerous articles and books on these subjects and is a fellow in the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership. She has created several innovative programs at the School of Law. She helped to found the UMKC School of Law Child and Family Law Program, which is currently ranked as one of the top four programs of its kind in the United States. She is also one of the founding faculty members of the School of Law’s Center for Law, Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Glesner Fines currently teaches Professional Responsibility, Client Interviewing, and Family Violence. She also directs the Self-Help Legal Clinic. Students in the clinic provide instruction, referral, brief advice, and limited scope representation to self-represented litigants in a variety of subject areas. Students learn technology skills to build self-help resources and community education skills in pro se classes.
Amanda Graor:
Amanda Graor is the Chief Innovation Officer and Director of Data and Digital Services at the Mid-America Regional Council in Kansas City. She is responsible for increasing MARC’s capacity to advance regional goals and collaborative initiatives through innovation in public policy and process improvement including the strategic deployment of data and technology. She has been with MARC for over 16 years with work areas over time including air quality, workforce transportation, energy policy and climate strategy. Amanda also spent time as an Economic Mobility Policy Fellow with the Center for Applied Public Research at Johns Hopkins University and is an advisor to the Evidence for Policy fellows through Stanford Impact Labs. She holds a bachelor's degree in Earth System Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan, a master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas and a certificate in infographics and data visualization from Parsons School of Design.
Joe Griffin:
Joe Griffin is the Founding Director of Adroit Studios (adroit.missouri.edu) housed in the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies at the University of Missouri. Since coming to MU, Joe has collaborated on grants totaling over $20 million by providing Game Production expertise as well as other game development services. He has designed game-based learning and support systems for individual learning, for collaborative learning, and for nontraditional educational contexts. Joe is working with a team of researchers and developers awarded $10 million to scale up Mission HydroSci (mhs.missouri.edu), a game-based 3D virtual learning system, with funding from the U.S. Department of Education. Joe is also currently working on vSchool, a game based assessment to be used in middle school Social Emotional Learning contexts funded with $2 million from IES.
Ashley Hand:
Ashley Z. Hand, AIA is the Director of Local Government Service at the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), a nonprofit council of governments serving nine counties and 119 cities across the bi-state Kansas City metro. An urbanist at her core, Ashley’s 25-year career has spanned both the public and private sectors in some of the greatest US cities. As an entrepreneur, she co-founded the award-winning practice CityFi, focused on urban change management during a period of rapid technological innovation. She’s worked with local governments, foundations, tech companies and start-ups to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in our cities through collaboration and co-creation. On the public sector side, Ashley was appointed the first Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Kansas City, MO and Transportation Technology Strategist for the City of Los Angeles where she led a variety of efforts to modernize public policy and processes, fostered new business models, and prepared organizations for inevitable change. She is deeply passionate about empowering collective action for positive change. A registered architect in the states of Missouri and Kansas, Ashley is currently serving as the President of the American Institute of Architects, Kansas City Chapter and past-chair of the BikeWalkKC board of directors.
Kris Hartley:
Kris Hartley is Assistant Professor of Sustainability and Enterprise at Arizona State University, School of Sustainability. He researches the role of public policy in technology-enabled sustainability transitions, with a focus on (i) circular economy and business models, (ii) global and multilateral policy frameworks for circularity, and (iii) state-society interface in the development and application of policy knowledge to scientific and technological issues. Kris has published books with Cambridge University Press and Routledge Press, and peer-reviewed articles on a variety of topics including environmental policy, smart cities, and global development. He was a Fulbright U.S. Scholar (2020) and has held faculty appointments at Cornell University, University of Melbourne, and City University of Hong Kong. Kris holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the National University of Singapore (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy), Master of City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, Master of Business Administration from Baylor University (Texas), and Bachelor of Arts (Phi Beta Kappa) in Classics from the University of Tennessee.
Adrienne Haynes:
Dr. Adrienne B. Haynes is an award-winning attorney and businesswoman who specializes in helping entrepreneurs develop sustainable infrastructure and business practices. She is the managing partner of SEED Law, a boutique business law firm, and owner of SEED Collective, a consultancy. She has been the Chair of the City of Kansas City, Missouri Emerging Technology Board since September 2021 and she is serving her second term. For more information, please visit www.adriennebhaynes.com.
Andrew Heise:
Andrew Heise serves as Managing Director of the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Management at the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Henry W. Bloch School of Management. He is also Program Head and Instructor for the Entrepreneurial Studies Minor at Kansas City Art Institute. With a career centered on empowering visual and performing artists, Heise develops educational programs that integrate business and entrepreneurship skills into the arts. In 2020, he co-founded Arts Entrepreneurship Podcast: Making Art Work, which shares stories of artists forging sustainable careers through entrepreneurship. A versatile musician, Heise is an accomplished upright bassist, having performed with symphonies, jazz ensembles, and rock bands. His background extends into audio production, where he has experience in recording, mixing, and mastering. Heise holds a Bachelor of Music in Commercial Music and an MBA from Millikin University and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Jessica Hembre:
Platform Civic Strategies is led by Jessica Hembree. Jessica founded Platform in 2018 with the mission of providing nonprofit and philanthropic organizations with two key services: strategic planning for public policy change and designing policy advocacy efforts. In this role, Jessica has incubated ballot initiatives, facilitated federal planning grants, and created strategic plans.
Jessica takes great pride in being a true and flexible partner to her clients. With twenty years of experience in policy change, including ten years as Policy Director at a regional health foundation, Jessica has experience across multiple issues. From starting new advocacy organizations to researching complex issues to developing model policies, Jessica is an insightful leader in nonprofit advocacy. Jessica received her master’s in public Affairs from Princeton University. She serves on the Shawnee Mission School District Board of Education. Read more about Platform’s engagements here.
Shannon Jackson:
Shannon Jackson is a Professor of Anthropology who Chairs the Sociology and Anthropology Department, and teaches in the Anthropology Program. Recent research is on standardization as a technological frame for making sense of cities. Standards that are of particular interest include GIS mapping, cyber infrastructure, big data, and concrete. These standards and the technologies supporting them are explored in terms of urban development trajectories. Other research is on the ethnographic and archival analysis of embodied connections among urban environments and technological systems. Field sites include South Africa and the U.S. She has been conducting research on material culture and identity in Cape Town, South Africa since 1989. Particular attention is on historical continuities in conflicts over the right to the city. These conflicts include the production of working class housing, access to sanitation, and performative control of streets in post apartheid Cape Town, South Africa. This work culminated in numerous articles and a book titled Embodying Cape Town, Palgrave Macmillan (2017).
She recently received the International Award for Excellence from the Technology, Knowledge, and Society Research Network for her research on the digital divide. Her current book project is titled “The Machine in the City: Technology, Standardization, and Power.”
Lindsay Jarrett:
Dr. Lindsey Jarrett is the Vice President of Ethical AI Services at The Center for Practical Bioethics. Her team focuses on ethical decision-making in technology development, impacting healthcare organizations and society. She has extensive experience in program management, research, and executive consultation across non-profit, academic, for-profit, and government sectors. As a social scientist, she has provided evidence-based interventions and practices to underserved communities. Her clinical research has improved decision-making in opioid safety, infection control, readmission prevention, maternal mortality, social determinants of health, and post-acute care. Dr. Jarrett holds a PhD in Therapeutic Science from the University of Kansas and resides in Kansas City, Missouri.
Jo Jensen:
Jo is a trailblazing entrepreneur and award-winning film producer who’s helped raise over $100 million for social impact through storytelling. With two decades of experience in public affairs, digital strategy, and entertainment, she currently serves as SVP at Touchdown Strategies and founder of MovieGoer, a distribution company connecting films to real-world change. Her campaigns have been featured on CNN, NPR, and Good Morning America, and she holds a Guinness World Record for the largest film screening. She’s spoken at the White House and the UN, and her upcoming book, America Has a Girlfriend Problem, is a bold call for policy change rooted in storytelling.
Geoff Jolley:
A Kansas City native, Geoff joined the LISC team in September 2019 as the Executive Director. He is a seasoned policy expert with strong community connections, having spent more than 13 years as the District Director and General Counsel for U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, II, who represents Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District. In addition to his public policy leadership, Geoff spent more than a decade as a Kansas City firefighter and EMT. He continues to serve as a Rescue Specialist on a FEMA Urban Search & Rescue team, having responded to multiple natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina and an EF-5 tornado in Joplin, MO. Geoff’s most unique experience was spending six months in Antarctica as a contract firefighter at McMurdo Station, a U.S. National Science Foundation research hub. Geoff is married to a Kansas City public school teacher and has two young daughters who both attend Kansas City Public Schools. Their family resides in a century-old home in the Historic Northeast neighborhood.
Kimi Kitada:
Kimi Kitada is a curator based in Kansas City, MO. Currently, she is the Gallery and Programs Manager at Charlotte Street, where she oversees exhibitions and public programs. Previously, she was a Curatorial Assistant at MOCA Los Angeles (2019-2020). From 2014 to 2018, she was Public Programs & Research Coordinator at Independent Curators International in New York. Her recent exhibitions include: Ways of Listening (2024); Potential Futures: Prototypes (2023); Handiwork: Art, Craft, and the Space Between (2022); With Liberty and Justice (2021) at Charlotte Street, among other curatorial projects. Kitada received a BA in Art History and Classics from Bucknell University and an MA in Museum Studies from NYU.
Troy Lillebo:
Troy Lillebo is the Associate Vice Chancellor for External Relations at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), where he fosters strong relationships between the university and its diverse community of stakeholders. With over 30 years of experience in higher education and public engagement, Troy’s work focuses on strategic partnerships, government relations, and community outreach to further UMKC's mission.
Throughout his career, Troy has developed initiatives that enhance UMKC’s presence within the Kansas City metropolitan area and beyond. He works closely with local, state, and national policymakers, business leaders, and civic organizations to advance the university's goals and to promote economic and cultural development in the region. His ability to build lasting relationships and create collaborative opportunities makes him a vital contributor to UMKC’s leadership team.
Before joining UMKC, Troy held various leadership positions at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Ball State University, the University of Arizona and the University of South Dakota.
Evan Elzie Maddox:
Evan Elzie Maddox is an American new media artist and organizer based in the Midwest. Her work uses cartoon imagery to elevate underrepresented ideas within the transgender experience, spanning print media, experimental video, performance, installation, and event planning. Referencing broadcast television, quantum physics, and conspiracy theories, her practice is grounded in archival research, community engagement, and lived experience.
Maddox studied Filmmaking and Entrepreneurial Studies at the Kansas City Art Institute (BFA, 2022), mentored by Trey Hock and Cyan Meeks. Her work has been shown in national and local galleries, underground venues, storefronts, and pop-up events. She’s received support from the Creative Capital Artist Relief Fund and residencies at Ox-Bow School of Art and Alter Artspace. Maddox is a member of the Radical Intersectional Printmaker’s Guild and a founding member of Oracle Zine Team, People’s Pride KC, and 1309 Theater Company. She lives in Kansas City and works at KCAI.
Nathan Mauck:
Nathan Mauck is a Professor of Finance at the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Mauck received his Ph.D. in Finance from Florida State University and his undergraduate degree in Finance from Kansas State University.
Mauck teaches at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive levels. He has won numerous teaching awards including: the 2014 Bloch Favorite Faculty Award, the 2015 UMKC Chancellor’s Early Career Award for Excellence in Teaching, the 2015 and 2017 Bloch School’s Elmer F. Pierson Good Teaching Award, the 2017 Robert L. Virgil, Jr. Ph.D. Excellence in Teaching Award, and the 2018 and 2019 Bloch Graduate Faculty Impact Award.
Nathan has specialized his research and teaching in the areas of corporate finance, international finance, financial modeling, firm valuation, mergers and acquisitions, and venture financing. He has over 30 peer-reviewed academic publications and his work has been featured in popular press publications such as The Wall Street Journal.
Danielle Merrick:
Danielle A. Merrick has served as a clinical professor and director of the Entrepreneurial Legal Services Clinic at UMKC School of Law since 2004. She joined KU Law as adjunct professor in 2024. She has been the Executive Director of the Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers & Accountants for the Arts since 2010. She earned her bachelor of social welfare from the University of Kansas and her J.D. and LL.M. in Taxation from UMKC School of Law.
Maiwand Momand:
Maiwand Momand is originally from Afghanistan and studied English Literature at Kabul University. He moved to the United States in 2022 and began working with Catholic Charities in 2023. He started as a Digital Case Aide and now works as a Digital Navigator. In his current role, Maiwand helps clients from around the world with computer use, internet access, and various online tools. He teaches computer classes and supports individuals in becoming more confident and capable with technology. Maiwand enjoys his work and finds it meaningful to assist people in building digital skills. He is committed to growing in his role and continuing to make a positive impact through his work.
Rob Nelson:
Rob Nelson is a writer, teacher, speaker, and consultant who explores questions about the educational value of generative AI. He writes ailog.blog about his experience with large language models in his classroom, how books are still the best educational technology for understanding complex ideas, and why treating AI models as human-like makes it harder to understand their potential as educational tools. He studies the social and historical contexts of how technology changes education and teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. This fall, he will teach a course about how AI is changing higher education to incoming first-year undergraduates in the College of Arts & Sciences and graduate students in Penn GSE. Rob has an MEd in educational theory and a PhD in history from Rutgers University.
Susan Opp:
Susan Opp is the Victor E. and Caroline E. Schutte Professor Chair, Department of Public Affairs at UMKC’s Bloch School of Management. Prior to joining UMKC, Dr. Opp spent 13 years on faculty at Colorado State University where she was also the founder and director of the Masters of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) program. In 2021-2022, Opp was a Fulbright Scholar to Mauritius where she studied Covid-19 policymaking and sustainability on the island nation. She also taught a class on public sector ethics at the University of Mauritius and led a series of workshops on public ethics in the Republic of Seychelles.
Dr. Opp is a community engaged scholar that focuses on questions of local sustainability, economic development, and urban affairs in her research, teaching, and community service activities. Her research has appeared in a number of academic and professional outlets including Urban Affairs Review, Journal of Urban Affairs, Economic Development Quarterly, and Local Environment, to name a few. She is also the author or editor of six books- including one printed as part of the ASPA series on public administration and policy in 2013. She had the distinct pleasure of being one of the inaugural “Pracademic Fellows” at the Environmental Protection Agency working in the Office of Policy in 2016. She continues her federal engagement with several agencies in the areas of sustainability, community economic development, and environmental policy providing research and technical support for various policy efforts.
Derek Ozkal:
Derek Ozkal is a senior research officer for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where he leads problem-based grantmaking initiatives. Ozkal manages a portfolio of research projects and provides thought leadership on key issues, including the changing nature of entrepreneurship, the “future of work,” declining business dynamism, and developing a holistic and inclusive research community. Prior to joining the Kauffman Foundation, Ozkal was the research director for the Kansas City Business Journal, where his duties included survey design, data gathering, and analysis in support of weekly lists of local industries and topics, writing articles on local economic topics, and various research tasks in support of editorial content. Ozkal earned an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Truman State University.
Horace Peterson:
Horace Peterson is a visionary game designer, entrepreneur, and founder of The Phoenix Collective, a Kansas City-based creative studio redefining how games intersect with real life. Inspired by story-rich titles like Halo, Assassin’s Creed, and Cyberpunk 2077, Horace builds immersive, purpose-driven experiences that explore the balance between humanity’s potential and its most pressing challenges. His flagship initiative, The Balance Project, is an augmented reality MMO platform that turns cities into interactive playgrounds—bridging community engagement, local commerce, education, and storytelling. A believer in love, legacy, and the enduring power of the soul, Horace channels these values into every narrative he creates. He is also an advocate for ethical technology, pursuing studies in cybersecurity to build safer, more inclusive digital spaces. Through The Phoenix Collective, Horace is laying the foundation for games that don’t just entertain—they empower.
Rosana Polanco:
Rosana Polanco is the Founder and Executive Director of Embrace Your Shine, a nonprofit rooted in personal growth, healing, and community empowerment. Through impactful programs and transitional housing support, she helps individuals reclaim their confidence and build brighter futures. Guided by purpose and lived experience, Rosana is committed to creating lasting change from the inside out.
Michael Price:
Michael Price is an investigative documentary filmmaker based in Kansas City, Missouri. He learned his craft with the BBC in the UK, primarily on its flagship current affairs program, Panorama. Since moving to Kansas City in 2013, he has carried out investigations into such issues as mental health care, affordable housing, the legacy of redlining, the gun debate, river pollution, the homicide rate, and long-term care for the elderly. Four of Price’s films have won Mid-America Emmys, and his 2016 hour-long look at life in two neighborhoods east of Troost Avenue, Our Divided City, won a national NETA prize as the best documentary on any PBS station in America in that year. Price is married to singer-songwriter Sara Swenson, and they have two children.
Godfrey Riddle:
Godfrey Riddle, MPA (he/him) is an artist, nonprofit executive, public speaker, and serial social entrepreneur. He’s the Founder + President of Civic Saint, a Kansas City-based social enterprise building artful, affordable homes made of compressed earthen blocks (CEBs). Its mission is shaped by his experience as a gay, Black man and cancer survivor whose family lost their home when he was 12, inspiring him to pursue degrees in architecture and public administration to tackle housing insecurity and foster community. Before earning his Master of Public Administration at the University of Kansas, Riddle served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Phoenix, AZ, where he won a Bloomberg Philanthropies grant to address blight, food insecurity and sustainability. Since returning home to Kansas City, he’s raised over $20 million for arts and nonprofit initiatives, launched nearly 30 programs and been part of three social enterprise startups: Rightfully Sewn, BlaqOut, and Venture Noire. Riddle explores ecological living—appearing in Season 1, Episode 5 of Amy Poehler’s Peacock series “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning”—then founded Civic Saint in October 2020 to honor his late parents by using 90% local soil and 10% stabilizer to create sustainable, fireproof, bulletproof CEBs. In 2024, he was one of only 44 Echoing Green Global Fellows selected worldwide to scale Civic Saint’s impact and advance eco-friendly solutions that close the racial wealth gap.
Mark Rieger:
Over a 35-year career, Mark Rieger has held leadership positions in lending, retail, operations, marketing, and senior/executive management with several financial institutions ranging from community bank to national in size and scope. Since 2014 he has been a member of the executive leadership team at First Federal Bank of Kansas City, a $1 billion, mutual community bank founded in 1934 and now in its tenth decade of serving customers and the communities of Kansas City. In his role as Chief Brand Officer, he directs strategy in marketing, branding, and customer experience, and has the privilege of helping lead the bank’s Community Development Team on community-focused initiatives, including affordable housing and financial literacy. He serves as the bank’s CRA Officer. Mark holds undergraduate degrees from William Jewell College and an MBA from The University of Kansas and is a lifelong Kansas City area resident. He serves on the boards of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic High School and the FIRE Foundation.
Pam Rooks:
Pam Rooks is a Digital Navigation Coordinator with Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, where she is particularly focused on developing a digital literacy curriculum for newly arriving and non-English-speaking refugees. Materials here are intended to help fill the gaps left by traditional teaching approaches that assume Western cultural norms about baseline knowledge and skills. She holds a Ph.D. in sociology and teaches courses on global ethnic and racial relations, social problems, and crime and deviance, among others, at the University of Kansas. Across both positions, she is grateful for the opportunity to engage in work that fulfils a personal mission to try to make the world a better place through education. She is also deeply mindful that working in one’s chosen passion is a luxury, and hopes that her work will empower others too.
Nicole Santiago:
Nicole Santiago is an attorney specialized in human rights and technology governance. Raised in Kansas City, she is now based in Ireland, where she focuses on international and EU law. As a Research Manager at Trilateral Research, she leads work on legal, policy and compliance for new and emerging technologies, including AI. She has taught on law and technology at The American University of Paris, Universite Catholique de Lille Law School, and French War College. She holds a JD from Northeastern University School of Law (Boston) and MA in Diplomacy and International Law from The American University of Paris. Publications on AI include: ‘When AI Fails: The Emerging Role of Incident Databases’ (2023) and ‘A Systematic Review of AI Impact Assessments’ (2023).
Diane R. Scott:
Diane R. Scott (she/her) is an arts administrator, educator, and writer specializing in the development of resources and programming to support artists in the management of enduring artistic practices. The Director of Artist Services at the Regional Arts Organization Mid-America Arts Alliance, Scott is the founding director and principal designer of the Artist INC professional development program. Diane is also a noted professor winning numerous teaching awards. Combining her experiences in both non-profit artist services and higher education, Diane operates as a liaison between collegiate arts entrepreneurship education and artist professional development in the field. She specializes in creative entrepreneurship and has worked with thousands of artists of all disciplines in traditional classrooms and professional development settings to improve their strategic planning, marketing, project planning, financial, fundraising, leadership, and communication skills. Scott’s book Artist Entrepreneurship for Life: Making Art Work for You was released by Routledge in 2025.
Chico Sierra:
Originally from El Paso, Texas, visual artist Chico Sierra now resides in the Midwest. Having relocated from his familial homeland, Chico attempts to connect the dots of his cultural history and create new stories centered around humanism, class structures, and social justice. Influenced by his interests in social sciences and spiritual iconography, he works to craft narratives using symbolism that has been clouded by colonialism and appropriated by euro-centric new age spiritualism.
He has consistently shown in Kansas City galleries, with work acquired by the Norman Museum of Contemporary Art. He has spoken on cultural appropriation at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, contributed to its Day of the Dead exhibits, and curated local artists alongside Maya cultural artifacts at Union Station. He also teaches workshops and participates in panels on culture and identity.
John Tyler:
John Tyler has been general counsel and corporate secretary for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation since 1999 and its first chief ethics officer since 2004. In these roles for the Foundation and its affiliated entities, John combines his ability to understand and develop theory with his capacity to execute on and translate that theory into practice while complying with the law across the Foundation’s program strategies in pursuit of equitable economic mobility, administration (Talent & Culture, Finance & Grants Administration, Facilities, etc.), and Investments. John is a frequent author and speaker on topics related to social enterprise, and he designed and teaches a course on social purpose business for Columbia University’s Masters in Nonprofit Management program.
Clint Velazquez:
Clint Velazquez is a performer, speaker, and teacher dedicated to helping others exceed their own expectations. As the founder and Executive Director of Base Academy of Music, he leads with inspiration and compassion, deeply committed to his team and community.
Clint holds a degree in musical theatre from Kansas State University and spent ten years as a private music instructor before founding Base Academy in 2012. He completed UMKC’s Nonprofit Management Certificate in 2013 and has been recognized as a LEANLAB Education Fellow as well as a Network for Good and Gates Foundation Jumpstart Fellow and a member of the 2024 Social Venture Studio Cohort.
Mark Welker:
Mark Welker, a Partner in the Husch Blackwell law firm, is considered a national go-to advisor on essential succession, ESOP and compensation matters. He has 30 years of experience in succession planning, the creation and operation of employee stock ownership plans; and deferred, equity, and metric-based incentive compensation. Mark has been recognized in “The Best Lawyers in America” for his Employee Benefits expertise since 1997. Mark has worked on hundreds of ESOP transactions totaling billions of dollars.
William Wells:
William Wells, Founder and Executive Director of aSTEAM Village, is a visionary leader driving innovation in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEaM) education. Through aSTEAM Village, he has empowered students, families, and educators with transformative learning experiences that open doors to careers in the digital age. His work is shaping a new generation of thinkers and creators, equipping them to thrive in a rapidly evolving world of Healthcare, Education, Enterprise, and Entertainment.
Anna White:
Anna White, as the Executive Director of The Way Home, coordinates initiatives that propel Kansas City's affordable housing movement forward by increasing their effectiveness and reducing barriers to development. Her involvement in housing work spans ecosystem-wide research, Land Bank policy, developing construction method efficiencies, homeownership program collaboration, and energy efficiency advocacy. Anna has a background that blends both corporate strategic consulting and local, community-led activism. Ultimately, she is working towards a future where housing costs no longer limit anyone's dreams or quality of life.
Nico Giles Wiggins:
Nico Giles Wiggins is film director and producer, and media strategist. As a multi-Emmy award winning filmmaker, his passion for storytelling converges at the intersection of human-interest, social impact and narrative-driven change. Having worked with clients such as ABC, Netflix, CNN, PBS and more, Nico is committed to using his craft to build a more just and equitable world.
David Young:
David P. Young is the Chief Financial Officer of the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority and a nationally recognized leader in broadband infrastructure and public-sector innovation. With nearly 20 years of experience in local government and technology, he has led transformative initiatives in Nebraska and beyond, including rural broadband expansion, smart city infrastructure, and public-private partnerships. David is a former Vice Chair of the FCC’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee and has consulted on digital strategies for cities across the U.S. He holds a Master’s in Telecommunications Administration and serves on multiple advisory boards focused on housing, connectivity, and innovation.
