Our People
A message from our CEO, Chris Rosson:
At United Way of Greater Kansas City, we hold steadfast to our commitment to do things differently and to bring about real transformational change in our community.
Over the last year, your passion and generosity has continued to inspire every aspect of the work we do. It’s enabled us to lead and power some exciting, new efforts to make sure people who are struggling, and who may even feel like they’ve been forgotten, can find a partner that places trust and resources within their communities to enhance the opportunities for health, education, and financial stability for all.
This year, we brought our community together for the first-ever campaign kickoff at Kauffman Stadium. It was the perfect celebration to launch the workplace campaign giving season. The relentless dedication of all the employee campaign managers, corporate champions and volunteers who come together to make these efforts a success is simply phenomenal. The time, talent, and energy you invest ensures essential services like 211 that thousands of our neighbors rely on day in and day out can continue without fail.
Building a better Kansas City includes a dynamic roadmap of thoughtful and progressive action. We’ve invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into keeping the shelves of community food pantries fully stocked, at a time when sky-high grocery prices have made it nearly impossible for working families to get by each month without assistance from our community partners. We rolled out one-time inflation assistance in the form of debit cards to help our most vulnerable neighbors cover the increased cost of living. We secured $3.35M in additional state grant funding to prevent homelessness for up to 600 local families through our eviction prevention program.
And we’re partnering with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to heavily invest in nonprofit partners led by and primarily serving communities of color. These nonprofits are striving to uplift those long held back – yet they often find it hard to get investor and financial industry backing. United Way’s Nonprofit Catalyst Grant Fund is breaking those barriers, and we can’t wait to see the generational impact this funding resource will have.
The momentum is powerful and growing. I’m excited about where we’re headed and deeply value your support. We hope you’ll continue to invest your time, resources, and voice. There are a million ways to be United. What’s yours?
Our Leadership Team
Chris Rosson
Chief Executive Officer
Nora Freyman
Chief Marketing Officer
Jessica Blubaugh
Chief Philanthropy Officer
Precious Stargell-Cushman
Chief Impact Officer
Ann Gaffigan
Chief Operating Officer
OUR STAFF
Amber Abram, Manager, Creative Services
Amelia Crowl, Vice President, Corporate Partnerships
Amy Haas, Community Impact Coordinator
Andres Chaurand, Manager, Community Impact
Andriana Sanchez, Manager, Facilities
Ayannah Haskin, Senior Community Resource Navigator
Ayesha Baig, Manager, Events
Brian Shapley, Afterhours Contact Center Manager
Brittany Connor, Director, Corporate Partnerships
Brooke Tippin, Director, Events
Callie Knust, Resource Center Manager 211
Cheryl Adler, Vice President, Finance
Chrissy Rapp, Vice President, Operations
Demetria Warrior, Accounting Services Specialist
Dustin Wolfe, Vice President, Corporate Partnerships
Essence Yancey, Director, Community Impact
Gabrielle Jacobs, Manager, Development Operations
Hannah Boehm, Director, Events
Hilda Caballero, Donor Services Assistant
Jackie Feeney, Vice President, Philanthropy
Jadell Foutz, Staff Accountant
Jared Freemon, Director, Finance & Accounting Services
Jim MacDonald, Senior Vice President, Community Impact
Joey Schmidt, Director, Corporate Partnerships
Jolanta Liu, Director, Grants & Development Operations
Judy Simonitsch, Donor Services
Justin Grawe, Manager, Corporate Partnerships
Karen Gettinger, Director, Community Impact
Katie Walden, Manager, Philanthropy
Kenzi Hoyle, Vice President, Corporate Partnerships
Kera Mashek, Director, Communications
Kimberly O’Hare, Manager, Donor Choice
Kristen Engelbrecht, Director, 211
Latrice Parker, Resource Specialist, 211
Lauren Hogle, Manager, Corporate Partnerships
Lenetta Warren, Day Contact Center Manager 211
Libby Buss, Senior Executive Assistant
Matthew Applebury, Data Analytics & Salesforce Manager
Mike Lager, Director, Philanthropy
Nichelle Renaud, Donor Services Assistant
Nikki Jones, Director, Donor Services
Patrice Brown, Director, Human Resources
Pete Stedman, Vice President, Information Technology
Safiyah Grant, Accounts Payable Specialist
Sammy Snow, Manager, Corporate Partnerships
Sean Callahan, Director, Data and Insights
Stephanie Clark, Manager, Development Operations
Todd Jordan, VP, Community Impact & Exec. Dir. 211
Vickie Riddle, Emergency Food & Shelter Coordinator
Virginia Trickey, Manager, Communications
Board of Trustees
Board Officers
Laurie Roberts
Parris Communications
Board Chair
Greg Sweat
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas City
Board Vice Chair
Patrick (Duke) Dujakovich
Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO
Board Secretary
Bill Johnson
Kansas City Board of Public Utilities
Board Treasurer
Our Board Members
Amy Hatch, Polsinelli
Art Silva, Helzberg Diamonds
Bill Johnson, Kansas City Board of Public Utilities
Carol Levers, Kansas City, Kansas Public Libraries
Chris Rosson, United Way of Greater Kansas City
Dana Jermain, Deloitte
Dan Crumb, Kansas City Chiefs
Dred Scott, Kansas City Civic Council
Ed Elder, Colliers-Kansas City
Ginger Williams, OPTUM
Greg Shondell, Heathwood Oil Co., Inc.
Greg Sweat, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas City
Irene Caudillo, Unified Gov. of Wyandotte Co., Kan.
J. Randall Vance, Sunderland Foundation
Kevin Zimmermann, HTLF Bank
Laurie Minard, Garmin
Mario Azar, Black & Veatch
Mark Moreland, Lockton
Mary Bristow, J.E. Dunn
Mike Perry, Hallmark
Patrick (Duke) Dujakovich, Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO
Rick Viar, Southern Bank
Robin Winner, Synergy Services
Rosemary Podrebarac, Attorney, Private Practice
Shannon Johnson, UMB Bank
Shawn Long, The University of Kansas Health System
Shellie Clausen, Heartland CocaCola Bottling Company
Tom Carignan, CommunityAmerica Credit Union
Troy Schulte, Jackson County Government