Six Kansas City nonprofit leaders named finalists for Kauffman Uncommon Leader Visionary Award

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation announced six finalists for the inaugural Kauffman Uncommon Leader Visionary Award, recognizing executive nonprofit leaders whose work has created lasting impact across the Kansas City region.

The finalists are:

• Brennan Crawford, Build WyCo
• Alana Henry, Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council
• Micheal Lawrence, Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City
• Tysie McDowell, Crossroads Charter Schools
• Kar Woo, Artists Helping the Homeless
• Heidi Wooten, Safehome

The Visionary Award recognizes executive leaders at 501(c)(3) public charities in the Kansas City region who are building an inspiring and impactful legacy within their communities. Finalists were considered across six areas rooted in Ewing Kauffman’s values: community impact, economic mobility and systems change, executive leadership and legacy, equity, collaboration and innovation.

These six leaders demonstrate that lasting community change takes many forms, but it shares some important characteristics. They have built stronger organizations, created new pathways to opportunity, brought people and institutions together, and challenged systems that stand in the way of progress. Their leadership shows us what becomes possible when vision is matched by the commitment to make change endure.

— Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace
President & CEO

The finalists’ work spans some of the region’s most complex challenges and opportunities.

Crawford has helped transform Build WyCo into a comprehensive community development organization that connects housing and homeownership with lending, financial counseling, legal support and other strategies for building community wealth.

Henry has strengthened Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council as a community anchor while connecting neighborhood priorities around food access, housing, and community development with broader systems change.

Lawrence has spent more than three decades with Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City, expanding mentoring into career preparation, workforce development, and other pathways designed to help young people build successful futures.

McDowell co-founded Crossroads Charter Schools and helped grow it into a three-school public charter network serving more than 1,100 students and families, while advancing collaboration across Kansas City’s education system.

Woo founded Artists Helping the Homeless and developed an approach that connects people experiencing homelessness with existing health care, housing, recovery, employment and other resources while filling critical gaps that can prevent people from accessing them.

Wooten has strengthened Safehome’s continuum of support for domestic violence survivors while developing new approaches to housing, accessibility, and other barriers that can stand between survivors and long-term safety and independence.

The Visionary Award recipient will receive $75,000, with an additional $150,000 awarded to the recipient’s nonprofit organization. The 2026 recipient will be announced at a celebration event on Sept. 24.

Media inquiries may be directed to Amy Unruh via our media contact form, or by calling 816-932-1139.