Six Kansas City nonprofit leaders named finalists for Kauffman Uncommon Leader Visionary Award August 13, 2026 Finalists represent nonprofit leaders creating lasting change across education, housing, community development, mentoring, homelessness, and survivor support in the Kansas City region.
Meet the 2026 Visionary Award finalists Brennan Crawford Executive Director & CEO, Build WyCo Building community wealth, one neighborhood at a time As CEO of Build WyCo, Brennan Crawford has helped expand the organization from its roots in housing into a comprehensive community development institution. Today, Build WyCo connects housing development and homeownership with lending, financial counseling, legal support, construction, real […]
Micah Torgerson, CPA Micah Torgerson is a finance manager in Finance & Grants Administration for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where he oversees core financial operations of the Foundation and affiliates, ensuring accurate financial reporting, maintaining strong internal controls, and supervising finance staff. Prior to joining the Kauffman Foundation, Torgerson was a senior assurance associate and audit manager […]
Liza Kuzmina Liza Kuzmina is a financial coordinator in Finance & Grants Administration for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where she supports enterprise-wide financial planning and the Foundation’s grantmaking efforts, helping to ensure that resources are allocated effectively to maximize impact. Prior to joining the Kauffman Foundation, Kuzmina was a budget analyst with the City of Kansas […]
Why Collective Impact matters: Lessons from Kauffman’s first implementation investment July 20, 2026 How investing in collaboration, readiness, and regional capacity is shaping a new approach to systems change.
Sam Aleinikoff Sam Aleinikoff is a director of college access and completion on the Impact team for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. He serves as the Foundation’s programmatic and operational strategist for its college access and completion priority area, translating the organization’s grantmaking vision into an intentional and robust grantmaking portfolio. Aleinikoff began his career in education, […]
Heart on Kauffman Foundation campus invites the Kansas City community to come together in common unity May 19, 2026 Parade of Hearts sculpture “CommUnity Through CommonUnity” finds permanent residency at the Foundation.
Q&A with Maria Meyers: Innovator who built KC’s resource-connected entrepreneurial ecosystem May 19, 2026 Meyers will retire summer 2026, leaving a strong legacy as a visionary, and Kansas City as SourceLink’s flagship city and a model for entrepreneurship support.
Michael Evangelist Michael Evangelist is a senior data officer with the Research, Learning, and Evaluation team at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where he implements the RLE team’s data strategy and operationalizes data analysis to inform policy and local activities in alignment with the Foundation’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities. Prior to joining the Kauffman Foundation, Evangelist […]
Nominate an executive leader for the inaugural Kauffman Uncommon Leader Visionary Award April 29, 2026 The award honors those who have brought their vision to life by creating lasting, measurable change.