Greater Kansas City Metro Area

About

A native of Kansas City and the daughter of two community organizers, Katie Boody has worked in public education in KCMO since 2008. Seemingly always involved in the "startup" phase of organizations, Katie was a charter corps member of Teach For America Kansas City, a founding member of C.A. Franklin's middle school team in Kansas City Public Schools, a founding teacher at Alta Vista Charter Middle School School, and eventually, a founder of LEANLAB.

About

Stephanie discovered the burgeoning Kansas City startup scene while pursuing her MBA at UMKC. She worked in the higher education sector as the Operations Manager for the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the UMKC Bloch School of Management and managed E-Scholars—an early-stage accelerator program at UMKC. Stephanie holds an MBA from UMKC and a B.S. in Journalism, Strategic Communications from the University of Kansas, William Allen White School of Journalism.

About

Erin holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Colorado Boulder where she conducted research on policy reforms and community efforts to reduce violence in Latin America. She has been a university instructor for ten years, including 4 years teaching in Mexico at the Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Guadalajara. She brings a background in community organizing and school social work in the Chicago area where she received an MA in Public Policy from The University of Chicago.

About

Katie Kimbrell is the Director of Education at the Kansas City Startup Foundation. Before her role with KCSF, Katie was an adjunct professor at the John Hopkins University. Katie entered the field of education shortly after receiving her M.A. in Education at The University of Kansas. Katie joined TFA as a bilingual educator in Houston, Tx. Katie hopes to foster a culture of innovation in KC's schools and an entrepreneurial mindset in KC's students.

About

David Muhammad was born and raised in greater Kansas City. He graduated from Emporia State University in 2008, with a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education. In 2012 he received his Masters Degree in Education from Baker University. He spent eleven years teaching on the Shawnee Mission School District and currently operates a martial arts school (Integrity Martial Arts Academy) with his father. In 2017, he received the Crescent Peace Society’s education award for his diverse efforts in the tea

About

Aaron North is the Vice President of Education at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. He serves as a member of the Foundation’s senior leadership team and leads a team of program officers who are funding or researching programs designed to ensure more Kansas City students have access to high-quality education options and opportunities preparing them for life and education after high school.

About

Rohan Pidaparti is a firm believer in the idea that it takes making meaningful connections across lines of difference to solve intractable societal problems. He recruits and retains entrepreneurs as LEANLAB Education's Manager of Innovation Programs. Prior to joining the LEANLAB, he taught 7th grade math at the Ewing Marion Kauffman School as a corps member with Teach for America. Rohan holds an A.B. in Political Science from Harvard College and a M.Ed from the University of Missouri at St Louis

About

Joe is co-founder of the KC EdCollective. He is a KC educator and instructional coach who believes that there is a wealth of talent and ideas within the local education ecosystem and never has it been more important for educators to collaborate. Joe has coached teacher colleagues and teams for nearly a decade in KC with a strength-based coaching stance. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Penn State University, and a M.S. in School Administration from the University of Central Missouri.

About

Keith is co-founder of the KC EdCollective. He is a KC instructional coach and professional learning designer. After teaching English for four years in the Dominican Republic at an Expeditionary Learning school, Keith moved to Kansas City where he has worked as a teacher, team lead, and coach at Guadalupe Centers High School for the past five years. Keith holds a Master's in Multicultural Education with TESOL, and participated in the Kansas City Leadership Cohort in the 2017-2018 school year.

About

Awais Sufi is the CEO of SchoolSmartKC. Prior to his work in Kansas City, Awais served as COO and Executive Vice President of Programs at the International Youth Foundation. At IYF, Awais led development efforts for public-private partnerships between development agencies, the private sector, and philanthropy to promote opportunities for disadvantaged youth in over 50 countries. Born in Topeka, KS, Awais is a graduate of the University Of Texas School Of Law and the University of Chicago.