April 5, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kansas Leadership Center Appoints Chris Harris
as Senior Director of Growth and Strategy

Wichita, Kan. – The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) announced today that Chris Harris has been named the nonprofit organization’s senior director of growth and strategy and will start on April 18, 2022.

In this new position at KLC, Harris will be responsible for cultivating partnerships that foster greater value for communities and organizations served by KLC, as well as connecting KLC with state and national funding partners for lasting impact.

Chris Harris

“KLC’s work has always been at the core of my approach to solving problems,” said Harris. “As I’ve worked with organizations in our state and across the country, it’s been very clear that if we wanted to make progress on the most difficult challenges, we needed people from all backgrounds equipped and empowered to exercise leadership. It’s evident to all of us that the world urgently needs more leadership and I’m grateful for the opportunity to do that work with the Kansas Leadership Center.”

Harris comes to KLC from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where he has served as senior program officer in entrepreneurship and leads the Foundation’s rural entrepreneurship strategy. With 14 years of experience in government and philanthropy, Harris’ current work includes developing strategies for growing entrepreneurship as an economic engine in rural communities, advising organizations working to support entrepreneurs and funding their work in communities building their entrepreneurial ecosystems.

“KLC has powerful and unique assets: impactful leadership training, nimble civic facilitation, a research center with Kansas State University, an award-winning magazine, and a network of partners across the state and beyond,” said Ed O’Malley, president and CEO of the Kansas Leadership Center. “Chris’ experience in philanthropy and government makes him another powerful asset for the organization and an ideal member of the KLC team. With his help, we’ll discover new partnerships and ways to serve others. He is the latest addition to an incredible team we are building here at KLC!”

Harris is the third new employee to join KLC’s senior leadership team this year. He shares a start date with Dr. V. Kaye Monk-Morgan, previously announced as KLC’s chief impact officer.

“We are making game-changing hires so we can do even more game-changing work,” said O’Malley. “We believe in Kansans, our civic institutions and organizations, and are doing even more to support, grow and propel leadership across Kansas.”

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About the Kansas Leadership Center

The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) is a first-of-its-kind nonprofit educational organization with a civic mission, national reputation and global reach. Founded in 2007 to foster leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous Kansas communities, KLC receives core funding from the Kansas Health Foundation (a private, philanthropic organization). It partners with nonprofit organizations, government agencies, educational institutions, businesses and communities to build cultures that are healthy, productive and well-positioned to make measurable progress on daunting challenges and emergent opportunities. KLC Press publishes leadership books and The Journal, a nationally recognized, award-winning civic issues magazine.

Over the past 15 years, KLC has built a strong and respected institution in Kansas designed to deliver leadership development and culture change at unparalleled scale. Now, organizations across the country and around the world look to us to provide resources and consultation to support their own aspirations for mission-driven leadership education. Learn more at kansasleadershipcenter.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Carrie Lindeman
316-393-1076
[email protected]