As Wilbert Harrison sang in 1952, “I’m going to Kansas City, Kansas City, here I come!” Registrations continue to roll in and I am excited to head to Kansas City next month for the Alumnae Reunion and Women of the Year events. Drop what you are doing, locate your GMLC nametag, start humming this tune and make plans to join me in Kansas City! These marquee events for Greater Missouri support our premiere women’s leadership program – The Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge. It is reinvigorating and inspiring to reconnect with our impressive and growing alumnae network.
Our theme for 2024 is “Bridging Generations: Celebrating 35 Years of Excellence.” Carpool with alumnae from your region, invite others from your Challenge Class Year, and connect with others from the past 35 years as we come together to celebrate our shared history and accomplishments. The camaraderie will include professional development, a future vision workshop, class reunion corners, local Kansas City flair, and much more.
The Alumnae Reunion is designed as a mini-Challenge experience that includes networking and professional development. You will be inspired by our keynote speaker Barb Allen. Barb will share challenges she overcame during her career in the construction industry and advice for women to achieve their goals.
We will also learn from women trailblazers in the Kansas City building trades who will share their professional experiences and guidance as we all continue on our professional and personal journeys. Kristie Larson and Cindy Schluckebier of the DeBruce Foundation will provide tools from the Agilities Work Profiler for you to take back to your team. The day will wrap up with time to connect with your class members, take an optional walking tour around the KC Crossroads area, and enjoy a catered meal, a specially curated reunion cocktail or mocktail, and enjoy the view and conviviality at the Clarkson Construction rooftop deck. The Alumnae Reunion officially concludes late morning on July 17 where we will have breakfast, group yoga, and a behind the scenes tour of the newly unveiled CPKC Stadium – the first stadium purpose built for a women’s professional sports team – the Kansas City Current women’s soccer club. Your ticket to the reunion includes participation in each of these activities and we are thankful to our sponsors and underwriters who help us to keep the registration fee affordable. If you need an invoice to receive reimbursement we can provide.
We hope your schedule allows you to stay after the stadium tour and join us for the 2024 Women of the Year luncheon. This marquee event of the Greater Missouri Leadership Foundation is our annual fundraising luncheon honoring the Women of the Year. The honorees are another impressive group of outstanding women leaders:
Community Leader of the Year – Angie Long; Chief Investment Officer, Palmer Square Capital Management; Co-Founder & Owner, Kansas City Current
Inspirational Leader of the Year – Angela Drake, JD, Veterans Clinic Founder – Emerita, University of Missouri School of Law
Civic Leader of the Year – DeAngela Burns-Wallace, Ed.D., President & CEO, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Alumna Leader of the Year – Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight; Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer, The DeBruce Foundation; Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge Class of 2010
The luncheon will take place at CPKC Stadium, which is a fitting venue representing women breaking ceilings and advancing women’s professional sports. Registration begins at 11:00 am, with the luncheon and program scheduled for 11:30 am-1:00 pm. Tickets are available for GMLC alumnae bundled with the alumnae reunion or individual single day tickets can be purchased.
On behalf of our board and our vast alumnae network, I hope you can join us for this inspirational and exciting event! If you cannot attend but want to provide a donation for a scholarship for another, we invite you to do so as we enjoy 35 more years of educating and inspiring participants of The Leadership Challenge! See you soon!