PREP-KC

Our mission is to create and implement strategies that help students attending Kansas City's urban school districts succeed in college and their careers.

PREP-KC partners with 6 districts and 4 charters; enrolling over 68,000 students; 81% students of color and 84% low-income, all representing culturally rich, diverse, talented, communities across the heart of Kansas City.

3,800 annual high school graduates
20 high schools and 15 middle schools
19 of the 20 zip codes with the lowest median household incomes

Our Team

Susan Wally

President & CEO

Doug Elmer

Vice President

Beth McCarthy

Director of Community & Industry Partnerships

Susan Engelmann

Senior Design & Implementation Coach

Cecil Christwell

Director of Teaching & Learning

Candace Villanueva Greer

College & Career Manager

Keva Gorman

Career Pathways Specialist

Jonathan Lane

Technology Innovation Manager

Huey Ru Strauss

Pathways to Tech Facilitator

Brittany Verrette

Classroom Innovation Manager

Kristin Kush

Data & Evaluation Specialist

Emily Colebank

Data Science Teaching & Learning Coach

Jamie Provost

Data Science Teaching & Learning Coach

Lori Hewitt

Launch Specialist

Yandell Toevs

Teaching & Learning Coach

Deb Meisenheimer

K-5 Literacy Coach

Andra Culp Warren

Executive Assistant & Office Manager

Linda Peterson

Program Assistant

Kristine Mayer

Administrative Assistant

Alejandra Pecina

Volunteer Coordinator

Board of Directors

Chris Gentile, Board Chair

Consultant; Retired President, Honeywell FM&T

David A. Warm, Finance Chair

Executive Director, Mid-America Regional Council (MARC)

Brian C. Wimes

United States District Judge of the US District Court for the Eastern and Western District of Missouri

Edward F. Honesty

President/Chief Operating Officer, Best Harvest Bakeries

Madeline Romious

Regional Vice President-External Affairs, AT&T

Ray Daniels

Educational Consultant; Retired Superintendent, Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools

Thomas A. Forrester

Consultant; Former Senior VP/Managing Director, State Street Corporation

André Davis

Corporate and Community Engagement Executive, Built Interior Construction

Our 2023-2024 Funders

AT&T

American Century

Arvest Bank of Greater Kansas City

Bank of America Charitable Foundation

BioNexus KC

CBIZ MHM, LLC

Civic Council of Greater Kansas City

Commerce Bancshares Foundation

Common Wealth Charitable Fund

Edward F. Swinney Trust

Evergy Services, Inc.

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Francis Family Foundation

George & Anne Murphy Charitable Fund

Greater Kansas City Community Foundation

H&R Block Foundation

Hall Family Foundation

Health Forward Foundation

Honeywell Charitable Foundation

J.C. Nichols Company Charitable Trust

Kansas City Missouri Bar Foundation

Opus Foundation

Oracle Cerner Charitable Foundation

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Sherman Family Foundation

Shumaker Family Foundation

Spotlight AR

State Street Global Services

T-Mobile Foundation

United Way of Greater Kansas City

VanTrust Real Estate, LLC - Kansas City

W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Our Academy Partners

PARTNER SCHOOL DISTRICTS:

Allen Village School, Center School District, Crossroads Charter Schools, Grandview School District, Guadalupe Centers, Hickman Mills School District, Hogan Preparatory Academy, Independence School District, Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, and Kansas City Public Schools (MO).

PARTNER POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONS:

Avila University, Donnelly College, Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC), Johnson County Community College (JCCC), Kansas State-Olathe, Metropolitan Community College-Blue River (MCC-Blue River), Metropolitan Community College-Longview (MCC-Longview), Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley (MCC-Penn Valley), Rockhurst University, University of Kansas Medical Center (KU Med), University of Central Missouri, and University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC).

MARKET VALUE ASSETS (MVA) PARTNER BUSINESSES:

American Century, Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), BMO Harris Bank, BNIM, Burns & McDonnell, Children’s Mercy Hospital, CyberCreationz, Kansas City, Missouri Public Health Department, Hallmark, Honeywell, BioNexus KC, Kansas City Missouri Bar Foundation, KCNext, Oracle Cerner, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Saint Luke’s Hospital, Saint Luke’s Neuroscience Institute, Startland, State Street, University of Central Missouri Health Sciences, University of Missouri – Kansas City Bloch, and Univesity of Missouri-Kansas City Health Sciences.

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