OUR TEAM

Anyone can make the present tense habitable, but to bolster future success, you need vision. Kevin had no problem succeeding as a senior business executive, college professor, or in any other of his pre-Outreach pursuits, but his well-earned sense of accomplishment was always accompanied with a sense that things could be better on a more significant, permanent scale. As a man of action, he had no problem jumping into the role of Outreach’s President and CEO in order to combine his superhuman dedication to excellence with his commitment to leave the world in better shape than he found it. Outreach’s success is humanity’s success, so the fact that Kevin’s steering the ship is great news for everyone.

FUN FACT: It sounds like we’re flattering him, but if anything, we’re underselling it.

Life’s sweeter when Charlotte’s around. She honed her enthusiasm for everything in Estes Park, Colorado, then headed east to prove it to the unsuspecting populations of William Jewell College, and later, the entire KC Metro area. As someone who’s into genuinely liking things while also being incredibly likable herself, we’re all glad she’s the Director of Marketing.

FUN FACT: All facts about Charlotte are fun.

After a few victory laps of the upper management tiers in Big Banking, Amanda’s considerable number-wrangling skills were sharp enough to cut glass. Sensing that her expertise could be employed for the unlimited good of all humankind, she joined Outreach, and has since ascended to Senior Manager of Donor Services, ushering in an era of frictionless, error-free mastery of all possible details.

FUN FACT: In her free time, she hustles rubes at billiards.

Nikki can’t keep up with her checklist. For every new thing she experiences, she seems to add two new fascinations, which she’ll tackle with her customary level of enthusiasm, then incorporate into her skill set for future deployment. Be it thrill-seeking in her free time or bill-seeking in her role as Chief Financial Officer at Outreach, Nikki’s somewhere in the middle of it all, savoring the details.

FUN FACT: She wants to meet your dog.

What do you do with over 15 years of experience in community-development programs, non-profit sectors, and rural sociopolitical contexts — work that involves coordinating outreach programs and conducting research on youth culture, and social and political dynamics? And what if you also hold a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the University of Kansas and are a research fellow with the University of the Free State’s Center for Gender and African Studies? If you’re Elene Cloete, you combine your empathy and expertise to embody Outreach’s ideal Director of Research and Advocacy, and you do amazing things every dang day.

FUN FACT: Her interest and passion for all manner of dams and dam-related topics exceeds that of even the most fastidious beaver. It’s incredible.

From the moment Chris first read Robert Frost poems as a kid, he knew he’d be a writer for the rest of his life. The world finally agreed with him a couple decades later by giving him a job writing jokes and poems for greeting cards. Then it was on to children’s books, magazine articles and internet gibberish. 2,400 cards, 14 books and ten hundred thousand blog posts later, he finally gets to lay down some work of real value as Content Manager for Outreach.

FUN FACT: Chris has earned two writing awards and one World’s Greatest Dad mug.

With all the big brains at Outreach, you’d think it’d be tricky to name the brightest among us… until you meet Felee. During her decades on Team Outreach, she’s added a galaxy of new skills and become a licensed social worker. In recent years, she’s lent her insights to newer field team members around the globe as our Senior Manager of International Training and Mentoring, helping them grow into the sort of world-changing facilitators embodied by Felee herself.

FUN FACT: Felee’s as dynamic in her off-hours as she is on the job, making the most out of life and savoring all the joys of travels — including new, wild foods, unique methods of transportation, and the occasional swing at a corn festival in Nepal.

Every day, there are more things going on around Outreach HQ than can be counted on all the fingers and toes of all the staff members present. Laura is a beacon of calm amidst the frenzy of inspiration and accountability around her. After 13 years practicing law followed by 13 years perfecting her parenthood of three now-teenagers, her powers of conflict resolution are legendary. Thankfully, her desire to empower others drew her to Outreach, where her world-class efficiency matches our global ambitions.

FUN FACT: Lists “CrossFit” as an occasional hobby, which only confirms our suspicions that she has more energy than anyone we know.

As a graduate in both Nonprofit Leadership and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry, whatever Mckenzie may lack in years she more than makes up for in accomplishments, especially in the industry of Helping People. She’s helped through, (deep breath)… New Roots for Refugees, the Alzheimer’s Association, Gateway to Hope, Union Station of Kansas City, an NGO in Spain called ABD, Outreach International internship, volunteering, fundraising, planning awareness events, donor appreciation (inhale!)… and she’s had more leadership experiences than you have time to read about right now.

FUN FACT: Mckenzie figure skated competitively for 12 years. And, she loves a good theme party. This is either the best or the worst intersection of interests we’ve ever heard of.

A globe-hopping childhood sparked Alex’s lifelong passion for other cultures, and an abiding affection for structure(s) helped her find a path that wound its way from an architecture degree at Washington University, to a Masters from Vanderbilt in International Education Policy and Management, then later, to Outreach, where she’s able to put it all to use as Director of Field Finance.

FUN FACT: Grew up in a house with a full-size trampoline in the living room. Not kidding.

Cassidy has your dream job: As Senior Manager of Training and Support, she travels the world for much of the year, immersing herself in other cultures, solving problems, making plans, building lifelong friendships, and amassing enough stories to win every dinner party conversation for the rest of her life. It’s not luck that brought her to Outreach – she spent her formative years growing into the sort of expert who can get where she’s headed without ever losing her way.

FUN FACT: Is always quietly hoping you’ll want to talk about hyenas.

Our Development Specialist and Volunteer Manager, Marsha, tends to our supporters with the same care and experience she demonstrates in her off-hours as a gardener. Her whole life has been jam-packed with helpful bits of public service, personal interactions, and handwriting so beautiful it could only come from someone with a masterfully gentle touch. She’s also a dedicated fan of the cinema and an even more dedicated fan of her grandkids.

FUN FACT: Literally also holds the title of “Captain of the Sunshine Committee” at Outreach.

Everything Andrea builds is meant to last. From her days slide-ruling her way up the ladder of a Seattle-based architecture firm, through to her tenure as Outreach’s Chief Field Operations Officer, the first component is support, and the last is a thorough inspection. Outside of work, she can be found indulging the other half of her brain as she chases her artistic impulses wherever it leads.

FUN FACT: Brings an extra suitcase on overseas trips just so she can fill it with gifts for her family, friends, acquaintances, and anyone else who’d appreciate it.