Outline of Kansas City skyline with text: "Great Jobs KC", "MAKE YOUR MARK", "KC Scholars 2024 - Unlock Your Potential with Scholarships".

Presented by:

Logo of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation featuring a white circular symbol with a stylized "K" and the organization's name in white text, embodying its mission to support careers and scholarships.

Celebrating SUCCESS as we support our KC Scholars to “Make Your Mark”!

On Saturday, June 22nd, we took a moment to celebrate our 2024 class of scholarship awardees. 1,210 students and adults who will now have an opportunity to make their mark in a way they might not have been able to without the programs built upon the benevolence of Ewing Marion Kauffman and Postsecondary Network partners.

The room was filled with celebration and inspiration as speakers took the stage to provide insight into what it means to join the legacy started by Mr. K. As these students embark on their postsecondary educational journey and take on the commitment of being a KC Scholar, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the hard work it took each Scholar and their families to earn these scholarships. Through the support of our Scholar Advocates, Support Services, and Employer Programs we commit to fostering success in each and every one of our awardees.

By empowering these KC Scholars to Make Their Mark on their own lives, we help pave the way for a brighter future for them and the communities they will undoubtedly lead.

Inspiring words from speakers that included Great Jobs KC President/CEO Earl Martin Phalen, Kauffman Foundation President/CEO Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, Former Board Chair Jan Kreamer, Current Board Chair Tammy Edwards, Motivational Speaker Cam Awesome, and KC Scholars Ambassador Zeruiah Dennis

We were unable to award over 1,000 deserving students,
with your help we can reduce that number to ZERO!

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A Message From Our CEO

A smiling man in a black shirt and vest stands with his arms crossed against a blurred stone background.

KC Scholars Class of 2024 awarded $48M in Scholarships

Every year, our annual Awards Day celebration, this year named “Make Your Mark,” seems to get bigger and better! KC Scholars’ celebration is our favorite event because it celebrates our scholarship recipients’ hard work and dreams and highlights the collective effort of their families and our community in supporting their success. This year, we awarded scholarships to 1,210 scholars!

In the past, we’ve celebrated our annual Awards Day by recognizing students on-site at their schools and adults at their places of work. This year, with the incredible number of individuals we were able to award, we celebrated this accomplishment in a big way with friends, family, and members of their community present at the Convention Center.

Thank you to our parents and families for allowing us to partner with you on your child’s journeys, and thank you to our incredible staff — board members, reviewers, community members, college and high school partners, and staff — for your unwavering support and dedication. Your support means the world to us and our scholars. We are so proud of our seniors and can’t wait to see them continue to make their mark on our community, our country, and the world.

With gratitude,

-Earl

Highlights from our Class of 2024

illustrated medal with a star on it on green background

1,210 Scholars Awarded
$48M in College Scholarships

Icon of a white graduation cap on a dark green circular background.

87 Local High Schools Represented

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SCHOLARS FIRST

KC Scholar Kristen De Napoli, a graduate of Oak Grove High School, was awarded the prestigious Charno Award.

Oak Grove Student Attending UCM Receives Prestigious Charno Award Celebrating Their Accomplishments

The Charno Award is presented annually to the top citizens at UCM. It honors George Charno, Sr., a Kansas City attorney who established the award in 1940, followed by a second award in 1941, to recognize the two outstanding members of the senior class. Selection is based on a combination of criteria which include: leadership, scholarship, character, involvement in campus organizations and extracurricular activities, service to the university, and involvement in one’s academic department.

Kristen was excited to share this amazing accomplishment: “It is the highest honor presented at UCM!! I even spoke at the commencement ceremony!”

Two women smile while holding plaques in front of a University of Central Missouri backdrop. The plaques read "George H. Chira, Sr. Outstanding Biology Graduate Award," highlighting their academic achievement and potential for future jobs in the field.

Pictured on the left: Kristen De Napoli, KC Scholar, Graduate UCM – Education

Text on a black background reads "Great Careers KC Employee Spotlight" in white uppercase letters.

Brian Hernandez-Mota Bilingual Recruiter

Great Jobs KC Chief Marketing Officer, Deekay Fox, was awarded the PR NEWS Top Women in PR Award.

On June 4, in New York City, our own Deekay Fox, Chief Marketing Officer, was awarded the Top Women in PR Award from PR News. Such wonderful recognition for not only Deekay but to see our Kansas City organization on the national stage. Joining Deekay at the event were Jimmy Swift, Chief Program Officer – Great Jobs KC, and Ogo Sylla, Momentum Communications Group.

In the Media

Our Make Your Mark event celebrating our 1,210 newly awarded Scholars was featured on numerous media outlets, including CNN.

CLICK THE LOGOS TO WATCH/READ EACH STORY

Read the KC Star Op-Ed Featuring Two Of Our Incredible Scholars.

KC Scholars was highlighted in this opinion piece on helping students pay for college to avoid an uneducated Kansas City…Learn More

Make Higher Education Affordable. It's Essential.

Click Here to read Earl’s op-ed on making higher education affordable in the KC Globe.

Skills for Success Expo
Connects Over 200 KC Area Adults to Job Training

On July 16th, we held our first Skills for Success Expo at the Linwood YMCA. We partnered with a number of our Great Jobs KC training partners to support and educate members of the community on the programs we offer and the opportunities we provide.

Our amazing job training providers and community partners showed up engaged, excited, and ready to serve. Other organizations provided wireless, low-cost refurbished PCs, free digital life skills classes, sports physicals, COVID vaccinations, blood pressure checks, and child support services. Attendees were grateful for the wide range of services available, which helped them access vital resources in one place.

We had over 220 attendees, 17 job training providers (who each made a donation to participate), and 5 community partners, including the YMCA, which generously donated their space for our event. We are proud to be a part of Kansas City and support our community in ways that lead to success.

Our very own Brian Mota and Daniel Rios were featured on local radio stations KPRS-Hot 103 and La Mega, highlighting our Skills for Success Expo. We appreciate the support we get from local media in getting the word out about our amazing programs, partners, and opportunities.

To Support Us in Connecting Our Scholars to Jobs Click Below and SUPPORT OUR MISSION

Thank You to our training partners

Agile Group Logo
Logo of Apex CDL Institute featuring the text "APEX" in blue and red, with a stylized red and white truck outline and the words "CDL INSTITUTE" in blue beneath it, symbolizing their commitment to driving your career forward.
Centriq logo featuring a stylized orange swirl on the left and black text reading "CENTRIQ" on the right, symbolizing opportunities in careers and jobs.
Logo of Concorde Career Colleges, featuring the name in blue text with a red flame icon on the right side, symbolizing the scholarship opportunities and career advancement they offer.
Logo of Johnson County Community College featuring overlapping colorful leaf shapes above the college name, symbolizing opportunities for scholarships and careers.
Logo of M2Y Career Academy featuring purple text and a heart shape with a stylized heartbeat line inside, symbolizing the pulse of your career.
Meds LLC Logo
Logo of Metropolitan Community College with a blue circle containing "MCC" and bold text reading "Metropolitan Community College" to the right of the circle.
Logo of Mid-America College of Health Sciences featuring an eagle flying over a globe with text to the right, symbolizing the pursuit of scholarships and future job opportunities.
New Reflections Technical Institute
Pawsperity Logo
Per Scholas Logo
Rightfully Sewn logo with the tagline "Keep Moving the Needle" written in gold letters, inspiring careers and opportunities.
Logo of SnapIT Solutions, featuring the company name in blue and green with circular design elements on the right side, reflecting our commitment to supporting careers in technology.
Tel Welding Academy Logo
The logo features a shield with a building and the year 1871, alongside the text "University of Central Missouri," symbolizing both academic excellence and numerous scholarship opportunities.
Warehouse Training (WTI) logo
A black square with a white border containing the text "Zeta Driving School" in red and white letters, guiding you towards new careers.
The logo features the text "KC Scholars" with "KC" inside a shield on the left.

High School Scholarship Team

A shield-shaped graphic displaying logos and names of various postsecondary institutions partnered with KC Scholars, highlighting opportunities for scholarships and successful careers.

Postsecondary Network Quarterly Convening

About 100 representatives attended the Postsecondary Network Quarterly Convening of the KC Scholars Program on June 13, either virtually or in person. During the convening, Paula McLain, Senior Human Resources Generalist at Northwest Missouri State University, shared information about the institution’s Career Pathing program, which provides developmental opportunities to student employees. This presentation was the third in a series entitled “Student Success Sessions,” where representatives in the Postsecondary Network present best practices with their peers.

Institutions also learned about the valuable Student Financial Wellness Survey conducted by Trellis Strategies and how college students can participate in the 2024 survey.

We’ve Added TWO New Postsecondary Network Partners

To help us deepen the impact of our scholarship program, we have forged two new partnerships with local universities to allow us to award additional scholarships to 11th-grade applicants who would have otherwise not received a KC Scholars Scholarship.

William Woods Invests Over
$15 MILLION in our Scholars!

We’ve added another partner to help us deepen the impact of our scholarship program by securing funds to award additional scholarships to 11th grade applicants that would have otherwise not received a KC Scholars Scholarship. We welcome William Woods University with their over $15 million investment in our Scholars over the next 10 years. Thank you and welcome to the KC Scholars family of partners!

Wichita State University
Welcome to the Network

We are proud to welcome Wichita State as a Postsecondary Network partner! In addition to the exceptional support that will be provided to all KC Scholars that choose to attend Wichita State University, the university has agreed to a $300,000 investment over the next two years that will enable KC Scholars to award up to six additional $50,000 Wichita State only scholarships. Welcome aboard SHOCKERS!!!

College Transition Workshop

Over 125 College Savings Match, Traditional Scholarship, and Institution-Sponsored Scholarship Awardees who recently graduated high school and are entering their freshman year of college attended the College Transition Workshops on Friday June 21 and Friday July 12. During these events, Scholars were introduced to their College Scholar Advocate, met with student support contacts at the college they’re attending in the fall, heard from a panel of KC Scholars Ambassadors, and learned tips and tricks to prepare for a successful start to college. It was a great opportunity for Scholars to meet other Scholars attending their institution in the fall and the staff supporting them! We are excited to see all of the things they’ll accomplish!

Logo of "Great Jobs KC Alumni" with the words "Great Jobs" in blue and "Alumni" in white on a blue-green background, symbolizing career growth and opportunities.

Alumni Team

On June 27th, we celebrated our 2024 graduating class of KC Scholars. We enjoyed an evening with the KC Royals as they took on the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium. These amazing individuals have now completed their degrees and joined the prestigious ranks of KC Scholars’ Alumni. Congrats GRADS! We are so very proud of you!

A group of people in casual clothing are gathered outdoors near a parking lot, with some engaged in conversation. A young boy is present, and a woman wearing a Kansas City Royals shirt holds a plate, talking animatedly about local job opportunities and scholarship options for college.
Five people stand on a baseball field, with one holding a large check for scholarships. The stadium crowd is seen in the background.
Blue and green graphic with city skyline silhouette, text "Great Jobs KC," "MAKE YOUR MARK," and "KC Scholars 2024" in bold, highlighting exciting careers and scholarship opportunities.

Presented By:

Logo of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation with a blue circle containing a white "K" and the foundation's name in gray text, symbolizing opportunities for scholarships and jobs.

The First KC Scholars Make Your Mark Celebration was a success! We celebrated over 1200 KC Scholars at the Kansas City Convention Center on June 22. Thank you to our sponsors who helped make this possible!

Thank you to our Gold level sponsors

Logo of Apex CDL Institute featuring the text "APEX" in blue and red, with a stylized red and white truck outline and the words "CDL INSTITUTE" in blue beneath it, symbolizing their commitment to driving your career forward.
Logo of Missouri State University featuring the institution's name in maroon text on a white background, representing a commitment to scholarships and career readiness.
Logo of SnapIT Solutions, featuring the company name in blue and green with circular design elements on the right side, reflecting our commitment to supporting careers in technology.
UMKC logo featuring the letters "UMKC" in blue text with a stylized yellow and blue flame above the letter "M", symbolizing the spirit of innovation and bright careers ahead.
Mizzou University of Missouri" logo with bold black and gold "MU" emblem on the left, representing a gateway to exceptional careers and scholarship opportunities.

Thank you to our Silver level sponsors

DeBruce Foundation logo with the text "Expanding Career Pathways and Scholarships with Agilities.
Logo of Johnson County Community College, featuring the text "Workforce Development & Continuing Education" below a stylized leaf design, emphasizing scholarships and career opportunities.
Logo of Kansas City Kansas Community College featuring interlocking red and blue shapes next to the text "Kansas City Kansas Community College" in blue, symbolizing pathways to scholarship and career opportunities.
Green "N" with a tower graphic. Below, text reads "NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY," emphasizing career opportunities and academic excellence.
The logo features a shield with a building and the year 1871, alongside the text "University of Central Missouri," symbolizing both academic excellence and numerous scholarship opportunities.
Logo of the University of Saint Mary with the text underneath a stylized illustration of a dome with a cross on top, symbolizing opportunities for scholarships and career advancement.
A black square with a white border containing the text "Zeta Driving School" in red and white letters, guiding you towards new careers.

Thank you to our Bronze level sponsors

Logo of Avila University featuring a purple shield with a stylized "A" alongside the text "Avila University" in purple font, embodying its commitment to providing scholarships and shaping successful careers.
Logo of Children's Mercy Kansas City, featuring a blue outline of an adult figure embracing a smaller yellow figure beside the organization's name, symbolizing opportunities for scholarships and careers in pediatric care.
Logo of Johnson County Community College featuring overlapping colorful leaf shapes above the college name, symbolizing opportunities for scholarships and careers.
Colorful logo with three overlapping speech bubbles in blue, orange, pink, and green. Below the bubbles, the text "Lillian James Creative" is displayed in pink and orange, symbolizing dynamic creativity and career growth.
Logo of Metropolitan Community College Workforce and Economic Development, focusing on jobs and career advancement.
Logo of Mid-America College of Health Sciences featuring an eagle flying over a globe with text to the right, symbolizing the pursuit of scholarships and future job opportunities.
Logo of Walz Tetrick Advertising featuring a stylized torch icon in orange and blue, symbolizing the enlightenment gained through scholarships, with the company name in bold blue lettering below.

Thank you to our In-Kind level sponsors

Logo of KC Digital Drive, featuring green text with "KC" inside a circle of dots on the left and "Digital Drive" in bold letters on the right, embodying their commitment to advancing digital careers.
Text image with "complete technology" in orange and "IT Services Redefined" in gray below it, highlighting exciting career opportunities.
HMX LIVE logo in black with a green play button symbol in the center and 'LIVE' in green text on the right, perfectly representing the excitement of career opportunities.
A logo with the text "HOT 103 JAMZ!" in a bold, pink, brushstroke-style font on a white background, embodying the energetic spirit that drives careers in music and entertainment.
A circular logo with the words "UP UP & Away!" in pink stylized font on a blue background with a green border, symbolizing a scholarship opportunity.

Thank you to our donors, volunteers, and community partners who joined us! We couldn’t celebrate this many Scholars without your generosity, but we want to help SO MANY MORE! There were over 1,000 students who did not earn a scholarship this year. Please join us in our mission to improve the economic stability of our communities by educating and training those who will supply our area with a strong and stable workforce for decades to come! Donate today to make an impact on tomorrow!

Community Resource Team

Great Jobs KC is proud of our Community Resource Team for reaching an important milestone. As of June 2024, 1,000 Scholar Support requests were closed successfully. Successful requests include transportation assistance, loaner laptops, and referrals to community partners. We look forward to helping many more Scholars reach their academic and career goals, and we’re grateful to the wonderful nonprofit community in Kansas City for being there to provide support.

A large diverse crowd of people raising their hands in the air against a white background.

OUR TWO NEW TRAINING PARTNERS

Rightfully Sewn logo with the tagline "Keep Moving the Needle" written in gold letters, inspiring careers and opportunities.

Rightfully Sewn is a Kansas City nonprofit organization that creates jobs and opportunities for community members who may have barriers to employment, this is accomplished through the business of fashion and sewn goods. They will offer courses in sewing.

Mattie Rhodes Center is a community development organization dedicated to individual and family well-being through social services, behavioral health counseling and the arts. They will offer ESL & Digital Literacy Training for our Scholars.

The image shows the logo of Mattie Rhodes Center. It features an orange stylized sun above the center's name in bold orange letters on a white background, symbolizing hope and opportunities like career advancement and scholarships.
A person wearing a dark shirt smiles while holding a tablet. The overlaid text reads, "TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOB OR CAREER!

We want to hear about your SUCCESS!

Your success is incredibly important to us, and we are committed to supporting you even beyond the completion of the program.

In order to better understand the impact of our training programs and to continue building a program that better meets the needs of our Scholars, we kindly request your assistance in providing us with some updated information regarding your current employment status.

Could you please take a moment to provide us with the following details:

  1. Where are you currently employed?
  2. What is your current job title?
  3. What is your current salary?

    (A range is sufficient if you do not feel comfortable providing the exact salary)

Logo reading "Great Jobs KC" in blue and green text, with "KC" inside a shield-like shape on the right. Perfect for highlighting career opportunities!
0

Enrolled

0

Currently in Training

0

Currently in Workshops

0

employed

What is

White background. No visible objects or elements, perfect for visualizing new opportunities in careers or scholarships.

Access to a short-term, flexible, skills-based career training program that is TUITION-FREE, if you qualify.

  • It’s short-term because you can complete the program in less than a year.
  • It’s flexible because our training partners offer programs that include virtual, online, on-campus, hands-on, or even hybrid training.
  • It’s skills-based because you master high-demand skills that employers are seeking in the following careers: healthcare, construction, information technology, logistics/warehouse, or manufacturing. 

It’s a career training program because it trains you for a career, not just a job. A career with a salary that helps you secure your future.

What programs does Great Jobs KC offer?

A blank white background with no visible objects or text, reminiscent of the clarity and focus one needs when searching for jobs or scholarships.

Healthcare

  • Clinical Medical Assistant (CMA)
  • Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
  • Dental Assistant
  • EKG/ECG Technician
  • Medical Billing and Coding
  • Administrative Medical Assistant
  • Pharmacy Technician
  • Phlebotomy Technician
  • Sterile Processing
  • Certified Medication Technician (CMT)
  • Certified Medication Aide
  • Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
  • Firefighter/ Fire Science

Manufacturing

  • Certified Manufacturing Associate
    • Assembler
    • Machine Operator
    • Operations Clerk
  • Welding Technician
  • Environmental Remediation/ Hazmat
  • FANUC Handling Tool Operation and Programming

Information Technology

  • Networking Technician
  • Computer User Support
  • IT Support Specialist
  • Digital/ Social Media Marketing
  • Data and Business Analytics
  • Sales Development and Operations
  • UX Design
  • Software Development
  • IT Apprenticeships (separate application process)
  • Data Analytics
  • Project Management
  • Cybersecurity Specialist
  • Web Development and Design

Logistics/Warehousing

  • Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)
  • Warehousing Specialist/ Materials Handler

Construction

  • Construction Fundamentals
  • CAD (Computer Aided Drafting and Design)
  • Revit BIM (Revit for Building Information Modeling)
  • Pre-Apprenticeships and apprenticeships:
    • Iron workers
    • Electricians
    • Carpentry
    • General labor
    • Painters/glaziers
    • Operating engineers

Service Careers

  • Dog Grooming
  • Insurance Agent
  • Insurance Specialist
  • Claims Adjuster
  • Culinary Arts
  • Community Interpreter
  • Medical Interpreter
  • ESL Courses
  • Industrial Seamstress

*Subject to change

Want to find out if you qualify?

Fill out the form and find out. Or, if this is the perfect opportunity for someone you know, please share the link with them.

Click Here For Link

Have questions or want to find out more?
Join us online EVERY Wednesday 12:00pm-1:00pm
for a virtual information session.
Join on your computer, mobile app, or device.
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 221 112 442 485
Passcode: 37VfG6
Or call in (audio only)
+1 816-406-3910 618051675# United States, Kansas City
Phone Conference ID: 618 051 675#

A man wearing a blue hard hat, high-visibility vest, and blue earmuffs around his neck stands with arms folded, embodying the dedication required for thriving careers in construction.

Employer Partner Program

Great Jobs KC’s mission advances knowledge and education while assisting socio-economic advancement for its scholars, employer partners and community.

Our Employer Partnership Program supports your workforce needs by providing you access to skilled, motivated, knowledgeable scholars ready to work and start their career.

Our scholars are college graduates, interns, certified or trained professionals.

Contact us at employerengagement@greatjobskc.org to partner with us.

 

Here Are Some Of Our Current Employer Partners

The Swope Health logo features the name "Swope Health" in a red font against a white background, with a stylized red logo element on the top right, symbolizing opportunities for careers and growth.
Geiger Ready-Mix logo with the text 'Building Materials Since 1892.' Supporting future builders with scholarships.
A red logo featuring the letters "E" and "K" inside a square, with the text "Building Excellence" below it, symbolizing opportunities for careers and jobs.
Logo of CORE Concrete & Ready Mix with "CORE" in bold black letters and a green triangle incorporated into the "R". The text "CONCRETE & READY MIX" is under the main brand name in smaller font, symbolizing stability and growth—values that drive your career at CORE.
Logo of Children's Mercy Kansas City, featuring a blue outline of an adult figure embracing a smaller yellow figure beside the organization's name, symbolizing opportunities for scholarships and careers in pediatric care.
Logo of Lockton with a globe-shaped design above the company name in bold letters and the tagline "Uncommonly Independent" below a blue horizontal line, symbolizing opportunities for careers.
Logo of Cass Regional Medical Center featuring a green and orange design above the text, symbolizing opportunities in careers and scholarships.
Tutera logo with "T" in a decorative circle above the word "TUTERA," and the text "senior living & health care" below, symbolizing a career committed to elder care.
Logo featuring stylized figures of an adult and a child, with text listing Clay Platte Family Medicine, Summit Family and Sports Medicine, Cobblestone Family Medicine Clinic, Barry Pointe Family Care, and information on available scholarships for medical careers.
Logo of Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center featuring a stylized swan with the name in uppercase letters and "Health Center" in lowercase letters beneath, symbolizing opportunities for careers in health care.
AdventHealth logo featuring the text "AdventHealth" with a four-leaf design in varying shades of blue and green, representing opportunities for scholarships and jobs.
MHC logo with red letters encapsulated by a black and white elliptical shape, symbolizing opportunities for scholarships and jobs.
Logos of North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health side by side, representing a commitment to careers in healthcare.
The image shows the logo for Vibrant Health, featuring a colorful ‘V’ composed of small triangles on the left and the words "VIBRANT health" to the right, symbolizing opportunities for scholarships and jobs in the healthcare industry.
Logo featuring a red "M" encircled, followed by the text "MID-STATES" in brown uppercase letters, embodying a commitment to careers and opportunities.
The Ingredion logo features a green circular design with stylized leaf motifs, and the company name "Ingredion" written in gray text beneath, symbolizing growth and opportunities like jobs and scholarships.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The Community Engagement Team gets together every week to share our wins—you know, those heartwarming stories that energize you. Some of these stories bring smiles, others a warm feeling, and a few even bring tears to our eyes.

Take Brian Mota, for example. He met a young lady who was ready to leave Kansas City for good and head to Florida the next day. After hearing about Great Jobs KC, she decided to stay and signed up for our program. Now, she’s on her way to earning a certificate and a better living wage.

Then there’s Brian Benton. He crossed paths with a gentleman he had previously signed up for the Great Jobs short term program. This man completed his CDL training and landed a job with an $85,000 salary. That’s a game-changer!

And you can’t miss the story of Kathy Montgomery. She was in a terrible car accident that left her with post-traumatic fibromyalgia and a short-term memory disorder. On top of that, she suffered from long COVID symptoms and was hospitalized for an extended time. Her future seemed unpromising, even though she had a bachelor’s degree and career before; she wasn’t retaining information after the accident. Her daughter heard about Great Jobs KC through Mario Gaitan and convinced her to sign up. She decided to take a chance and enroll in the cybersecurity course. “It was tough in the beginning; I would have headaches, and I hadn’t been to school in year; but I didn’t give up,” said Kathy. She stayed on the path, and recently graduated, and is on her way to a second chance at a new career. Her perseverance has led to regaining some of her mental and memory skills that she thought were lost.

These are just a few of the stories that keep us going. They fuel our mission and remind us why we do what we do. Whatever role you play in the Great Jobs KC organization, know that your efforts are making a deep and wide impact on our community. Keep up the amazing work!

Our Community Engagement team celebrated the 4th by participating in the annual parade in Parkville, MO.

A group of six people stands outdoors in front of a vehicle, smiling at the camera. One person holds an American flag, and a few are wearing branded shirts that hint at their jobs. The sky is partly cloudy.
A group of people sit in a truck bed with a banner that reads "Great Jobs" and "Be Bold. Be You. Be KC Scholars." One person holds an American flag, symbolizing the promise of scholarships and career opportunities for all.

HELP US HELP MORE

We thrive on feedback. Let us know what you think, review us on Google. It provides us feedback, and the review helps us rank higher on Google, which means more people find us, and we can CHANGE MORE LIVES.

A group of graduates in caps and gowns celebrating outdoors. Text on the image reads "Over $12 million in scholarships being awarded." These scholarships are paving the way for promising careers.
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Stephanie underwood - Chief financial Officer

Stephanie Underwood serves as Chief Financial Officer at Great Jobs KC, where she leads the organization’s financial strategy in support of its mission to create economic mobility through education and workforce opportunities. With more than 17 years of experience in nonprofit finance, Stephanie brings deep expertise in financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and compliance. She is passionate about using her career as a platform to serve and support mission-driven organizations, helping them maximize impact through strong financial stewardship.

Prior to joining Great Jobs KC, Stephanie served as Chief Financial Officer for Griffith Centers, a behavioral and mental health organization, where she oversaw financial operations for a multi-million-dollar organization spanning residential, educational, and community-based programs. She also spent nearly a decade as Vice President of Accounting Services at NFP Partners, providing CFO-level leadership to nonprofit organizations across the country, with a focus on strategic growth, audit readiness, and governance.

Outside of her professional role, Stephanie volunteers her time at her church and serves on the board of a local nonprofit. She is known for her collaborative leadership style and her commitment to aligning financial strategy with mission impact. She holds a Master of Science in Accounting and is proud to be a first-generation college graduate.

 

 

 

Adult Learner College Scholarship

Program offers:

  • Up to $25,000 paid directly to the college over the course of up to six years.
  • Once awarded, the Scholar can enroll full or part-time the fall semester following awarding.
  • Scholarship can be used at any of our college partners. See our current list of partners HERE.
  • Scholarship can be used towards an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or a credit-bearing credential. 

Eligibility Requirements: 

  • Be a high school graduate or GED holder (24 years or older).
  • Live in one of the six eligible counties. (Kansas: Wyandotte, Johnson; Missouri: Cass, Clay, Jackson, Platte)
  • Be income eligible. (FASFA Student Aid Index of 12,000 or less)
  • Have not previously earned a bachelor’s degree.
  • Have not previously been awarded a KC Scholars Scholarship (Traditional or Adult Learner).
  • Is not currently enrolled in a Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.
  • US Citizenship/Residency is not required to apply.

If you need more information on program details, please find our FAQs HERE

Jimmy Swift - Chief Operating Officer

As the Chief Operating Officer, Jimmy Swift is responsible for overseeing our core programs, our adult workforce development program, Great Jobs KC tuition-free job training, and our KC Scholars Scholarship Program, which includes 11th Grade Traditional Scholarships and Adult Learner Scholarships. 

Jimmy has a career in education that spans more than 25 years and is built around supporting and improving the performance of career training programs and leading the operations of degree-granting institutions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in management and has served as Campus President, Vice President of Career Services, and Executive Director of various career schools.  

Most recently, Jimmy served as the Vice President of PLA University at Phalen Leadership Academies, bringing access to job skill training to the parents and families of the Scholars served by Phalen Leadership schools across the country.  Beyond his higher education experience, Jimmy serves as the Executive Board Chairman for Project Safety Net NY, a nonprofit community-based agency delivering a broad range of health, education, and prevention services to the New York Community. As the Chief Operating Officer for Great Jobs KC, he and his team are poised to make a substantial impact on the economic stability and future of Kansas City.

Great Jobs KC
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