Kansas City, MO — As America honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one Kansas City leader is proving that King’s final mission, economic justice for all, is still alive and advancing.
Earl Martin Phalen, CEO of Great Jobs KC, wasn’t just inspired by Dr. King, he was named after him. Born to a high school mother, and then adopted into a family that believed in justice and dignity for all, his adoptive parents gave him the middle name “Martin” to remind him, always, of his responsibility to serve others.
Today, Earl is living up to that legacy. Through Great Jobs KC, he’s leading a modern-day movement to help underserved youth and adults gain access to education, job training, and careers that pay family-sustaining wages, the very vision Dr. King dreamed of in his Poor People’s Campaign of 1968.
“At the end of his life, Dr. King was focused on economic opportunity. Great Jobs KC aligns with that vision by helping individuals move from poverty to prosperity,” said Phalen.
When Dr. King planned the Poor People’s Campaign, he envisioned a nation where jobs, dignity, and opportunity were rights, not privileges. The campaign built “Resurrection City,” a protest encampment on the National Mall demanding fair wages, jobs, housing, and education for the poor.
Today, Kansas City has become its own kind of Resurrection City, not of protest tents, but of real opportunity, where Great Jobs KC has already helped thousands of Kansas Citians escape poverty and launch new careers.
Earl’s personal story reflects that same transformation. A Black man raised by civil rights-era parents, educated at Yale and Harvard Law, and devoted to justice through education, he now leads a nonprofit determined to change the trajectory for entire communities, starting with jobs.
Great Jobs KC is taking on Dr. King’s unfinished business, economic injustice, by offering:
“Dr. King said that without economic equality, there can be no full citizenship,” said Earl Martin Phalen. “We’re here to make sure that everyone, Black, white, immigrant, working mom, returning citizen has a path to dignity through work.”
And while some consider Dr. King’s Poor People’s Campaign a failed moment, Phalen and his team believe it planted the seed that organizations like Great Jobs KC are now nurturing into a national model.
Nearly six decades after King’s campaign, the fight continues but it looks different.
Rev. Bernice King, daughter of Dr. King, recently advised nonprofits to quietly strategize, creatively adapt, and “show me who you are, don’t just tell me”. Great Jobs KC is doing just that, showing results – job by job, paycheck by paycheck, life by life.
This MLK Day, media outlets have the chance to spotlight a story that’s local in footprint but national in meaning, how one man named Martin is making sure Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s economic dream doesn’t die.
INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE
Earl Martin Phalen, CEO of Great Jobs KC, to discuss:
Great Jobs KC (www.greatjobskc.org) is a 501(c)(3) organization designed to transform the region by preparing the future workforce and securing family-sustaining careers for low- and modest-income individuals. Great Jobs KC does this through college scholarships (up to $50,000) and tuition-free job training in high-demand fields like construction and healthcare. All Scholars in their programs receive support through training and into their first year of employment.
Founded in 1865, Ottaway University prepares professional and liberal arts graduates for lifetimes of personal significance, vocational fulfillment, and service to God and humanity as a Christ-inspired community of grace and open inquiry. Ottaway University is a comprehensive, not-for-profit educational institution, serving more than 4,500 students through its residential campuses in Ottaway, Kansas, and Surprise, Arizona, and adult campuses in Overland Park, Kansas; Surprise, Arizona; Brookfield, Wisconsin; and online. Visit Ottawa.edu for more information.
The Kauffman Foundation’s generous grant helps Great Jobs KC get closer to its $100M goal, supporting 50,000 Kansas City residents with job training and education.
Great Jobs KC Kansas City, Saturday, June 22, 2024 – Great Jobs KC, through its
The Kauffman Foundation’s generous grant helps Great Jobs KC get closer to its $100M goal, supporting 50,000 Kansas City residents with job training and education.
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.
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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.
