21 Jan Kansas Chamber Education Foundation Hires Executive Director

(Topeka, KAN.) The Kansas Chamber Education Foundation announced Tuesday it has hired Jeff Chapman to serve as its Executive Director.

“The Foundation Board is excited to have Jeff lead the foundation and its programs, councils and research. His background in fund development, marketing and public relations is a perfect fit for this new position,” said Foundation Board Chairman Justin Hill. “And as a 2012 graduate of Leadership Kansas, one of the foundation’s program, Jeff has firsthand experience on how the program plays a key role in helping state leaders learn about issues facing Kansas.”

As Executive Director, Chapman will oversee the Foundation’s administration, programs, research and strategic plan of the organization. Other key duties will include fundraising, marketing, and community outreach.

“I am honored to be given this opportunity because I love my home state of Kansas and the Leadership Kansas program and want to continue to make it great. It is my goal to help educate established and emerging leaders about the strengths and challenges in both rural and urban Kansas communities from both forward thinking and balanced perspectives. It is my hope for participants to be more knowledgeable about the state when they complete the program and have a sense of how they can get more involved to make a difference,” said Chapman. “I also am excited about the challenge of expanding the Foundation’s other programs and councils to help the Kansas business community and its employees succeed.”

A Kansas native who grew up in Salina, Chapman most recently was the Assistant Vice President of the University of Missouri Kansas City Foundation. Prior to his position at the UMKC Foundation, he served as the Director of Major Gifts for UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management and Vice President and Executive Director of Institutional Advancement at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina. He is a graduate of Kansas State University.

The Education Foundation programs and councils include the Leadership Kansas program, the Kansas Manufacturing Council and the Kansas Retail Council. Annual research projects include the Annual Competitive Index report and the Annual Business Leaders Survey.

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