Board Member:  Cynthia M. Smith, prominent for over four decades within the Kansas City corporate community, is a widely-respected Human Resources Professional.  She currently owns and operates a private Human Resources consulting firm.    Her expertise with nonprofits is rooted in many years of service as Board Chairperson for the KCMC Child Development Corporation.  A tireless volunteer within both the civic and church community, Ms. Smith has served for sixty years as a musician; she also serves as a church Trustee and delegate to national and district church conferences.  Ms. Smith’s role is to engage with other nonprofits for the purpose of obtaining partners, thereby ensuring our ability to increase both the dollar amounts of our scholarships and the number of annual scholarship recipients.   

Chairman, Scholarship Selection Committee:

H. David Whalen is a Financial Advisor whose lectures on financial astuteness are highly acclaimed throughout the community.   Per Internal Revenue Code regulations, he is not permitted to hold a seat on the Board of Directors.  Mr. Whalen has been engaged with local nonprofits since his youth, and in 2018, he founded “Bow Ties and Ties Marketing, Inc.,” an organization previously directed by him and aimed at bolstering self-esteem among African-American youth.   Mr. Whalen’s Committee reviews and examines scholarship applications, makes decisions on finalists, and forwards that information to the Secretary. To ensure compliance with Internal Revenue Code regulations, Mr. Whalen will also oversee the tracking of scholarship funds to ensure funds are spent solely on appropriate education-related activities.