Meet the Kauffman Foundation’s newest board member
February 9, 2017 | Bobby Burch
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has added a new member to its high-caliber board of trustees.
The foundation announced Thursday that Esther L. George — the current president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City — will serve on its board. As a member of the board, George will support the foundation’s mission of advancing educational achievement and entrepreneurial success.
“I am excited for this opportunity to contribute to the Kauffman Foundation’s mission of developing entrepreneurs, who drive the U.S. economy,” George said in a release. “The importance of the legacy Mr. Kauffman left for Kansas City through his foundation, and the support it provides to this region and beyond, cannot be overstated.”
George was appointed as the Kansas City Fed’s president in 2011 after serving nearly 30 years, most recently as chief operating officer. As president of the Kansas City Fed, she directs Federal Reserve activities in a seven-state region with offices in Kansas City, Omaha, Oklahoma City and Denver. George is also a member of the Federal Open Market committee, which is responsible for setting U.S. monetary policy.
“We are honored to have President George join the Kauffman Board of Trustees,” Kauffman board chairman Janice Kreamer said in a release. “Her deep roots in our community along with her understanding and expertise in economics and finance will greatly inform our work with entrepreneurs around the country. She has the experience and insight to help us move forward on our strategic directions.”
A Missouri native, George received a degree in business administration from Missouri Western State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She is a graduate of the American Bankers Association Stonier Graduate School of Banking and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
George joins nine other trustees on the Kauffman board, which you can check out here.

2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Canadian firm to house in KC, Techstars Demo Day announces other developments for cohort (Photos)
Local government has the most impact on people’s lives, said Ryley Iverson, co-founder and CEO of Townfolio, a Canada-based firm providing city data as a service that was among the 2018 Techstars Kansas City cohort. Townfolio announced a partnership with the Kansas City Area Development Council Thursday during the accelerator’s Demo Day: fuel the international firm…
Pure Pitch Rally passes $1 million in prizes; FastDemocracy and TheraWe lead winners
A quick-paced pitch competition Wednesday saw big wins for political tracking startup FastDemocracy and child therapy resource TheraWe Connect, with more than $1 million in prizes awarded between 10 young companies. “Our sponsors felt a funding head-rush like a speeding train — throwing money everywhere,” said Michael Williamson, an IP attorney for Polsinelli, one of…
Be fearlessly honest about diversity gap, Atlanta expert tells KC Techweek panelists (Photos)
Building an inclusive startup community begins with being unafraid to directly state the problem — a diversity gap — free of coded language related to race and gender, said Rodney Sampson. “I am unapologetically about being ‘color-brave’ and ‘race-brave’ — rather than being ‘color blind’ — because when you say ‘color blind,’ you’re saying you…
Hunting access to capital? Do your homework first, Techweek panel says
Imagining overnight startup success is as unrealistic as wanting to become a winning athlete or megastar musician overnight — it all takes time and practice, said Juan Campos. “If you actually have the ambition to create a multimillion dollar company, then the people that are the most successful at that didn’t just wake up one…
