Startup community organizers named to Chamber’s new Centurions class
February 15, 2019 | Startland News Staff
A trio of faces familiar within the Kansas City startup community have joined the city’s oldest and premier leadership development program.
The 35-member list of incoming Centurions — which includes John Coler, product owner at RFP360 and Startup Weekend organizer; Davin Gordon, business development officer at AltCap; and Courtney Windholz, COO at PROOF and former 1 Million Cups Kansas City organizer — was announced this week by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.
Coler and Gordon have been featured in Startland’s popular KCultivator Q&A series, while Windholz was profiled as a serial entrepreneur..
“Centurions’ motto of ‘learn, serve, lead’ means this next generation of leaders is not only continuing to lead Kansas City forward, but they’re also committed to lifting up our community right now,” said Joe Reardon, KC Chamber president and CEO.
The newest Centurions were selected based on a rigorous application and interview process, according to the organization, noting Coler, Gordon, and Windholz are set to begin a two-year, self-directed program that prepares emerging leaders across Greater Kansas City.
For 43 years, Centurions alums have included CEOs, federal judges, heads of nonprofit organizations, lawmakers, and many more of the region’s most impactful leaders.
Check out the full list of new Centurions below.
Featured Business

2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Events Preview: Working with co-founders
There are a boatload of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter or curious Kansas Citian, we’d recommend these upcoming events for you. WEEKLY EVENT PREVIEW September First Friday @ Think Big When: September 4 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Where: Think Big Coworking We’re back for another First…
MECA Challenge engages KC students in entrepreneurship
For two years, MECA Challenge has been working with Kansas City’s students to instill an entrepreneurial mindset. This fall, organizers are all-in with the first of five MECA Challenges of the season set for tomorrow, Friday, at Blue Valley CAPS. The program is a one-day event for student groups in which they work on teams with…
‘No regrets’: KC startup Knoda closing its doors
Rather than lamenting the death of their company, a team of startup founders is drawing valuable lessons from their entrepreneurial experience and forging ahead. Kansas City-based Knoda — which created a social platform allowing users to make, track and rank various predictions — recently announced to users that it was going to shut down operations.…
Without further ado, LaunchKC announces top 20 finalists
After weeks of application reviews, LaunchKC has announced the top 20 contenders in their Kansas City-based grant competition. With a special kudos to Kansas City, 12 of the top 20 are from the metro area. Of the remaining eight finalists, seven are from seven U.S. states; and one from Santiago, Chile. Three of these non-Kansas City…

