KC Tech Council elevates apprenticeship leader to COO, concluding succession plan after CEO’s departure
June 1, 2022 | Startland News Staff
A leading advocate for the region’s tech community announced this week a promotion from within as the KC Tech Council transitions to new leadership after longtime CEO Ryan Weber left the organization this spring.
Ryan Weber
Newly-announced chief operating officer Erin Christensen, who has served as the tech council’s program manager since October 2020 and leads its Apprenti KC tech apprenticeship program, will succeed Kara Lowe as she steps into the role of CEO vacated by Weber.
Weber led the council since its founding in 2012.
Lowe became CEO May 27 with Christensen’s new position official June 1.
“This opportunity will allow me to drive broader solutions for our tech industry and member companies, and I’m eager to get started,” said Christensen.
Christensen led the implementation and accelerated growth of Apprenti KC, focused on creating pathways to tech careers for skilled individuals regardless of prior technology experience. Since its launch by the council in January 2021, Apprenti KC has grown quickly, according to a press release. Six area companies have already begun to adopt the program, and five others are in the contract review process.
“The past several years of my career have underscored just how essential workforce development is for tech companies,” said Christensen. “Therefore, I’m glad to remain involved with the oversight of Apprenti as well as other workforce initiatives we are excited to roll out over the coming months.”
Click here to learn more about the KC Tech Council and its programming.
Before joining the KC Tech Council, Christensen spent five years at the Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri Kansas City, developing a corporate outreach program for the Bloch Career Center.
Kara Lowe, KC Tech Council
Under Christensen’s leadership, the KC Tech Council was able to secure a $550,000 grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce, according to the organization. The four-year grant is dedicated toward funding technical instruction, program implementation and operational support for the Apprenti KC program across the state of Kansas.
“I can think of no one more prepared to hit the ground running in this critical role,” said Lowe. “Erin has demonstrated in less than two years how essential she is to this organization, and I’m so honored to have her alongside as we build the future of Kansas City’s tech industry.”
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business
2022 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
They called her ‘Buckwheat’ as a child; Her genre-blending new film flips the script on preconceived narratives
Jamie Addison’s production company aims to expose realities not often explored in mainstream media or society, the Kansas City filmmaker said, particularly as they reveal truths that have been hidden to create misleading or outright false narratives around gender, race and social norms. “Let’s take back the power and identity and love ourselves; truly feel…
Married puppeteers had a hand in reviving iconic Mr. Rogers characters for film; now they’ve returned to KC (with their studio)
Puppeteers are often anonymous, but Spencer Lott — and his wife and business partner, Grace Townley — are stepping into the spotlight to start their own creative studio, they shared. The Lawrence-based couple — who built the puppets used in the Tom Hanks film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” about the life of TV’s…
Show-Me Honeywell: How this high-security KC tech campus became a one-day classroom for Missouri school leaders
A group of Missouri educators, counselors and administrators took a summer trip across the state to visit notable companies and learn firsthand about relevant career pathways for their students, detailed Brian Crouse. Among the behind-the-scenes looks: a rare glimpse into the work at Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, which manages the U.S. Department of Energy’s…
PHKC awards $25K to Alchemy Sandbox winners; It’s amazing when someone understands your vision, founder says
Year one challenges can be difficult for entrepreneurs to swallow, James Thomas noted, but he’s raising a cup to the first anniversary of Brain Freeze Mobile Daiquiri Shop with validation and a splash of funding. Two days after completing The Porter House KC’s fourth small business development cohort and competing in its finale competition, Thomas…