Here’s how Kauffman’s five just-hired directors fit into the Foundation’s new impact- and research-heavy focus 

A handful of newly announced directors at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation are expected to help drive forward the influential philanthropic organization’s updated priorities and grantmaking strategy, said Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, emphasizing an underlying theme for their work: prosperity for all.

Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace speaks during the Sept. 19 Spark event at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

“These five new director positions welcome a combination of talent and commitment to our vision for equitable economic mobility,” said Burns-Wallace, president and CEO at the Kauffman Foundation. “ The Foundation’s organization of new and existing roles set us up for success as we work with our community to carry out our updated strategy and grantmaking.” 

The newly formed research and impact roles within the organization follow a significant restructuring at the Kauffman Foundation after Burns-Wallace’s arrival in summer 2023, including the addition of a trio of new executives about six months ago.

Among the five new directors:

• Dr. Joshua Akers, director, research; and Dr. Suzanne Stluka, director, evaluation; have been chosen to play key roles for the Kauffman Foundation under Dr. Yvonne Owens Ferguson, chief research, learning, and evaluation officer.
• Andrea Ellis, director strategic initiatives; Katy Hamilton, senior director, workforce and career development; and Richard Kim, senior director, entrepreneurship, have been chosen to coordinate and direct across strategic priorities under Allison Greenwood Bajracharya, chief impact and strategy officer. 

The new directors began their roles Monday.

“The combined scientific expertise of Drs. Akers and Stluka will be a tremendous asset to the Foundation,” said Owens Ferguson. “In collaboration with the Impact team, we’re committed to putting into practice research, learning, and evaluation that can be a model for equitable, impactful grantmaking.”

Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, right, alongside Allison Bajracharya, discusses core shifts in the grantmaking process for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Late this summer, the Kauffman Foundation continued the rollout of its new priorities and strategy — focused on college access and completion, career and workforce, and entrepreneurship — and recently reopened its grantmaking with a push toward using those pillars to guide the Foundation toward its 2035 vision and providing measurable outcomes of impact through the organization’s giving.

ICYMI: Grantmaking reboot ‘just one piece of the larger puzzle’ in Kauffman Foundation reset, CEO says

Each new director is charged with supporting the mission of economic stability and mobility, the leadership team said.  

“Andrea, Katy, and Richard will have a laser focus on impact, strengthening outcomes for our strategic priorities and the intersections among them to result in long-term success,” said Greenwood Bajracharya. 

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Learn more about the new director roles at the Foundation:  

Joshua Akers, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Dr. Joshua Akers, director, research 

Akers joins the Kauffman Foundation as director, research. He is expected to provide leadership for operationalizing all research-related initiatives, facilitating research and knowledge generation. In this role, Akers will place special emphasis on actionable and practical research that can inform policy and programmatic strategies for the Kauffman Foundation and the communities it serves to amplify thought leadership and community impact. 

He comes to the Foundation from his role as research manager at the Mid-America Regional Council in Kansas City, Missouri. He received his Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from the University of New Mexico, and earned his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Toronto. 

Suzanne Stluka, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Dr. Suzanne Stluka, director, evaluation 

Stluka joins the Kauffman Foundation as director, evaluation. In this role, she is expected to provide leadership for operationalizing all evaluation-related initiatives and facilitation of grantmaking program evaluation to leverage evaluation and learning platforms and tools to inform program assessment. 

Stluka comes to the Foundation from her role as deputy director for the Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, which is part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture. She received her Bachelor of Science degrees from South Dakota State University, her Master of Science degree from Eastern Illinois University, and earned her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

Andrea Ellis, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Andrea Ellis, director, strategic initiatives 

Ellis joins the Kauffman Foundation as director, strategic initiatives. She is expected to orchestrate and coordinate high-level operational, financial, planning, and strategic areas of the impact and strategy team, acting as an integration manager to synthesize internal and external program-related activity.

Ellis comes to the Foundation from her role as principal, creative strategist, at Walkabout Woman Enterprises where she worked as project lead for the Kansas City Royals Literacy League and the Kansas City STEM Alliance’s ecosystem initiative STEM Connect KC. She received her Bachelor of Science, Marketing, from Rockhurst University and her Master of Media Ecology from New York University Steinhardt School of Education.

Katy Hamilton, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Katy Hamilton, senior director, workforce and career development 

Hamilton joins the Kauffman Foundation as senior director, workforce and career development. In her role, Hamilton will serve as the key programmatic, operations, and administrative director for the workforce and career development strategy. She is responsible for implementing the strategic plan and translating the strategy into actionable talent and operational practices, frameworks, resources, and results while forging strong relationships and alignment within a culture of shared accountability, strong communications, and decision-making transparency. 

Hamilton comes to the Foundation from her role as vice president, operations, at Inside Track, which partners with education and workforce providers using coaching to enhance well-being, economic and social mobility, and advance equity. She received her Bachelor of Science, Political Science, from Texas Christian University, and her Masters of International Politics from the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Richard Kim, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Richard Kim, senior director, entrepreneurship 

Kim joins the Kauffman Foundation as senior director, entrepreneurship. In this role, he is expected to serve as the key programmatic, operations, and administrative director for the entrepreneurship and business ownership strategy. He is responsible for implementing the strategic plan and translating the strategy into actionable talent and operational practices, frameworks, resources, and results while forging strong relationships and alignment within a culture of shared accountability, strong communications, and decision-making transparency.

Kim comes to the Foundation from his role as director of Startup Ventures at SUNY University of Buffalo, New York. He received his Bachelor of Arts in History and East Asia Studies from New York University, and his Masters of Global Affairs and Policy from Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea. 

Check out a video below from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s Sept. 19 Spark event, where Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace delved deeper into the organization’s work ahead.