Kauffman Foundation selects familiar face as new CEO
June 9, 2015 | Bobby Burch
After a yearlong, nationwide search for a new CEO, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation wound up selecting one of its own.
Guillies
The Kansas City-based foundation selected Wendy Guillies as the Foundation’s new president and CEO.
Guillies, who previously served as interim CEO and vice president of communications for the foundation, joined the organization in April 2000. She’s led such initiatives as Global Entrepreneurship Week, which engages communities in 150 countries around the world. She also was vital to developing the foundation’s strategic plan in Kansas City and around the world, the foundation said.
“Given my deep respect for Mr. Kauffman, it is an honor to be named CEO of the Foundation that bears his name,” Guillies said in a release. “While the Foundation has accomplished a great deal, there is much work to be done. I look forward to working with our extraordinary staff, trustees and leaders in our Kansas City community to fulfill Mr. Kauffman’s legacy and realize his vision of helping individuals attain economic independence by advancing educational achievement and entrepreneurial success.”
A native of Kansas City, Kan., Guillies serves on the boards of KCSourceLink and Kauffman FastTrac, and in 2014 was appointed to the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors. A graduate of the University of Nebraska, Guillies now lives in Overland Park with her husband and two daughters.
“Over the last year, the Kauffman Foundation has been an active and involved partner on countless initiatives focused on education, entrepreneurship and quality of life in Kansas City,” Kansas City Mayor Sly James said in a release. “Wendy’s passion for our community is evident and her knowledge of the issues related to education and entrepreneurship is deep. I look forward to partnering with her to continue to advance the important work currently underway at the Foundation to address some of our community’s most important and pressing challenges.”
Guillies has worked with the foundation’s previous three CEOs, including Tom McDonnell, who stepped down from the CEO post at the end of 2014.
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KC startups graduate K-State accelerator, earning equity-free cash, greater conviction
A trio of Kansas City-built ventures — from sports apparel and mental health solutions for young athletes to tech that uses autonomous drones and 3D vision AI — were among the Kansas businesses earning funding through an eight-week accelerator at Kansas State University. The Center for Entrepreneurship Accelerator program at K-State — which provides participants…
LPOXY initiates $28M Series A financing with 5 Horizons Ventures to fund pivotal trial
PLATTE CITY, Mo. — Funding to secure the upcoming trial of a Missouri biopharmaceutical company’s solution for preventing a deadly gut infection could prove critical in the fight against a condition that claims 80 U.S. lives daily, said Dr. Larry Sutton. LPOXY Therapeutics, which is developing a novel non-antibiotic therapy to prevent Clostridioides difficile infections…
When farmers get paid faster, everyone eats; HitchPin brings fintech to ag, good to humanity, founder says
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. [divide] The fintech revolution typically overlooks agriculture, Trevor McKeeman said, noting that any move to bring tools — like a payment platform within a digital marketplace — definitely breaks ground…
Chocolate maker (and coffee roaster) earns bean-to-bar accolades from his Grandview base
Kansas City has plenty of confectioners, but it’s rare to find true bean-to-bar work, Mike King said. That distinction makes Encore Coffee and Chocolate’s process both resourceful and extraordinary. “There’s only a few of us that are making our own chocolate,” said King, founder of Grandview-built Encore Coffee and Chocolate. “I consider myself a chocolate…