Ingram's April 2024

CLASS of 2024 Lessons in Leadership, Vol. 26 Since 1998, Ingram’s has showcased rising young executives whose leadership in business, civic life, and philanthropy have marked them as the region's most promising leaders. Last year, we celebrated a milestone with our 25th class, bringing to 1,000 the number of people recognized over the years. Now … on to the next 1,000, starting with this class of 2024. You’ll see within this talented roster a diverse range of organizations: Law firms, banks, health-care providers, manufacturers, venture-capital firms, utilities, construction firms, wealth managers, real-estate pros and more. They hail from the region’s most prominent corporate brands, but also represent the entrepreneurial spirit that defines KC as dreamers, visionaries and start-ups. That’s the beauty of 40 Under Forty. Without a fixed business sector to focus on, anyone from any sphere is eligible for consideration. But to crack this lineup, business talent alone won’t be enough. For most working Americans, the ages of 30-39 are prime child rearing years. Almost without exception, our 40 Under Forty alumni, like most of the members of this class, are raising KC’s future, one child at a time. The time demands at their workplaces might never be more intense than they are at this stage. Yet almost without exception, they find time to engage outside the home, too, often through schools and youth sports teams. But more often, its on behalf of local non-profits, civic groups and industry associations that work to build a better Kansas City. These distinguished young leaders devote their time, their skills, their fund-raising acumen and their own dollars to support causes that connect with their own passions and interests. There’s a reason why 40 Under Forty is one of our signature business recognition programs. It’s because of what these honorees represent for the Kansas City community we all hope to create.

KLASSIE ALCINE When it comes to touching lives, Klassie Alcine is on a whole ’nother level: As a non-profit executive, entrepre

the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. when asked to frame her own accomplish ments. King, she says, “once phrased life’s most urgent question as ‘What are you doing for others?’ As Philanthropy Director at UMB, I have the privilege of guiding our charitable foundations to impact those in our neighborhoods and communities who need help.” That’s a tall order for multiple foundations that flowed from the wealth of an iconic banking family’s legacy—she oversees millions in assets, administering private foundation gifts as well as grantmaking for public charities. “While my non profit tax attorney background gives me the skill set to properly manage 501(c)(3) private foundations, it is thro ugh community involvement where I neur, and political consultant, this 37-year old has turned her passion for socio-economic initiatives into work that has supported nearly 2.2 million indiv-iduals and families—essentially, the entire metro area population. She’s the CEO of KC Common Good, a non profit that unites the community to address the root causes of violence. The collective work for KC Common Good with partners has yielded about 5,000 violence-intervention, preven tion and enforcement actions, over $3.5 million invested, and almost 10,000 hours of community engagement since June 2022. She has also partnered with the Kauffman Foundation’s Pro-X, a student internship program that has placed thousands high school students

have learned how philanthropy can make a difference,” Beck says. Three years ago, she launched a community development grant program that tar gets diverse populations, leading to 31 grants for charities in eight low-income communities across UMB’s footprint. Outside of her job, her volunteer work has benefitted the Lyric Opera, CCI, Variety, Catholic Education Foundation, American Red Cross, United Way of Greater Kansas City, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She has also authored a fund-raising textbook and KBA’s annual nonprofit survey, to keep current on non-profit tax law. And to top it off, just this month, the 39-year old and husband John welcomed their fourth child to the family. in summer jobs, and she was instru mental in the launch of KC 360, a program that brings more than 100 community organizations together to collectively address violence while building trust between the community and the police. It’s not like any of this was unexpected: Klassie flashed her leadership chops while still studying at UMKC, where as student-body president she led to a student-transportation ini tiative that secured bus passes used by 5,000 students weekly, eliminating a major barrier to their attending class. “Being a convener and collaborator is not easy,” she says. “When connections are made, and projects worked on collectively, it is our greatest opportunity for common good.”

ALICIA BECK He was lost to the world nearly a generation before Alicia Beck was even born, but she immediately thinks of

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Kansas City's Business Media

April 2024