Joseph Allen is the Executive Director of the Sherman Family Foundation; an organization whose principal mission is to improve Kansas City area schools, and whose work is based on the conviction that education is singular in its ability to address society’s inequalities.

Joe’s life has closely revolved around public education. After graduating from a north St. Louis public high school, and then the University of Missouri – St. Louis, Joe spent 31 years working in four St. Louis area public school districts as a classroom teacher or school administrator. During this time, he also served more than 10 years as an adjunct instructor at several area universities. Nearly five years ago, Joe relocated to the Kansas City area and, wanting to stay active in the educational community, worked for two Kansas City area high schools.

Dan Cranshaw is a litigator at Polsinelli PC, a national law firm headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. A former educator, marketing professional and legislative aide to the late U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), Dan has been included in Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” for the past three years. He has also been selected for Benchmark Litigation, The Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys.

Prior to his legal career, Mr. Cranshaw served as a Director of The Steppingstone Scholars Program and Associated Director of Admissions at both the Belmont High School and Deerfield Academy, with a focus on recruiting and supporting students of color to achieve success in school. In addition to his law practice, Cranshaw is active in the community, serving on several nonprofit boards including Swope Community Enterprises, Swope Health Services, The Salvation Army, and the Urban Neighborhood Initiative.

Carol Hallquist is Founder of PrincipalsConnect, which provides volunteers to urban schools by matching retired professionals with school principals. She created the nonprofit during her year-long fellowship at Harvard’s 2016 Advanced Leadership Initiative. Carol recently retired as President of the Hallmark Corporate Foundation at Hallmark Cards, a role she held for eight years. As Foundation President, Carol provided leadership for Hallmark’s community involvement programs and corporate social responsibility efforts, including sustainability and diversity. Carol began her career at Hallmark in 1984 and held a variety of senior leadership positions including general manager of gift wrap and season cards, leadership of the 5000 store Gold Crown retail network and Vice President of New Ventures.

Carol’s community involvement focuses on education, diversity and women’s leadership. She is currently regional board chair of Teach for America, a Trustee of William Jewell College and a mayoral appointee on the Turn The Page literacy board. Carol served on the boards of the Alliance for Childhood Education, Operation Breakthrough, the Kansas City Chamber’s Executive Women’s Council, UMKC’s Starr Women’s Leadership Council and the Central Exchange. She was the senior leadership sponsor for Hallmark’s Latino employee group for seven years. Carol is a co-founder of the Women’s Capital Connection, an all-women angel investing group. In 2008, she was named one of Kansas City’s most influential women by KC Magazine.

Colleen Hernandez previously led the Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF), a national non-profit whose mission is to guide consumers on the path to sustainable homeownership and financial stability.  She left that position in 2014, having served at the request of both Presidents Bush and Obama as the national hotline for foreclosure prevention.

Prior to HPF, Colleen was the Executive Director of the Kansas City Neighborhood Alliance (KCNA) for 18 years where she worked with neighborhood leaders to ensure their communities were safe, strong and stable places where people were proud to live. In addition to her executive leadership, Ms. Colleen has also served on the Tenth District Federal Reserve Bank board and the national Fannie Mae Foundation board.

After stepping down from HPF, Colleen opened her own consulting firm and serves clients in the areas of leadership development, housing counseling and affordable housing development.

Colleen received both bachelors and master’s degrees from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Mark Larrabee has been President and CEO of Arvest Bank in Kansas City since 2009. He has held leadership positions in various community and regional banks in the Kansas City area dating back to 1984.

As a community banker, Mark has held board and leadership positions with many community organizations which currently include Boys & Girls Clubs, Urban Neighborhood Initiative, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, University of Kansas Medical Center Advancement Board, Metropolitan Community College Foundation, and Midwest Women’s Business Enterprise Council.

Mark earned his undergraduate degree in business from the University of Kansas and an MBA from the University of Missouri.

Tracey is a Senior Vice President at The Commerce Trust Company leading the institutional client development team.  His team helps create strategies that strengthen the Trust Company’s relationships in areas of investment consulting, retirement consulting, and asset management for corporations, unions, public entities, foundations and endowments.  Nearly two decades ago, Tracey started his investment career on Morgan Stanley's trading desk.  Eventually, he relocated to Kansas City with Waddell and Reed in asset management sales and then after five years moved to Commerce Bank.

Tracey's current community affiliations include board service as the Investment Committee Chair with both Truman Medical and the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph.  He has prior board service with the Toigo Foundation Alumni Endowment, ArtsTech, Academie Lafayette, and the NFL 101 Steering Committee in Kansas City.

Tracey earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing and communication at Babson College and his MBA concentrating in finance at Cornell University’s Johnson School.