Linda

“Service to me has been both a philosophy of leadership as well as a guide for daily life. The latter has become more intense with age and has seemed even more important after retirement. At this point in our lives, we have more disposable time and a rich variety of experiences (and hopefully wisdom) that can be translated into service opportunities.”

Linda could have easily relaxed after her retirement; she had worked for more than 30 years and was the Ewing Marion Kauffman Endowed Chair of Teacher Education and Dean of the School of Education at UMKC, where she founded the Institute for Urban Education. She had already received numerous awards for her work, including the US Department of Education Leadership Award and the Outstanding Professor Award. But since her retirement in 2009, Linda has been as busy as ever, serving three terms on the board for The Children’s Place and as a board member for the Community Services League. She was a founding member of the board for Project Excel and served 12 years on the Community Advisory Board for KCUR. She’s also active in the Emeritus College and the Retirees Board at UMKC. Linda and her husband John just celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary and have two adult sons and five grandchildren.