DeAngela Burns-Wallace

Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace is president and chief executive officer of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. With more than 2.5 billion dollars in assets, the Kauffman Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the U.S. and focuses its work on providing equitable economic mobility for all.

For more than 25 years, Dr. Burns-Wallace’s leadership has opened greater access to opportunities, shaped policies that expand resources, and better positioned communities to thrive.

Service is a cornerstone of Dr. Burns-Wallace’s journey.

This includes a 15-year career in higher education serving at the University of Kansas, the University of Missouri, and her undergraduate alma-mater, Stanford University. From there, she served as the secretary of administration and the chief information technology officer for the State of Kansas under Governor Laura Kelly. She was the first African American to hold either cabinet seat in the state’s history.

Dr. Burns-Wallace is an award-winning public sector leader and educator, recognized for her ability to envision and implement impactful, innovative, data-informed solutions in complex organizations.

For her, it is a special opportunity to pour her talent and experience into the mission of the Kauffman Foundation. She continues her commitment to serve by working with the community so that, together, we can create long-lasting, positive change in her hometown, and make Kansas City a national model for economic mobility.

Above all Dr. Burns-Wallace’s numerous titles, honors, and awards, she says her most important title is mom to her son, Xavier.