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Gary Jones, Jr.

KC 360 Manager

Gary brings more than seven years of experience to KC Common Good in public administration, community organizing, and juvenile justice in Kansas City, Michigan, and Arkansas. Most recently, Gary served Kansas City as its Community Engagement Coordinator and led the city’s first Office of Citizen Engagement, dedicated to educating and connecting residents to city services, public grants, and increasing capacity for neighborhoods. Through his work with the Office of Citizen Engagement, he made connections across Kansas City as the all-inclusive resource for residents to learn about city financing and grants, transparently communicating about the progress of major public programs.

Gary holds a Bachelor of Arts in social sciences from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he sits on the boards for Lyrik’s Institution, chair of the Social Action Committee for Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Beta Omega chapter, and the Midwest chapter of the International Association for Public Participation.

CYNTHIA WATTREE

Project Manager

Cynthia Wattree, an innovative leader and founder of Conscious Leadership Collective and its sister company, The Family Architect, is KC Common Good’s Project Manager, driving impactful change in violence prevention. With a proven track record as a Principal in Hickman Mills Schools, she orchestrated a paradigm shift that reduced discipline referrals by an impressive 60%. Cynthia’s commitment to human-centered approaches shines through her work as a Leadership/DE&I Consultant, co-facilitating transformative development for major teams like Google and YouTube.

With a Master’s in Education, Cynthia’s passion for creating inclusive, diverse, and equitable spaces fuels her role as a University Supervisor, guiding aspiring educators toward holistic growth. Her collaborative spirit extends to Open Boat Editing, where she consults on organizational and structural change, enhancing workflow efficiency.

In her role at KC Common Good, Cynthia synergizes her transformative education background with a keen understanding of community dynamics. She is serving the KC 360 violence reduction collaborative, expanding youth opportunities, and administering the Common Good Fund. Cynthia’s leadership is a beacon for those seeking a human-centered, collaborative, and results-driven approach to violence prevention.

ERIC SCHUMACHER

Community Impact Manager

Eric joins KC Common Good with more than seven years’ experience in nonprofit fundraising and grant writing, working with a diverse group of organizations in the Kansas City region and beyond. In his most recent role with Kansas City Scholars, he secured more than $1 million in grant funding and introduced new opportunities for future development.

Eric brings strong expertise in philanthropy development at the local, regional and national levels to his role as Community Impact Manager. His previous grant applications have resulted in nearly $4 million in fundraising from a variety of private, corporate, and public entities.

Eric holds a Master of Public Administration as well as bachelor’s degrees in political science and creative writing, all from the University of Kansas. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri with his wife and Boston Terrier, Norman.

Jeffrey J. Simon

Chairman of the Board

Jeffrey J. Simon is the managing partner at Husch Blackwell’s Kansas City office. As an associate of the firm since 1993, he represents Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders in trademark, trade dress, copyright, patent and trade secret cases, often involving valuable company assets that require the highest level of protection. He has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for KC Common since January 2023, leading the board in their efforts to bring the Kansas City Community together to reduce violence in our city.

Darren Faulkner

Program Manager

As KC Common Good’s Program Manager, Rev. Darren Faulkner develops new initiatives that strengthen community ties and improve the lives of Kansas Citians who are impacted by violence. He brings an abundance of both personal and professional experience to the role, including over 15 years of experience in violence prevention. Most recently, Rev. Darren served as the Director of Community Engagement for the Kansas City No Violence Alliance, where he honed his talents for developing partnerships dedicated to reducing violent crime. He leads with his faith first, showing compassion, care and empathy to understand and uplift the vulnerable community members he serves. Building these relationships and fostering understanding is at the core of both Rev. Faulkner’s skillset and KC Common Good’s mission to address the root causes of violence. In his role as Program Manager, He is responsible for leading KC 360, an anti-violence crime prevention collective providing real-time solutions to reduce gun violence through a collaborative approach.

In addition to serving at KC Common Good, Rev. Faulkner is a national consultant with the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The Virginia-based non-profit corporation works to foster thoughtful, progressive police leadership to create safer communities. In this role, Rev. Faulkner consults with cities around the country to help bridge the gap between communities and law enforcement and to offer faith-based support. Rev. Faulkner’s areas of focus include engaging the faith community around violence reduction, program administration and implementation and project management. Outside of the office, you can find Rev. Faulkner on his motorcycle, which he often takes out for a ride when the weather is nice.

Klassie Alcine

CEO

As CEO of KC Common Good, Klassie Alcine brings a wealth of knowledge from her unique background and experience as a political consultant, crisis management expert, non-profit executive, and successful entrepreneur.

She is a multifaceted public servant dedicated to uniting communities, joyful leadership and conscious action for Greater Kansas City. Before joining KC Common Good, she was the director of corporate and community partnerships at Central Exchange, where she managed community relationships, expanded corporate partnerships, and supported marketing strategies to empower Kansas City leaders. She holds a master’s in public administration with an emphasis in urban administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Henry W. Bloch School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and criminal justice from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Klassie is an entrepreneurship scholar from the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and has a professional certificate in nonprofit fundraising from the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership.

Adam McClun

Director of Programs & Operations

Adam comes to KC Common Good from the Harry J. Lloyd Charitable Trust having served as a Program Officer. He oversaw a program that is developing diverse, emerging leaders within Kansas City organizations and directed grantmaking strategies locally and internationally. Prior to the foundation, he served as a community organizer in Kansas City and the Chicago area. Driving more inclusive community and economic development initiatives, he amplified marginalized voices, forged public and private collaboration, and convened wide varieties of stakeholders.

McClun holds a Master of Divinity with an emphasis in cross-cultural partnerships from Trinity International University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Studies from Iowa State University. Adam lives in Kansas City, Missouri with his wife, and two children.

Board of Directors & Staff

Board of Directors & Staff

Staff

Klassie Alcine

Adam McClun

Eric Schumacher

Gary Jones, Jr.

Jeffrey J. Simon