MATTHEW BEEM

A native of Independence, Missouri, Matthew Beem, 38, is president of Hartsook Companies, Inc., one of the largest fundraising consulting firms in the country. He joined Hartsook nearly seven years ago and has been president since 2002. Though he was brought up by two not-for-profit professionals, and had an eye for philanthropy from a young age, Beem pursued a degree in journalism at the University of Missouri–Columbia, graduating in 1991. “I said what are my strengths? I can write, I can talk, and I have an interest in the news. Journalism will be a good degree for me.” He spent his early career with the Heart of America Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Community of Christ World Headquarters, and later UMKC, where he earned his master’s of public administration from the Bloch School in 1995. While he is committed to non-profits in a professional capacity, he devotes his free time to the Boy Scouts, Christ United Methodist Church of Independence, and professional organizations like the Association of Fundraising Professionals National Research Council. He is a current doctoral candidate in organizational behavior at UMKC.”

JENNIFER BOREN

Some professionals take years of soul-searching to find their calling, but Jennifer Boren, 39, is not among that set. The vice president of information technology for Ferrellgas recalls her first programming class in the ninth grade: “It was then I decided that’s what my career was going to be. I fell in love with it. I begged my parents to get me a computer.” Raised in Wichita, Boren earned a degree in management from Pittsburg State University in 1991. She oversees all IT activity at Ferrellgas, as well as the Ferrell North America supply division which supports the Ferrellgas retail locations. After hours, IT practices are never far from her mind. For the last two years, she has been active with the Kansas City local interest group of itSMF (IT Service Management Forum). And while the concept of IT can be confusing for the average office employee, Boren stays
on top of the best IT practices, and relies on teamwork to see each day flow smoothly. “I am lucky that my management team is extremely effective and good at their jobs. They keep the day to day things working well, they allow me the time to focus on where we want to head.”.

CARALYN BRACE

Originally from Westchester County, New York, Caralyn Brace, 39, earned her
undergraduate degree in political science at Lake Forest College in Illinois and her graduate degree in business from Georgetown University. In 2002, she joined Computer Sciences Corporation, a global consulting, outsourcing and systems integration firm that helps its clients capitalize on technology. She relocated to serve as managing director of the Kansas City office, responsible for all of Kansas and the western half of Missouri, where approximately 600 CSC employees are based. “I’ve always been interested in consulting and problem-solving, which is really what consulting is,” Brace says. “Consultants are brought in to assess a unique situation and provide an external viewpoint of options for a solution.” Brace has served as a mentor and a board member for Capital Partners for Education, an organization that provides scholarships and opportunities for enrichment to lowincome youth in Washington D.C. Locally, she contributes to Harvesters and Big Brothers and Sisters, and plans to seek out further involvement with young people. A newlywed, Brace (now Brace-Mowry) reflects, “Kansas City delivers an amazing quality of life and everything that you could possibly need in a community.”

MICHAEL BROWN

Like all the officers of the Bank of Kansas City, Michael Brown, 38, participates on a board level in local charities. Through these organizations, he has used his financial expertise to benefit the community. As assistant treasurer for the Rose Brooks Center, he helped establish an endowment to hire a chaplain and will continue in management as treasurer next year. At the Bishop Sullivan Center, he planned a no-interest loan program for families to buy cars and other necessities. Born in eastern Jackson County, raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and a communications graduate of UMKC, Brown first entered the banking world as a teller in 1989. He had amassed ten years of full-time banking experience and earned his M.B.A., also from UMKC, when he joined BOK Financial two years ago. A senior vice president, Brown is part of the executive management team establishing the new market presence of BOK in Kansas City, namely, the Bank of Kansas City, which opened about a year and a half ago. “What I do is portfolio management and institutional investments for corporations, municipalities, and non profits,” Brown says. “I am really excited to work in this capacity for the bank, doing great things professionally. I hope to leave my handprints on the city.”