Laura McKnight
President and Chief Executive Officer
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation

Laura McKnight is President and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, which dedicated to improving our region’s quality of life. The Community Foundation manages more than $1 billion in assets and, in 2006, its donors granted more than $172 million to charitable causes that are important to them. The Community Foundation is the eighth largest of its kind in the country.

McKnight serves as a board member of the Heartland Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors, the Johnson County Community College Foundation trustees, the Midwest Research Institute board of trustees, the United Community Services board of advisors, and the University of Kansas Edwards Campus advisory board. She is also a past recipient of the Native Sons of Kansas City’s Scout Award recognizing young leaders. Previously she co-chaired the 2000 LEAVE A LEGACYTM campaign, and has served on the University of Kansas School of Law board of governors and the boards of the Mid-America Planned Giving Council, the Mattie Rhodes Center, and the Council on Philanthropy. Prior to joining the Foundation, Laura practiced law at Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP, specializing in estate planning, tax and charitable planning.

A fifth generation Kansas Citian, McKnight graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in philosophy from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and earned her law degree from the University of Kansas, where she served as managing editor of the Kansas Law Review and graduated with honors.