IWPA 2025 Speakers

Keynote: DeAngela Burns-Wallace, Ed.D.

Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace is president and chief executive officer of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography.

Working across the public service, academic, and philanthropic sectors, Dr. Burns-Wallace carries a career commitment to enriching and strengthening equitable economic mobility for all. With Ewing Kauffman’s vision serving as the centerpiece for the Kauffman Foundation, Dr. Burns-Wallace guided a comprehensive community engagement process to solidify the foundation’s enduring bond with Kansas City and renew its focus on college access and completion, workforce and career development, and entrepreneurship.

Prior to joining the Kauffman Foundation, Dr. Burns-Wallace was 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’s career in higher education included serving as vice provost for at University of Kansas, assistant vice provost at the University of Missouri, and assistant dean at Stanford University. She began her career as a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, serving tours in China, South Africa, and in Washington D.C.

While her career has taken Dr. Burns-Wallace around the world, she has never been far from the neighborhoods of Kansas City where she was raised and drew inspiration for leading a life of service. DeAngela’s most important title is mom to her son, Xavier.