Staff Directory List | KCMO.gov

Kansas City is proud to announce the city’s first Chief Equity Officer, LaDonna McCullough. This new position will provide City Hall with dedicated leadership to focus on equity, inclusion, and diversity.

In this new position, McCullough will lead efforts to review and revise policies which will promote equity and equality within Kansas City’s internal structure and throughout the city. This includes regular collaboration with internal departments and the leadership of a task force established by the City Manager to ensure that the city is using innovative approaches to address race and equity. Though this comes with many technical steps, “willingness to understand what is needed, be intentional in all efforts to learn from stakeholders, and work transparently to implement culturally responsive evidence-based actionable progress is key,” McCullough explains. “To sustain a transformative and equitable city culture, cultivating trusting relationships is imperative, because everyone—no matter their position—is essential!”

McCullough is currently finishing her interdisciplinary PhD in Educational Leadership Policy & Foundations, Disability Leadership, and Social Science Consortium at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, where she also earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In addition, McCullough has led and consulted on Diversity , Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) for nonprofits, educational institutions, and government entities throughout the country.