Wendy Guillies is CEO of the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, one of the largest private foundations in the U.S. Late last month she led a masters class for CoJMC students called "Leading from the middle: Career Lessons from a Communicator-Turned-CEO.”
CoJMC hosted the master class with Jacht, our student-run advertising agency. Senior advertising and public relations student and Jacht’s Director of Public Relations Jamie Brunken attended the master class.
Her main takeaway from Guillie’s presentation was the importance of utilizing the fact that she grew up and went to college in the Midwest as an advantage while she’s looking for a career after graduation.
"I really enjoyed hearing Wendy share her story and talk about how she got to where she is today,” Brunken said. “In the Midwest, our work ethic and determination is something we pride ourselves on, so using that to sell yourself is one way to stand out."
You can watch her talk "Leading from the middle: Career Lessons from a Communicator-Turned-CEO" and read her bio below.
Wendy Guillies bio
The Kauffman Foundation, is one of the largest private foundations in the United States with $2.4 billion in assets. Guillies leads the Foundation’s work to boost student achievement in Kansas City and to accelerate entrepreneurship across the country. Before becoming CEO, she played an instrumental role in building the Foundation's local, national, and global reputation as a thought leader and innovator in its fields.
Guillies serves on the boards of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, MRI Global, Saint Luke’s South Hospital, Folience, and the Enterprise Bank Advisory Board. She is a member of the Kansas City Civic Council. The Kansas City Business Journal has named her to the annual Power 100 list since 2016 and she was selected for the Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business program in 2017.
