At their June 2025 meeting, the KCUR Community Advisory Board welcomed four new board members and announced a new board chairperson.
The Community Advisory Board’s purpose is to provide KCUR with information and insight on what the community is thinking regarding significant issues, problems, and needs; to act as a sounding board and provide advice for station initiatives, promotion, programming, and development plans; to assist the station with raising funds to implement such plans; and to advocate on KCUR’s behalf with the University.
As a service of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, KCUR is governed by the Curators of the University of Missouri.
New board members include:
Ebony Reed, Chief Strategy Officer, The Marshall Project
Ebony Reed is the Chief Strategy Officer at The Marshall Project, where she oversees strategic business initiatives to grow audience and revenue for the national news nonprofit that reports on the justice system. She has held senior leadership roles across national and local media, including The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) and The Detroit News, and served as a Senior Consulting Editor at NPR, providing expertise on race and economics coverage for Planet Money.
Reed is also the coauthor of the bestselling HarperCollins book "Fifteen Cents on the Dollar." Throughout her career, she has managed reporting teams, led multimillion-dollar business operations, and developed new revenue streams through partnerships, fundraising, and innovative products. She joins the KCUR Board with deep experience in both editorial and business operations, as well as a commitment to public service journalism.
Edgar Palacios, President & CEO, Latinx Education Collaborative
Edgar J. Palacios is the President & CEO/founder of the Latinx Education Collaborative, a nonprofit, start-up organization that works to increase the representation of Latinx education professionals in K-12. Palacios previously owned a nonprofit consultancy (EJPKC, LLC) and has had the privilege of working with organizations such as Community Builders of Kansas City; Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City; El Centro, Inc.; Show Me KC Schools; and the Kauffman Foundation.
Edgar served as Executive Director of Blue Hills Community Services (BHCS), a community development corporation situated in the heart of Kansas City’s urban core and led BHCS through a merger with Swope Community Builders.
Agnes Otto, Transportation Director, Burns & McDonnell
Otto describes herself as hyper-focused on mentorship and professional development, helping to build career trajectories and advance the Transportation Group’s vision at Burns & McDonnell. In her role as transportation director, she lives out that passion while also managing client development, strategic direction and project execution. Otto has more than three decades of experience in engineering management, operations, business development, communications and applied technology.
Prior to joining Burns & McDonnell, she led a multistate regional transportation practice, where she was responsible for growth and delivery of engineering and planning services.
Robert Riccardi, Principal, DRAW Architecture
As principal at DRAW Architecture, Riccardi inspires clients and teammates alike with his conviction that smart design truly makes a difference and that every project holds the potential for a positive impact. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects, accredited by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, and is a LEED-accredited professional. He is a proud member of the 43rd Kansas City Civic Council’s KC Tomorrow leadership program cohort.
He is also a founding member of the Pitch Perfect Collaborative, a not-for-profit development group whose mission is to restore the family home of baseball legend, Satchel Paige, located in the historic Santa Fe Neighborhood of Kansas City.
New board chair Laura Clark
The Board also unanimously voted to approve the tenure of a new board chair. Laura Clark is an accomplished Chief People Officer and Executive Vice President at the News Press & Gazette.
She has a strong background in strategic communications, marketing research, and brand development. A former journalist turned C-suite strategist, Clark's career began in newsrooms, where she rose to become one of the youngest news directors in the country.
She now applies that same passion for storytelling and engagement to helping businesses grow through strong leadership and innovation.
Clark succeeds Pete Browne, President of Kissick Construction, whose term as chair ended this June.
More information about KCUR's Community Advisory Board can be found here.
