Our Team

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Jeff Shackelford

CEO, President and Executive Director of Mid America Angels

Jeff has a unique and diverse background with a rare combination of Fortune 100 experience coupled with entrepreneurial, start-up and early stage ventures. The ECJC is a 25-year organization with an economic impact of over $3B for our region — supporting and funding early-stage, high-growth potential companies.

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Christina E. Hammond

Controller

Christina joined ECJC in 2021. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of MO – Columbia and her Master’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Keller Graduate School of Management. Prior to joining ECJC, she spent several years at RSM US LLP in Entrepreneurial Services.

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Sherry Turner

EVP of Operations, Founder of OneKC for Women

Sherry serves the Kansas City metropolitan area in a leadership role within ECJC and the OneKC for Women Alliance — Women’s Employment Network, Women’s Business Center, Women’s Capital Connection and Women Lead Initiative — creating financial independence for women.

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Brande Stitt

Director of Entrepreneurship, Executive Director of WBC

Brande creates and implements Entrepreneuship programs, training classes and networking events to assist women-owned companies who plan to start, build, grow or fund their businesses. She also helps develop, mentor and fund kansas city area women-led businesses.

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Rebecca Gubbels

Director - Growth Mentoring Service

Rebecca presently works for the UMKC Small Business & Technology Development Center teaching entrepreneurial classes, doing one-on-one business consulting, and working on special projects for technology start-ups.  She is both an experienced banker and business owner.

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Patty Markley

Director of Policy 

Patty Markley joined the ECJC team in March, 2019 and oversees our Kauffman-funded policy grants.  She is the Principal at Markley Strategies, LLC, a governmental affairs and advocacy consulting firm. 

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Kelly Sievers

Managing Director, Women’s Capital Connection

Kelly spent 18 years in the trenches of retail entrepreneurship prior to joining the Women's Capital Connection. She directs operations of an angel investment group of more than 40 women who invest in women-led companies — from managing deal flow to post-investment management and reporting.

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Ryan MacKinnon

Investment Analyst, MAA

Ryan is an Investment Analyst, Financial Analyst, Consultant with a history of working with high growth businesses. 

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Judy Bumpus

Director of Client Services, Kansas City Women’s Business Center

Judy helps develop, mentor and fund women-led businesses. In her role as Client Services Manager, she provides counseling services for women entrepreneurs and plans and facilitates training classes to assist starting and growing businesses.

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Jenn Hackett

Administrative Assistant and Office Manager

Jenn joined the Enterprise Center in February 2011 after graduating from Pittsburg State University with a degree in Commercial Graphics. She completed an internship with a printing company, Spangler Graphics and also was an eCommerce intern at the Kansas City Sports Commission.

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Lisa R. Brooks, J.D.

Special Projects Manager,
Kansas City WBC

Lisa comes to ECJC with a varied professional background that includes a combination of big law firm and in-house corporate business and intellectual property legal experience. After 20+ years of practicing law, she ventured into personal entrepreneurial ventures, including consulting (for start-ups, early stage ventures, and non-profits) and a secondary business as a published genre fiction author.


Our Board

RUDY BEESE

Chairman
Dentons US LLP

JOHN BRANDMEYER

Cognios Capital LLC

JIM ECHOLS

Renaissance Management and Training Solution, LLP

ED EILERT

Special Director
Johnson County Commission

BETH JONSON

Overland Park Chamber

STEPHANIE MAKALOUS, CTP

CrossFirst Bank

MELEA MCRAE

Crux KC LLC

JAY MESCHKE

EFL Associates

PAUL MORRIS

Bardavon Health Innovations

DAVYEON ROSS

ShotTracker

BRYAN SHANNON

Company Here

MICHELE WEIGAND

Company Here