DeAngela Burns-Wallace, Ed.D, was appointed chief executive officer and president of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City effective August 7.
She succeeds Susan Chambers, who has been interim president since September 2022. Chambers will return to her position on the board of trustees.
Burns-Wallace’s experience includes the public sector, foreign affairs, and higher education. She began her career as a diplomat working for the U.S. State Department, with assignments in China, South Africa, and Washington D.C. She was trained in French and Mandarin Chinese.
She shifted to higher education where she worked across multiple institutions leading admissions and access initiatives, undergraduate education oversight, and diversity, equity, and inclusion leadership.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly recruited her to join her cabinet within Kansas state government as the secretary of administration and the chief information technology officer. Burns-Wallace was the first African American in the state’s history to hold either cabinet seat.
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, she recently stepped down from that position after four years to return to academia, most recently holding a faculty appointment at the University of Southern California. She has also been consulting with nonprofits and higher education institutions, as well as serving as a life member on the Council on Foreign Relations and on the Stanford University Board of Trustees.
Burns-Wallace has worked to create equitable and broader access to opportunities, shaped policies that expand resources, and better positioned communities to thrive intellectually, economically, and civically.
She had a 15-year career in higher education, serving at University of Kansas as vice provost for undergraduate education, University of Missouri as assistant vice provost of undergraduate education and assistant vice provost for enrollment management, and at Stanford University as an assistant dean of undergraduate admissions.
She held board roles in numerous local, regional, and national organizations including the College Board and Heart of Missouri United Way. She is also a member of numerous organizations focused on service and philanthropic engagement including Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority Inc., Jack and Jill of America – Johnson County Chapter, and The Sister Circle.
Burns-Wallace has received numerous honors and awards, most recently as 2022 Kansas City CIO of the Year – Public Sector. Previous honors include the 2018 White House Champions of Change for College Opportunity and Superior and Meritorious Honor awards from the U.S. State Department.
DeAngela holds a dual bachelor’s degree in international relations and African American studies from Stanford University, a Master in Public Affairs from Princeton University, and a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania. She currently holds a faculty appointment at the University of Southern California.
