Greater Kansas City Chapter
Welcome to the page for the Association of Black Women in Higher Education’s newest Chapter, Greater Kansas City! We are honored and delighted to take part in upholding the mission of the national organization. Founded in April 2024 with 17 charter members, the Greater Kansas City Chapter seeks to build personal and professional growth by providing a platform for collaborative opportunities, mentorship, networking opportunities, and student engagement.
We open our doors to members from higher education, K-12 education, and non-profit educational organizations, to foster relationships with educators and personnel who have a role in encouraging students to consider and pursue higher education. We look forward to meeting and working with you in our efforts to empower Black Women in higher education at the local and national level!
In Sisterhood and Gratitude,
Dr. Kimberly D. Johnson
President, ABWHE-GKC
Chapter Leadership
Dr. Kimberly D. Johnson
Kansas City Chapter President
Executive Committee Chair
Dr. Kimberly D. Johnson joined ABWHE in 2019 and recently served as the National Secretary. She is a founding member of ABWHE’s Virtual Chapter and Greater Kansas City Chapter, and currently serves as the President of ABWHE-GKC. Her committee involvement at the National level includes Conference Planning and Chapter Development.
Doris C. Agwu
Kansas City Chapter Vice President
Doris C. Agwu is the Assistant Dean for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. In this role, she collaborates with other senior leaders to create new DEI initiatives, cultivates community engagement projects, and coordinates new and existing retention and admission initiatives. She is an alumna of the University of Missouri – Columbia and remains connected to her alma mater by serving as the President Emeritus of the Mizzou Black Alumni Network, chairing the Awards and Recognition Committee for the Griffiths Leadership Society for Women, and serving on the Mizzou Alumni Association Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Service is a passion of hers, so she remains involved in the community as an Advisory Board member of the Midwest Transplant Network and a member of the DEI Committee at BioNexus KC. She is a proud chartering member of the Central Missouri (MO) chapter of The Links, Incorporated and is currently a member of the Jackson County (MO) Chapter of the Links, Incorporated.
Tracey Hughes
Kansas City Chapter Secretary
Tracey Hughes is a Teaching & Learning Librarian and the Director of Inclusive Engagement for the University Libraries at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She has several years of experience as Secretary of the Librarians’ Council faculty governance group at UMKC. Tracey has also served as Web Editor for the Midcontinental Chapter of the Medical Library Association (MCMLA), and she volunteered in numerous roles with the Kansas City Roller Warriors flat-track roller derby league, with most recent service as Chair of KCRW’s Board of Directors. For more than a decade, she has helped to organize and host the University Libraries’ annual African American Read-In, a celebration founded by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in 1989. In her spare time, Tracey enjoys tracing her family tree, and she is currently writing a chapter for an upcoming edited work on documenting family information.
Keichanda Dees-Burnett
Kansas City Chapter Treasurer
Financial Affairs Committee Chair
Keichanda Dees-Burnett is the Assistant Dean of Students and Director of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs at UMKC. In her role(s) she is responsible for leading and assisting university efforts around student retention and engagement. She holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration. She has been recognized for her work on campus as a recipient of The African American Student Union’s (TAASU) Joseph Seabrooks, Jr. Leadership Award for Exceptional Dedication (2009), Service & Empowerment to the UMKC Community and the UMKC Human Resources’ Campus Collaboration Staff Award (2015), and UMKC Living the Values Award (2024).
Jameilla Robinson
Kansas City Chapter Financial Secretary
Programming Committee Chair
Jameilla J. Robinson works as the Program Coordinator for KCSourceLink and MOSourceLink at UMKC's Innovation Center. She serves as a member of Habitat for Humanity's Homeowner Services Committee and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for the Kansas City Regional Association of REALTORS ®. She also serves as the Marketing Chair and Entrepreneurship Engagement Chair for the National Congress of Black Women, Inc-Kansas City Chapter, as well as the Founding President for their Collegiate Chapter. When she's not serving her community, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, watching documentaries with her husband, and pursuing her interest of producing all forms of media.
Committee Chairs
Whitney Vaughn
Kansas City Chapter
College Student Engagement Committee Chair
Membership Committee Co-Chair
My name is Whitney Vaughn, and I am the Launchpad Program Director at the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at UMKC! Launchpad is a renewable scholarship and I assist all of the undergraduate business scholars with career readiness and professional development. I believe in developing effective LEADERS to enrich the lives of the people and communities we serve. I am excited to share my knowledge and expertise! Fun fact about me: I have an identical twin sister; Brittany. She lives in Dallas and is also a member of the GCKC Chapter!! 😊
Chanté Evans
Kansas City Chapter
Communications Committee Chair
Chanté Evans works as an Academic Support Coordinator for UMKC's Supplemental Instruction and Tutoring programs. She also serves as one of the Assistant Directors of the International Center for Supplemental Instruction. Chanté has a passion for education, collaboration, and building relationships with students, faculty, and staff alike. Her side passions revolve around using social media as a creative medium for sharing information. Regarding her role within ABWHE's Greater Kansas City chapter, she will be tasked with creating and maintaining a strong social media presence as well as working with the appropriate parties to share the benefits of being in an organization like this one.
Latoya Woods
Kansas City Chapter
Membership Committee Co-Chair
Latoya joined ABWHE as a novice professor in 2019 with the initial goal of engaging in mentorship opportunities. She is passionate about networking and collaboration for personal and professional growth. She continues to serve others by assisting them to improve their overall wellbeing in her practice as a family nurse practitioner.
Dr. Lover Chancler
Kansas City Chapter
Nominations & Elections Committee Chair
Dr. Chancler is the Director of the Center for Multiculturalism and Inclusivity and an Adjunct Associate professor at the University of Central Missouri in the Human Development and Family Science Department. She is the Principal Investigator for the University’s SIP Title III grant. Co-Author of Culture Diversity in Family Life Education 1st and 2nd ed. Cognella, Inc. Dr. Chancler received her PhD in Human Ecology with a specialization in Family Studies from Kansas State University. She is also the owner of Role Model Consulting, LLC., a holistic look at DEI and effective communication and implementation of initiatives. Role Model Consulting LLC provides training using a holistic approach in tailored cultural climate change, effective communication and out of the box solutions to organizations, schools, universities, and businesses.