Deborah (Debbie) Wilkerson is president and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. With more than 3,000 individual funds under its umbrella—ranging in size from a few thousand dollars to tens of millions of dollars—the Community Foundation helps its donors organize their generosity, offering tools and services for a better way to give. The Community Foundation values integrity, respect, passion for serving its donors, and innovation, recognizing that every gift, whether $25 or $25 million, makes a difference in the lives of others.

The Community Foundation serves donors throughout the entire Kansas City area and beyond. The Community Foundation ranks in the top ten among the more than 700 community foundations in the country, a position it has held since 1999. In 2010 alone, the Community Foundation’s donors granted more than $245 million to the charitable causes that meant the most to them. The Community Foundation is fortunate to serve a region that is one of the most generous in the nation. Indeed, Kansas City’s high income households give nearly twice as much to charity as the national average.

Debbie earned her B.A. in psychology from the University of Kansas. She graduated with highest distinctions and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.   She received her J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law, where she was elected as a member of the Order of the Coif and served as managing editor of the Kansas Law Review.  Prior to joining the Community Foundation, Debbie was an attorney with the law firm of Shook, Hardy & Bacon where she focused on estate planning and charitable planned giving. Debbie served in a variety of roles at the Community Foundation, including general counsel and COO, before assuming the role of president and CEO in 2012.

Debbie is married to Kevin Wilkerson. They have four wonderful and busy children.