Downtown Council Announces 2023-24 Officers

Dr. Kimberly Beatty

The Downtown Council of Kansas City Board of Directors elected new officers at its Annual Meeting on Thursday, November 2. Dr. Kimberly Beatty, Chancellor of Metropolitan Community Colleges, will chair the organization. Dr. Beatty has been Vice Chair for three years and is also the Vice Chair of Vision Advancement for the Imagine Downtown KC Committee which is charged with the implementation of Downtown’s 2030 Strategic Plan.

The 2023-24 First Vice Chair is Gib Kerr, Managing Director Kansas City for Cushman Wakefield and Second Vice Chair is Jason Parson, President and CEO of Parson + Associates.

Christopher Briggs, Assurance Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers returns as Treasurer.  Mike Klamm, Senior Vice President at CBRE completed his term as Chair and continues as the Immediate Past Chair.

New to the leadership team is Paul Neidlein, President – Midwest Region at JE Dunn Construction as Third Vice Chair.  Neidlein also chairs the Downtown Council’s Membership Committee and the 2024 Annual Luncheon.

Paul Neidlein

Elizabeth Danforth will be the new Secretary; she also has been active on the Downtown Council’s Greenline and Human Services Committees. As Director of Evergy’s Corporate Social Impact, Danforth leads the Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility including Community Relations, Customer Affairs, Evergy Connect Centers and Sustainability teams.

Elizabeth Danforth

The Downtown Council is thrilled to work with this esteemed group of leaders to guide our many initiatives including the South Loop Project, Downtown KC Ballpark District, Greenline, Downtown KC Office Summit and more as we implement Imagine Downtown, our 2030 Strategic Plan.