Meet our new Project Coordinator, Abigail Walden!

I’ve been based in Kansas City since 2014 when I moved here to study Early Childhood Education at UMKC. In the program, I had the privilege of spending time in Kansas City Public School classrooms through practicums which gave me the opportunity to work alongside and learn from some incredibly talented and devoted educators.

Before graduating, I began working for Girl Scouts as a Team Lead for their Outreach Program that provides leaders for troop meetings during after-school programs in public schools on the Missouri and Kansas side of the city. I decided that instead of teaching, I wanted to work for a nonprofit that either supports education in schools or provides additional opportunities for kids to learn and play.

Since graduating, I have worked at Wonderscope Children’s Museum in Kansas City, and I was also a Customer Care Specialist and later a Troop Experience Manager at Girl Scouts. Most recently, I was the Grant Writer for Phoenix Family in Kansas City, and the program I wrote for most was their after-school literacy program. My past positions have given me a variety of experiences, but they have always been with organizations focused on improving and enriching the lives of children.

I started working on a Master of Public Administration in January of 2019 primarily interested in learning about nonprofit fundraising and management, but after taking several policy courses, I graduated in May of 2022 eager to find a position with an organization involved in policymaking. Throughout my master’s program, I frequently looked for opportunities to incorporate education or child wellbeing nonprofits into projects, and in one policy-focused class I wrote about the importance of child development accounts in Missouri which aligns with Kids Win Missouri’s policy priorities. I’m so excited to be in a position that utilizes my nonprofit experience as an administrative professional, fundraiser, and background in education to support Kids Win Missouri’s policymaking and outreach efforts!

Though I do not have children of my own, my spouse and I have two dogs and two cats, plus we are fortunate that our two- and five-year-old nieces live in town. I play violin in the Kansas City Civic Orchestra and serve as secretary of their board of directors, and I play in a string quartet that meets to play for fun every couple of weeks. I’ve also started collecting different varieties of Philodendrons in the last couple of years, and I love to read in my free time. 

I will be working with the board and providing fundraising and administrative support, but you’ll also see me in workgroup and coalition meetings! If you need anything from me, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at awalden@kidswinmissouri.org.