IN-PERSON | CEO Series with REACH's Brenda Sharpe

The CEO Series, originally established in 2001, offers members and guests the opportunity to connect with Kansas City CEOs as they share their leadership journeys, insights from their business experiences, and the latest business trends. Whether you're looking to enhance your personal and professional performance or simply hear from top industry leaders, this is an event you won't want to miss!

Brenda Sharpe is President and CEO of the REACH Healthcare Foundation, having served in that capacity since 2004. The foundation works to advance health equity by improving access to coverage and care for underserved communities in the Kansas City region. With over 30 years of nonprofit leadership experience and a master’s degree in Counselor Education, Brenda focuses on strengthening the leadership and governance capacity of organizations to support resilient people and communities. She believes business sector involvement is critical to advancing health equity and sound public policy.

Brenda serves on the Kansas City Federal Reserve Community Development Advisory Board and the Johnson County Community College Foundation Board. She previously served on the Boards of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Grantmakers in Health, Mosaic Life Care, the United Way of Greater Kansas City, and the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts. Her civic involvement includes appointments to the Kansas State Board of Nursing, Healthy Kansans 2020 Steering Committee, the Kansas Health Insurance Exchange Steering Committee, and the Kansas Attorney General’s Crime Victims’ Rights and Human Trafficking Grants Review Boards.

Brenda has received numerous honors, including the Kansas City Business Journal’s Power 100 (2015–2019), its Women of Influence Class of 2020, the Urban League’s Difference Maker Award in 2015, and the Ben Craig Vision Award from the Overland Park Economic Development Council in 2025. In 2021, she served on the Johnson County Charter Commission and, as co-chair of ForwardOP, helped lead a 20-year visioning initiative for her city of nearly 200,000 residents.