A Center Celebration is the marquee event each year for the Center Education Foundation. Over $45,000 was raised at the 2023 event, which will support teacher grants for the 2023-24 school year. 

Our next celebration is Friday, April 5, 2024 at Starlight Theater. 

Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information.

2023 Distinguished Alumni Award presented to

David Young (1980) and Bart Edgerton (1993)

David Young is the U.S. Ambassador to Malawi. He heads the U.S. Embassy in the southern African country, which has more than 350 staff and promotes U.S. interests and programs focused on democracy and good governance, economic growth and trade, and health and education. He is a career Foreign Service Officer who has worked for the U.S. Department of State since 1989. He previously served in Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa, including assignments in Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Vietnam, Guatemala and Panama. He also served in the State Department Operations Center, the Office of International Religious Freedom, and the Office of the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan. 

Over the past ten years David has helped lead U.S. embassies in African countries. In Zambia, he helped support a peaceful transition of power following the recent presidential election. He also helped gain the release from prison of LGBTQ+ persons and supported the life-saving work of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. In Nigeria he helped support religious freedom and mediation of interfaith conflicts, and he organized movement of internally displaced persons from areas affected by violence and terrorism. In South Africa he promoted trade and investment with U.S. companies.

David is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church and has served in volunteer roles in churches around the world as he and his family moved to different countries. Prior to overseas postings, he volunteered as a Big Brother (in Big Brothers Big Sisters of America program) while living in the D.C. area.

David is married to Diane Weisz Young, and they are proud parents of Paul (27) and Sarah (25). He is a die-hard fan of Patrick Mahomes and the KC Chiefs, as well as his alma mater Missouri Tigers. David was a clear choice for this Award!

Bart Edgerton exudes mentoring and leadership skills, highlighted by the various positions he holds, or has held, throughout his work and volunteer experiences. From being taught to teaching, Bart has had a positive impact on people’s lives.  After losing his brother, Andy, Center class of 1996, Bart made a commitment to support a cure for pancreatic cancer as an active volunteer.  His current position at Ernst and Young is in, you guessed it, leadership and serves as an Associate Director, Center for Board Matters, Americas. He is on the advisory board of the Sorkin Center, which works to improve the work of not-for-profit boards.

Bart’s other work experience has been with the National Association of Corporate Directors, where he served as Associate Director in the Governance Analytics and Products area. He led the product innovation, consulting/advisory content and data-based insight teams to come up with innovative solutions for more than 22,000 US-based corporate directors and their boards for their most pressing challenges. Bart holds a BA from Colgate University, a PhD from the London School of Economics, and for several years was an adjunct faculty member of the Tufts University political science department. His numerous other experiences, articles/blogs he’s written, and various volunteer offerings made it easy to select Bart for this Award!

Left to right - Jeannie Apel, Caroline Apel, Laura Apel, Brett Apel, Foundation Board Chair Bill Gotfredson, Carol DiRaimo, and Dr. William Baskin.

Auction

The silent auction allowed guests to bid on 116 different items, including from sports memorabilia (including lots of Chiefs stuff celebrating their Super Bowl LVII victory), works of art, dining experiences, wine, party baskets, and kid's activities. The top selling item was a commemorative football autographed by Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.