Janet Miles-Bartee has been named Executive Vice President of the Local Investment Commission (LINC) – a major Kansas City, Missouri, non-profit serving children, families, and neighborhoods in Jackson, Clay, and Platte counties.

This is a newly created position.

 “Janet has deep connections in the community and is extraordinarily capable and deeply committed to the work,” said Gayle Hobbs, LINC President and Chief Executive Officer.

Miles-Bartee has worked for LINC since 2000, initially as a LINC Caring Communities site coordinator — a school/community-based position that serves not only children attending the schools but also their families and neighborhood. 

The new position includes broad internal and external responsibilities.

“LINC does many extraordinary things to help so many different communities in so many different ways,” said Miles-Bartee. “There is much to do.”

LINC is large-scale social services organization involved in workforce development, employment, and family engagement and provides important services to children and families through its Caring Communities initiative.

LINC’s services are provided in Jackson, Cass, Clay, Platte and Ray counties but also include a virtual online statewide school for court-involved young people. 

Since 2016, Miles-Bartee has been the Caring Communities Administrator responsible for 52 Caring Communities sites in six school districts — Kansas City, Hickman Mills, Center, Grandview, Fort Osage and North Kansas City — and two charter schools.

The LINC partner school districts have a combined enrollment of 52,000. Over 71% of LINC students qualify for free and reduced lunch, a measure of family need.

The Caring Communities initiative includes social services and supports to children and families through food distributions, utility assistance, and household access to distance learning and technology assistance in addition to after-school programs.

Those needs have expanded significantly over the past year due to COVID-19 and its impact on employment, household income, and student learning.

Most recently, Miles-Bartee has been leading a COVID-19 vaccination site at the Morning Star Youth and Family Life Center at 27th St. and Prospect Ave. in partnership with the Missouri National Guard, Kansas City Fire Department, and Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church.

The community center is located in a vaccination desert. Approximately 12,000 vaccines have been administered as of the end of March. The vaccine site is operating six days a week.