Kansas City attorney Shawn Foster has been named the next chair of LINC, a major Missouri non-profit serving children, families and neighborhoods in Kansas City and an 11-county surrounding area.

The LINC Commission unanimously selected Foster at its Feb. 25, 2025, meeting. Foster succeeds co-chairs David Disney and Ken Powell, who remain on the commission.

“Ken and I are in agreement the time has come to pass the gavel,” Disney said at the meeting.

Powell said the change comes at a critical time with the rapid changes in the political environment, and that he is confident that Foster and LINC President and CEO Janet Miles-Bartee will help LINC continue to build important partnerships in the work of Caring Communities.

“There are tough choices ahead,” Powell said. “As we look to the future, Shawn and Janet will provide the leadership we need.”

Foster said he is “deeply honored” by the appointment, “recognizing the great history and impactful work of LINC.”

He expressed gratitude to Disney and Powell, saying LINC “flourished under their leadership.” And he promised to “continue the vital mission with accountability and transparency . . . highlighting the effective model that sets LINC apart from other non-profits.”

Foster, who joined the LINC Commission in 2023, is a founding partner of Preuss | Foster Law, an adjunct professor in Trial Advocacy and Constitutional Law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a governor-appointed commissioner on the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority. He is a committee member for Legal Aid of Western Missouri, and a board member for the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys.

As a member of the LINC Commission, Foster has been a leading voice advocating for people and the communities that LINC serves. As a regular visitor in the halls of government, in Jefferson City and City Hall, and the community, Foster has championed LINC’s mission to engage people in creating the best service delivery system built on the unique strengths and needs of each neighborhood.

Foster’s zeal for LINC’s work reflects his professional life as a lawyer who is committed to giving voice and power to people who need it the most. His wide-ranging litigation practice has represented individuals injured by the negligence and fraud of others throughout the world.

The LINC Commission also named three vice chairs to fill out the new leadership team.

Disney and Powell will serve as two of the vice chairs and the third will be former Missouri State Senator S. Kiki Curls, who joined the LINC Commission in 2023.

LINC was created in 1992 by Bert Berkley, a Kansas City businessman, along with civic and community leaders including SuEllen Fried, Adele Hall, Rosemary Smith Lowe, Herman Johnson and Landon Rowland.

Rowland, former president of Kansas City Southern Railway, served as LINC’s chair until his death in 2015. He was succeeded by co-chairs Jack Craft and Bailus Tate. Tate died in 2020. Disney and Powell were named co-chairs in 2021.