Help Connect International, Owner & Consultant

What do you do professionally?
I am a Cultural Code-Switching Consultant. More than a decade of roles have been distilled into this skill set. I started my professional career as a high school English teacher before moving abroad and teaching ELL to students aged 2 to 60 years in countries in the Middle East and Africa. After returning stateside, I have been intentional to immerse myself in the multiple cultures of my neighbors here in Kansas City.

What I have learned professionally is to listen and understand the why behind what my neighbors are doing. I try to look through new lenses and not my cultural categories that define what is right and wrong for me. I have found that one can know several languages and still not have taken the time to break down each side's frame of thinking to find solutions that honor all parties. I endeavor to take the whole person's language, cultural, and lived experiences and bridge it to the other’s language, cultural, and lived experiences. By doing this I find we can build a better community for all. 

What is your “Why” for co-founding MITC?
Because I’m foolish. Because despite all I see, I cling to the hope that ordinary people can play some small role in changing their neighborhoods. I believe all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. 

I see the purpose and vision of Mercy in the City to be the active hands of that belief in the building of affordable homes for all our neighbors. I look to the future with hope that neighbors can live in homes of dignity and are given a clear pathway where they too can become homeowners.

Stinson, LLP Partner

What do you do professionally?
I have been at Stinson since I graduated from law school in 1989, and been a partner for twenty-seven of those years.  Over the past eight years I have developed a substantial immigration law practice to serve the immigrant community in Kansas City.

What is your “Why” for founding MITC?
I have a heart for the immigrant community in Kansas City—to serve the foreigner, the stranger, the immigrant.  One of the biggest needs—if not THE biggest need—for immigrants arriving in the United States is housing. MITC exists in order to fill that void.

CORE URBAN RENEW LLP, Partner
Dennis Sweeny Business Consulting, Director of Sales Strategy

What do you do professionally?
I am a Partner at CORE URBAN RENEW LLP, a mission-based developer focused on improving housing quality in urban Kansas City, Missouri. Since CORE's founding in 2020, we have solidified partnerships with contractors who support our vision for neighborhood development in Urban Renewal Areas. I also have over 25 years of experience as Director of Sales at Wells Enterprises and currently serve as Director of Sales Strategy at Dennis Sweeny Business Consulting, where I apply my expertise to support business growth.

What is your “Why” for joining MITC?
I was invited to join the MITC board by Reda Ibrahim, and I accepted because of my passion for improving urban neighborhoods in Kansas City and providing higher-quality housing opportunities for residents. Through my work with MITC, I have become more aware of the critical housing challenges faced by refugees, and I am eager to extend my skills to help address these issues. My three adult children and I share a vision of a world where we love and welcome our neighbors and strive to be people who live and work for others.

Nueva LLC, Founder
Frontier School District, Board Member

What do you do professionally?
After a career that spanned over 20 years at Burns & McDonnell,  I founded Nueva LLC, through which I am able to focus my time supporting solutions that address challenges in communities with the goal of responsible development without inciting displacement.  I have had the privilege to serve as president and board member of the local Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers chapter and currently serve on the school board for the Frontier School District.

What is your “Why” for founding MITC?
I have been passionate about serving students in the Kansas City area and volunteering time for student outreach work and mentoring for a while now and I just see the vision of MITC as an extension of that. I currently live in Lee's Summit, MO with my wife and two children. However, I grew up in Kansas City’s West Side neighborhood after immigrating to the United States with my family from El Salvador when I was 5 years old.  These experiences drive me to be a part of housing development that honors all in our communities. Responsible development is what I set out to do in creating my own firm, and I'm just grateful for the supports that facilitated these opportunities to be a voice on these boards.

RK Contractors LLC, Founder & CEO

What do you do professionally?
I am the owner and CEO of RK Contractors LLC, a company dedicated to restoring homes and creating affordable housing in Kansas City. We specialize in providing opportunities for immigrants, refugees, and second-chance citizens by offering trade apprenticeships and meaningful employment in construction and renovation. My work is deeply rooted in community development, with a focus on creating welcoming and sustainable spaces for those who need them most.

What is your “Why” for co-founding MITC?
As an immigrant myself, I know the challenges of starting a new life in a foreign country. I founded Mercy in the City because I believe that housing is the foundation for a stable, successful future. My heart is to serve immigrants and refugees and through MITC, I aim to create a community where everyone feels they belong, not just as neighbors but as friends.

Youth Therapist, Jewish Vocational Services

I work with immigrant youth and I joined the board because I believe everyone deserves clean, safe, affordable housing - especially those who are fleeing from instability. We should make sure that people are able to feel at home and leave the fear and constant relocation behind.