Reed more about Jermaine's story.
The Beginning
Since his first day at Truman Medical Center on June 13, 1984—born three months premature and fighting for survival—Reed has been a fighter. Growing up as a “poor kid from the ‘hood,” he navigated the Kansas City public school system during the tumultuous period of bussing and desegregation. From those early days, he aspired to something greater, crediting his late grandfather, his first mentor, for helping him develop a plan for his future. On weekends, when Reed and his siblings stayed at their grandparents’ home, he recalls his grandfather—a night-shift custodian who never graduated high school—gathering them around the table to discuss their future ambitions. He wasn’t satisfied with simple answers. “If I said, ‘I want to be a lawyer’ or ‘I want to be a judge,’ my grandfather would ask, ‘Well, what does a judge do? What does a lawyer do? How are you going to get there?’ He wanted us to understand what those careers meant. If I wanted a career in service, I had to know I was on the right path.”
At J.A. Rogers Middle School, Reed discovered his calling through a youth program with the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime. There, he met then-Councilman Alvin Brooks, who became a role model and friend. After some persistence, Brooks allowed Reed and other young people to join him on his weekly talk show on KPRT 1590, “Voices From Midtown,” where they commented on issues such as drugs, violence, education, and politics. This experience taught Reed that his voice mattered and that people would listen. During one of his long bus rides to school, Reed noticed the garbage littering the streets and wondered why no one had cleaned it up. Inspired, he collaborated with Ad Hoc to start a community program called Operation Prospect. This initiative galvanized residents, engaged businesses, organized church groups, and raised funds to clean up 35 blocks of Prospect Avenue. He was just 14 years old at the time. Through this experience, he learned that good ideas, combined with resources, could solve problems, demonstrating that even a “poor kid from the ‘hood” could make a difference.When the time came to choose a high school, Reed had the option to follow his friends; instead, he pursued his passion and enrolled at Northeast Senior High, which was then a magnet school focused on public affairs. By the time he graduated, Reed had earned numerous honors and titles, with his role as senior class president being perhaps the least remarkable among them. He was a board member for the National Youth Information Network, a member of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Youth Advisory Board, the youngest board member at MOVE UP, and a director of Project AIM, a nonprofit providing life skills training, among other achievements.
Jermaine Reed traveled the country speaking to student groups as part of the inaugural TRUTH Anti-Tobacco Campaign. He also appeared on the Rosie O’Donnell Show as the national spokesperson for National Youth Service Day, having helped organize the Kansas City service site, which was the largest in the country, with over 5,000 participants. The Pitch recognized him as the “Best Student Activist” of 2001, humorously introducing him as “the next governor of Missouri: Jermaine Reed.” He was profiled in a special feature in the Kansas City Star, where Brooks noted he could envision Reed serving on the city council in “nine or ten years.”Meanwhile, Reed's media career flourished. He hosted a nightly show on KPRS 103.3, where he broadcasted positive messages to the community and encouraged those in crisis to call for help, stating, “The number is 816-531-COOL—I’m waiting on your call. If you need to call collect, call me!” For four years, he co-hosted KPRS's “Generation Rap” every Saturday. Reed emphasized that having his voice heard meant little without being actively involved in the community. He later served as a mentor to future Generation Rap staffers, maintaining relationships with several who have become successful broadcasters and producers. He insisted that “what you say on the air has to match what you do in the community. Your rhetoric has to match your commitment.” Reed's insight was deeply rooted in his own experiences.
During his teenage years, his single mother faced difficulties that temporarily made it impossible for her to provide a stable home for him and his four brothers. They stayed with extended family while she worked hard to regain independence. Eventually, she found shelter for the family through Community LINC, a nonprofit that offers housing programs and support services. Grateful for the organization’s support during that critical time, Reed now financially supports Community LINC each year as his “charity of choice.”He credits his family and Community LINC for their unwavering support, teaching him that homelessness is not a label but merely an experience to overcome. Despite technically being homeless, he continued hosting his radio show and interviewing politicians, business leaders, and local celebrities. This experience reinforced the values he was raised with: that you can always help those less fortunate, even when you might be struggling yourself.After graduating from Northeast High School—where he delivered the commencement address—Reed attended the University of Missouri in Columbia. He acknowledges that he may not have reached this milestone without the encouragement of David Ross, then a vice president at Bank of America, who became a mentor and believed in his potential. While in college, he remained engaged with the community through Ad Hoc and made frequent trips back to Kansas City. For three years, he served on Missouri Governor Bob Holden’s Youth Cabinet.
The City Council
On the eve of that first election, Reed visited his grandfather, now in poor health, to share the excitement and the pride that the family name was going to be on the ballot. Then he asked—jokingly, he thought—if his grandfather was going to vote for him.
“He said, ‘Sit down,’” Reed remembers. “And then he said, ‘No—I’m not going to vote for you. Because you never asked for my vote.’” That story would become the kicker to Reed’s future stump speeches—about the importance of earning every vote and not taking any vote for granted. (With a little persuading, Reed was able to win the vote of his grandfather, who passed away a couple of years later.)
When the final results were tallied on March 22, 2011, Jermaine Reed, then 26, became the youngest City Councilmember-elect in Kansas City history. The 10-year prediction that Alvin Brooks had made to the Kansas City Star a decade earlier had proven remarkably precise.
Reed’s youthfulness did not fit the profile of the stereotypical councilperson at the time: older, possibly retired, serving on the council—officially a part-time job—after a career in another field. Reed was just starting, achieving what he called “a career highlight” at the very beginning of his career. Youth would also prove to be a barrier to be overcome—because others made it so. Reed recalls how he was treated when he arrived at his first meeting of the TIF (Tax Increment Financing) Commission to advocate for a new grocery store he wanted to bring to 39th Street and Prospect Avenue. “The chair at the time was trying to figure out who I was and said something like, ‘I have socks older than you,’” Reed relates. “And I responded with something along the lines of, ‘Well, you should probably go purchase new socks, but I’m not here to talk about your old wardrobe. I am here to discuss this project on behalf of my community.’
“I realized, being a young councilmember, I would have to command—and in a lot of ways, demand—respect for what I was bringing to the table and for people to take my issues seriously.”
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A few months later, Reed would stand side by side with that same TIF commissioner at a press conference announcing the new Aldi’s grocery store on Prospect—a $ 4.5 million investment in the 3rd District. When a reporter asked how long construction would take, Reed proudly answered, “Eight or nine months.” It would take well over a year.
“I learned on the job—I had to be prepared and knowledgeable to see my plans to fruition. I also learned that while I could take credit for leadership, you can’t do anything without collaboration. Being on the City Council only gives you one vote. You’ve got to be able to bring people together.” That was especially true when progress demanded uncomfortable decisions. Reed’s next big project was overseeing the development of the new Leon Mercer Jordan East Patrol Division Station and Crime Lab at 27th and Prospect. It would represent $74 million of investment in the district—one of the largest infrastructure projects in the city at the time—including nearly $24 million of contracts for minority-owned firms. But construction required uprooting about 60 residents in a four-block area. There was bad press. Some of those constituents even launched a campaign to recall Reed from office. (It failed.)
Reed says he found strength and support from the national networks of other young, like-minded public officeholders, such as Young Elected Officials. In his first month on the job, he joined a YEO delegation to the White House, where the group met President Obama, whose message was one of admiration, not derision. “It was a surreal moment,” Reed says. “Obama grabbed the mic, and said, ‘I know who’s in the house—some young electeds! I used to be young, too. You guys make stuff happen. You’re the next generation.’” As big a role as a City Council member was, it was a part-time job. Reed served beyond the council, as well, including as a board member and then interim director of AdHoc Group Against Crime. At the same time, in 2013, he started working towards his Executive Master of Public Administration at UMKC—an advanced degree was another longtime goal. In addition to professional tools that he was able to apply right away to his work on the Council, the master's program also offered a “safe place” to grow and learn, away from city issues and concerned constituents. Meaningfully, Reed made his first trip to Africa, traveling with his cohort to Capetown, South Africa. In 2015, Reed won reelection with more than 70 percent of the vote. In his second term, he continued to advocate for new investment in the 3rd District, such as the plan for the 18th and Vine Historic District, the MLB Urban Youth Academy, and Prospect Max—a $54-million initiative to line Prospect Avenue with 48 new bus stops and platforms. Reed also led collaboratively to expand the street-car line and bring the new Loews Kansas City Hotel downtown.
Reed also traveled to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to appear before the United States Congress, testifying to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on the burden unfunded mandates place on communities like Kansas City. Unfunded mandates are regulations or requirements placed on local governments by the federal government without any provision of federal funding for enforcement. As Reed told Congress, these mandates, which often force cities to divert limited money away from locally passed programs and initiatives, “can be the last straw for straining local budgets.” A bill to reform the process eventually passed the House. However, his biggest assignment came when Mayor Sly James appointed him as chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee—as well as chair of the selection committee that would choose the company to build Kansas City’s new $1.5-billion airport terminal.
“If I could write a book about that experience, I would,” Reed says. “You instantly had a bullseye on you—people jockeying to be the builder, and so many others having a very strong opinion on who the builder should be.”
Reed and his committee confronted a whirlwind of proposals from firms bidding on the contract for the largest infrastructure project in the city’s history. In addition to hundreds of hours of meetings with aviation and city officials, his committee oversaw 150 listening sessions and chamber-of-commerce presentations with some 1,600 citizens and business leaders. The process also included trips across the country to meet with potential contractors, tour other airports, and meet with stakeholders, such as the airlines. Reed says that his discussion with the CEO of Southwest Airlines in Dallas was another career highlight.
“We pounded the pavement and took a lot of hits,” Reed says. “But at the end of the day, I was laser-focused on how we best get this done on behalf of our community, because it’s something that’s needed. And it’s certainly rewarding to know that I was part of such an important project for generations to come in our city.”
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The Next Chapter
Term limits precluded Reed from seeking a third go at his council seat, but as he was still committed to representing his community, he became one of 11 candidates for Kansas City mayor in 2019. Running citywide for the first time was a challenge. Even though Reed had been a lead advocate for large-scale projects—including the airport—that benefitted the entire region, he found it difficult to gain traction beyond his community. “I still had a 3rd District mindset,” he says. Finding himself out of elected office for the first time in eight years, Reed nonetheless had opportunities to stay engaged in public policy. Multiple law firms reached out to him about serving as a government affairs liaison, a non-uncommon path for former city officials. However, he listened instead to some mentors from his national network who had found themselves in his situation and started companies of their own. “They said, ‘Do you want to rent, or do you want to own?’”
Reed opted to create his own business, even if it meant more of a hustle. A family friend set him up with an LLC, and when it came time to name his new venture, Reed thought back to his late grandfather—Kenneth G. Reed, Sr.—and the kitchen-table conversations that had set him on his path. KGR Consultants, LLC, was born. And then, Reed hustled. It would take six months to land the first client, and since 2019, KGR has built a portfolio of small businesses and national companies, that rely on Reed’s expertise from public office for strategies to build relationships, grow their business, and approach different sales opportunities with government entities.
Leveraging his experience in city politics, Reed simplifies the often-convoluted policy process in municipal government—as well as at the county, state, and Federal levels. Many clients rely on his expertise in transportation, technology, and infrastructure—though he can walk them through any strategy for making government work for them, usually thinking a step or two ahead. “I don’t specialize in any one product, service, or issue—I speak government,” he says. “The first thing I do is listen, and when I respond with a solution, clients often say that figuring that out would have taken them months.”
Meanwhile, it turns out Reed couldn’t leave elected office behind just yet. When community leaders had asked him to help identify someone to fill an open seat on the Metropolitan Community College board of trustees—and no candidates seemed willing to take on the unpaid role—Reed decided to run for the board himself. “It was one of the better decisions that I’ve made because it keeps me actively engaged in things happening around the community,” he says. “More importantly, getting to be among the administrators who are helping to change adult-learners’ lives has truly been rewarding.”
Soon, Reed was also elected to the board of the Association of Community College Trustees, reprising the local-national profile he developed as a councilperson. However, he appreciates the differences: whereas his every move on the council was subject to the court of public opinion, his role at MCC allows him to focus on the task of improving the college’s administration. He also takes part in the graduation ceremonies each year. “The coolest thing about it—as an administrator of the college, I get to wear my regalia every year!” Reed laughs. “I joke with my friends, ‘I’m shaking hands and giving out degrees these days!’”
Ambassador for KC
Between work with out-of-town clients, national conferences, and his love of travel, sporting events (the Super Bowl!), and live concerts (Coachella!), Reed is often on the road. But wherever he goes, he ensures everyone knows where he is from. “I will always be an ambassador for the community,” he says. “I take pride in being known as the guy from Kansas City.”
In 2022, thanks to years of lobbying on Reed’s part, the National League of Cities held its City Summit Conference in Kansas City, bringing to town 3,600 elected officials and municipal staff from 49 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico. As chair of the Host City fundraising effort, Reed helped raise more than half a million dollars in public and private funds for local events. He also serves as the VP of Public Affairs for Kansas City Fashion Week, through which he represents KCFW at events throughout the city—and coordinates on a national level with New York Fashion Week and several other regional partners through the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Connects program.
Part of why Reed loves to take part in so many conferences and events—in person—is because person-to-person is the best way to make connections that lead to future opportunities. In the world of social media, he remains a real-life influencer. “One of the number one rules in life is how you treat people,” he says. “Because of [my role at] MCC, my phone continues to ring—but more importantly, I treat people the way I want to be treated, and they still want me to be around. That is largely how I’ve been able to have a seat at the table.” Again, he remembers his grandfather, who insisted he take a seat at the kitchen table and explain his ambitious plans.
“I’m still learning as I go,” Reed says. “But I’ve realized that if you’re not at the table, you might be on the menu. And I want to be at the table—helping create and craft these discussions about the future of our community.”
When not working or traveling, he makes as much time as he can for friends and an active social life. Most importantly, he never forgets where he came from, and the family, friends, and mentors who invested in him, striving every day to pay it forward.
That starts with family: he enjoys regular dinners with family and enjoys spending time with his host of nieces and nephews. He will take them out to the ball game—with the VIP treatment in a Kauffman Stadium suite—and host the entire family for a catered dinner every Christmas, where the kids know Uncle Jermaine will get them a pair of long pajamas. “It’s kind of a running joke,” he says. “My grandfather always bought them for us, and I’m just trying to pass it on—they don’t understand yet, but I tell them, ‘These $10 long johns are going to come in handy. It’s going to be cold outside, and you’re going to need them.”
Every year, Reed joins his extended family on vacation, often timed to his mother’s summer birthday, to fun and adventurous places in the U.S. and the Caribbean. For his grandmother’s milestone 75th, Reed took the family on a truly special trip to Miami. Specifically, the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, where he had stayed as a 15-year-old, on a school trip—his first trip without his family, and his first time seeing the ocean. Now, decades later, he returned with his mother, grandmother, and other family members—who experienced the ocean for the first time. “The moment we shared was filled with a great sense of pride and fulfillment,” he says.
He also stays involved in the community as a trustee for Victorious Life Church, where he also served on the Charter School Board and volunteers at regular annual events. “I’m fortunate that many people—family, friends, mentors—have poured so much into me, and I just want to give that back to this community, however I can. Because home is home.”
P.O. Box 414523, Kansas City, MO 64141
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