Bess Wallerstein Huff shares her vision for KKFI with Radio Active Magazine regulars Craig Lubow and Spencer Graves. Ms. Wallerstein Huff joined KKFI as Executive Director on August 12, roughly four months ago. She is an experienced executive, creative strategist, and community builder with over 20 years of leadership in the arts, media, and nonprofits. She has guided teams through brand evolutions, organizational change, and multimillion-dollar engagements. She was a founding team member of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. She spent over a decade in that role developing programs, marketing strategies, and partnerships that welcomed broad and diverse audiences into the arts. Her leadership in crisis communications during COVID-19 helped build community trust and organizational resilience.

Most recently, she served as Vice President of Marketing & Sales at Starlight, one of the nation’s largest outdoor performing arts venues. That effort saw record-breaking sales growth with new strategic initiatives including a $40 million capital campaign for Starlight's 75th anniversary.

In 2020 she co-founded "Show Delivered", a pandemic-era venture that brought live performances directly to neighborhoods across Kansas City. The project reimagined connections during a time of crisis and reaffirmed her commitment to accessibility, creativity, and community.1

She has served on numerous boards and public commissions, including the Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park, the Johnson County Public Art Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts’ Challenge America grant panel. This included making history by raising nearly $28,000 for the local nonprofit Band of Angels, setting a new individual fundraising record as part of the organization’s Rockstar program in 2024.

She holds an Executive MBA from Rockhurst and a BFA from the University of Central Missouri. As KKFI's Executive Director, she is working to help KKFI amplify diverse voices, deepen community connection, and expand inclusive access to the airwaves.

Bess is asking KKFI listeners to "[email protected]" and click on the survey link at the bottom of kkfi.org and share your thoughts about what you think are the strengths of KKFI and what you would like different.

Spencer mentioned that he had interviewed Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, who said that, " the shortest path to a click is anger or hate." Bess recommended Sarah Wynn-Williams's book Careless People.

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1. "ARTSPEAK RADIO with Show Delivered and Heartland Song Network", 2021-02-17

 

https://kkfi.org/program-episodes/artspeak-radio-with-show-delivered-and-heartland-song-network/