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As Chief of Staff to the Chancellor and Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resource at Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, Missouri, Kathy Walter-Mack serves as principal staff to the chancellor of the community college system. Among Attorney Kathy Walter-Mack’s accomplishments are developing and executing strategies that harmonized financial plans with available resources, helping to arrest worsening financial conditions.
In 2010, Metropolitan Community College installed a new chancellor, Mark James, who faced the prospect of having the institution’s financial reserves depleted in five years due to less state support, rising health benefits, rising utility bills, and lower enrollment. James quickly tapped Kathy Walter-Mack as his right hand person to develop strategies and implement decisive changes and actions to address the situation. This included termination of a popular early retirement plan, reconfiguration of the health benefit plan, IT audit and reconfiguration, physical structures assessment, refinancing of an existing bond, lobbying for more state support, and implementing zero-based budgeting.
These changes resulted in cost savings (freeing up cash) and additional funding which were used to improve and repair building facilities, acquire IT equipment which are now bulk purchased and fully compatible, among others. The college was also able restore the annual salary increases to its 900 employees as well as its professional development fund. With improved planning and resource utilization, the college is now on sound financial footing.
Kathy Walter-Mack 