David Field Oliver was a beloved civic and philanthropic leader whose wisdom, integrity, and lifelong devotion to “for purpose” organizations helped shape a stronger Kansas City. A Kansas City native, David graduated from Pembroke Country Day School before attending Haverford College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He later earned his Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law and built a distinguished legal career, eventually co-founding the law firm Berkowitz Oliver LLP. While accomplished in the legal profession, David’s deepest passion was civic leadership. Inspired by a family tradition of public service, he dedicated decades of his life to strengthening nonprofit organizations, education, healthcare, and the arts in Kansas City. Over the years he served in leadership roles with numerous institutions, including Children’s Mercy Hospital, MRI Global, the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, William Jewell College, and the University of Missouri–Kansas City, among many others. In 2020, David co-founded PLX with Gary Abram to help organizations clarify their direction, strengthen governance, and execute their missions more effectively. Guided by the simple but powerful philosophy of “Plan. Lead. Execute.”, PLX was created to help organizations elevate performance and build lasting community impact. David passed away in September 2025 after a courageous battle with cancer. His legacy continues through the countless leaders, organizations, and students he mentored and inspired throughout his life. On November 24, 2025, the Oliver Award was launched as the highest recognition of nonprofit excellence in the Kansas City region. Created in partnership with PLX and the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership at UMKC, the award celebrates organizations that demonstrate exceptional performance, courageous leadership, and meaningful community impact. The award also honors the life and legacy of David Field Oliver. His extraordinary generosity of spirit, belief in civic responsibility, and commitment to strengthening “for purpose” organizations continue to inspire the next generation of nonprofit leaders. David left friends with a simple but powerful call to action: “When you think of me, do something for Kansas City.”

Lee A. Norman, MD, brings his four careers in leadership: medicine, military, state government, and business consulting. He is a family physician who additionally has served for 26 years as senior physician executive at two large health systems, including the University of Kansas. He is a colonel in the United States Army with significant experience in domestic and deployed environments. Prior, he was an aerospace medicine-trained USAF flight surgeon and combat medicine instructor. As the State of Kansas Secretary of Health and Environment on the Governor’s cabinet, he led the state pandemic response for the first two years. Finally, as Lee Norman Consulting, he did operational improvement and financial turnaround work with struggling hospitals and health systems nationwide. His approach to leadership and plan execution is pragmatic and shaped by the lessons learned through these diverse careers.

For over 45 years, Ron has worked in leadership position in universities including a large state flagship university, two Jesuit universities, and for the past 16 years as President of Avila University, a Sisters of St. Joseph university in Kansas City. He has also served on institutional and state boards for higher education, secondary institutions, and the community as well on accrediting bodies for those organizations. His expertise is in personal development, emotional intelligence, organizational and community development and capacity building. He works to align mission, people, and organizations to being responsive to the fast-changing business, community, and societal issues we face. Helping organizations and individuals discover and leverage their capacities to anticipate, respond, and innovate for change are the key outcomes. This occurs through helping teams plan, prioritize, analyze, and execute through the engagement, talents, and investment of its people.

The KC Star described Gary as a "serial entrepreneur," having started at least five businesses and helped many others launch. Obsessed with discovering why some teams do better than others, Gary sits on boards whose missions are higher ed, healthcare, careers for disabled and social justice.

Maureen has spent her career improving the lives of our neighbors in metropolitan Kansas City. As a former lawyer and prosecutor, the majority of her practice was spent working in child welfare. She was Chief of Staff the past eight and a half years to Mayors Mark Holland and David Alvey for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. She has served on multiple community boards and is a current member of The University of Kansas Hospital Authority Board, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation Board, Lead Bank Board, Tesseract Advisory Board, as well as Donnelly College and several others.

Vincent “Ace” WAGNER is a consummate entrepreneur, has been engaged as an investor and mentor coach to several late-stage start-up businesses. Ace is also engaged with companies emerging on the Kansas City business scene with tremendous prospects for employment and revenue growth through the deployment of their emerging technologies. Ace plays a role guiding capital formation and supporting these client companies through direct coaching and investing. As President & CEO of Wagner Distribution, Ace oversaw the rapid sales growth of both a family business enterprise in the early days to a sizable corporate business. Ace served for 7 years on the Board of Directors of an affiliated, diversified investment group with revenues of well over $200 MM annually. Ace also acts as an advisor to several early-stage companies in the US and was instrumental in the formation of a not-for-profit enterprise that provided US AID scholarships to economically underprivileged students from rural Central America attending US community colleges.