Clark to serve as executive director of Kansas City Design Center
The Kansas City Design Center , an interdisciplinary, teaching, research and collaborative center sponsored by Kansas State University and the University of Kansas, announces Terrance Clark as the new executive director for the Kansas City Design Center (KCDC), Kansas City, MO.
As Executive Director, Clark will draw upon his experience in the non-profit sector to provide leadership, creative and strategic planning, development and implementation for the Kansas City Design Center. “I look forward to every day being filled with community engagement and educational outreach to benefit the work and enhance the inherent value of creative individuals and organizations; and, meaningful collaborations with entrepreneurial innovators, artists, designers, new ventures, small creative businesses, and advancing local and regional partnerships,” Clark said.
Tim de Noble, Professor and Dean for the College of Architecture, Planning & Design at Kansas State University said, “Terrance brings a wide range of experience and expertise to the KCDC which will help continue to build the Center as a positive force for change, community engagement and educational programming focused on Kansas City communities and their built/civic environments.”
Clark has served as Co-Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit design organization Thrive , located in the Arkansas/Mississippi Delta. Thrive initiates public-private partnerships for entrepreneurial training and art/design programming. His efforts and leadership has led to invitations to apply partner programs in two public high school districts for STEAM training; mentoring recent art college graduates and Americorp recruits; innovative design initiatives with regional private investors; and, attracting private philanthropy to the work addressing community development.
KCDC Board Member and Executive Director of the Mid-America Regional Council, David Warm said, “Terrance brings a keen understanding of design and a deep commitment to community service that will help KCDC more fully use its tradition of academic excellence to address critical issues facing cities and neighborhoods.”
Located in the heart of downtown Kansas City, KCDC is a nationally recognized, nonprofit, partnership among local civic leaders, professional designers, and its partnering sponsor universities. The KCDC is generously underwritten by the William T. Kemper Foundation, the Hall Family Foundation, The City of KCMO, and its partnering universities.
The KCDC advances the understanding and application of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design and planning in the Kansas City region by addressing issues affecting our designed environment, bringing together independent and objective research, new ideas, best practices and the resources of professionals, academics, governments, media and the interested public.
The current Executive Director, Professor Vladimir Krstic, will transition to Director of Academic Programs to focus on the academic program leadership of the KCDC.
“Vladimir Krstic’s unwavering commitment over the past nine years has helped propel the KCDC into a civic force. Under his leadership the participation of students, most imbedded at the Center for a full year, has grown exponentially, to a high of twenty-two graduate students this past academic year. With this increase in student participation, Vladimir will be able to shift his focus to leading the community-focused design investigations while Terrance will focus on expanded community engagement and enrichment programming,” said de Noble.
The KCDC provides a unique upper-level learning laboratory that actively explores real-world issues facing Kansas City’s future development. Their educational programs are built around a resident urban design studio, through which faculty and students form partnerships with local client groups and stakeholders to develop design concepts and implementation proposals addressing major architectural, urban design and urban planning issues throughout metropolitan Kansas City.
As an independent forum for critical dialogues about architecture/landscape architecture, design and planning issues, the KCDC offers technical assistance to public agencies and local community organizations. This includes hosting free lectures by internationally renowned design professionals and advocates to collaborating with local organizations and non-profits on projects that seek to improve Kansas City's livability.
