CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Cindy Leyland, BCPA
As Chief Operating Officer, Cindy oversees creation, implementation and management of administrative, financial, and operational systems and processes . She also leads Fund Development through prospect identification, cultivation and management, and grant writing. Since 2013, she has led the Citizen Leadership Group of PAINS-KC. In October 2020, Cindy earned the Board Certified Patient Advocate credential, demonstrating fitness to assist patients and families in their journey through the healthcare system.
Cindy joined the Center in 2005 as project director for the Kansas City Partnership to Advance Pediatric Palliative Care, the Center-sponsored initiative which helped to organize, strengthen and promote access to the area’s palliative care services for children, their families and health care providers. She also supported the KC4 Aging in Community and the Advance Care Planning and Healthy Living Through Faith initiatives.
Previously, Cindy spent five years at Community Action Partnership (CAP) of Greater St. Joseph, an agency dedicated to the elimination of poverty in four northwest Missouri counties, where she oversaw direct emergency service delivery, as well as community organizing projects focused on advocacy and policy development at the local, state and federal levels. She is a graduate of Benedictine College’s Executive MBA program, with emphasis on leadership, entrepreneurship and transformational strategic planning, and serves on the boards of The Pain Community and LivingLove International.