ProX Names Inaugural Executive Director
Solissa Franco-McKay has accepted the position as inaugural executive director of ProX and will begin on Monday, August 26th, 2024.
Franco-McKay brings more than a decade of experience in student- and equity-centered nonprofit leadership to the organization, which prioritizes connecting Kansas City students with paid internships that provide them with both professional experiences and academic credit upon successful completion of the program.
“Solissa’s experience in nonprofit leadership – specifically serving our region’s hardworking students – brings a depth of expertise and energy to ProX that we are excited to hone,” said Dr. Bill Nicely, ProX board president. “She will be instrumental in taking ProX to the next level, working alongside our talented team, community supporters, and board.”
Previously, Franco-McKay served as executive director for the Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) Education Foundation where she led initiatives and fundraising efforts to support educational opportunities for KCPS students.
Prior to that, she spent 10 years leading career and alumni engagement strategy for Kauffman Scholars, Inc., the college access and scholarship program created by the Kauffman Foundation that recently sunset operations in 2023 after 20 years of serving students.
“I am honored to lead a program that has major impact for students, employers, and community partners. ProX is an ambitious initiative, and I’m ready to dig deep into the work to dream up even bigger ways we can increase access to opportunities and life-changing networks for our future workforce.”
ProX is a regional collaborative that pairs Kansas City students with area businesses for five-week paid summer internships or work projects supervised by a professional mentor.
An initiative incubated at the Kauffman Foundation and built with strong community engagement and expertise, ProX provides coaching to every student throughout the application, placement, learning, and work experience.
"It's been incredible to work alongside the ProX team and the brilliant students it serves to expand their career pathways since the inception of the program," said Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight, executive director and chief operating officer at The DeBruce Foundation, a ProX community champion. "We’re excited for Solissa to step into this role and look forward to innovating on the future of ProX with our community partners and her.”
Franco-McKay joins a robust network of community champions, coaches, coordinators, and program staff in delivering real-world learning experiences, training, and support to students working with area employers.
Now in its third year, ProX has concluded another summer of paid internships for Kansas City high school students. More than 100 employers – nearly a third who are entrepreneurs – collaborated with ProX to match 665 students, aged 14 to 19, with client-connected projects for a five-week five weeks of paid professional experience.
“Our team and network of supporters are laser-focused on opening up access to opportunities for students who may not otherwise be able to participate,” said Michael Robins, ProX program director. “Solissa’s commitment to this focus will strengthen outcomes for our whole community – our team, our employer connections, and of course, our students. We are thrilled to keep building and growing together.”
