Celebrated nonprofit leader moving from CEO to social impact role; here’s what’s behind the transition at Reconciliation Services
September 29, 2026 | Startland News Staff
Father Justin Mathews and Kristen Harris, Reconciliation Services; photo courtesy of Reconciliation Services
A year after being honored as one of the region’s top entrepreneurs for his work to bring transformational social change to Kansas City, Father Justin Mathews is departing his leadership role at Reconciliation Services, but the community advocate won’t be going far.
Kristen Harris — a former Hallmark executive who became the organization’s chief operating officer in 2024 — is expected to become CEO effective Jan. 1.
“When I first came to this work, Reconciliation Services was a grassroots organization with a powerful mission and an extraordinary community surrounding it,” said Mathews, who began his journey with the nonprofit in 2013, focusing on the root causes and symptoms of poverty and trauma. “Everything we have accomplished since then has been built by our neighbors, staff, board members, volunteers, donors and community partners working together. Serving this organization and our community has been one of the greatest honors of my life.”
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Father Justin Mathews accepts the Marion and John Kreamer Award for Social Entrepreneurship from Bob Regnier, banking executive and trustee of the Regnier Family Foundation; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
An Orthodox Christian archpriest, social entrepreneur and nonprofit executive, Mathews co-founded the Social Venture Studio, which supports social entrepreneurs developing market-based solutions to pressing community challenges.
Mathews also founded Thelma’s Kitchen, a pay-it-forward community café designed to bring people together while supporting vital services for Kansas City neighbors, trauma-informed workforce development and community leadership.
Under his leadership, Reconciliation Services strengthened and expanded its integrated model of care, including the REVEAL Program, which combines essential social services, case management, workforce development and therapeutic services. He also worked with the team to launch the REVEAL Works cohort, creating living-wage, trauma-informed jobs, and led more than $20 million in capital improvements on the Troost Avenue campus, including the primary Reconciliation Services building and the RS Impact Exchange in the historic Baker Shoe Building.
Father Justin Mathews, Reconciliation Services, speaks during a launch event for RS Impact Exchange in June 2025; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Following the CEO transition, Mathews is expected to stay connected to the mission of Reconciliation Services, the organization said, noting he will continue serving as president of the RS Foundation, which supports the organization through stewardship of its endowments.
Reconciliation Services will also remain Priest of the Chapel of St. Maria of Paris, under the Orthodox Church in America’s Diocese of the Midwest, located within the organization’s 31st and Troost home. These roles will be separate from the CEO’s strategic leadership and authority with the Reconciliation Services Board of Directors.
Mathews plans to devote his next professional chapter to social-impact entrepreneurship and systems-change initiatives designed to creatively address the broader conditions that keep individuals and families from achieving lasting human flourishing.
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The transition itself is the result of a deliberate, years-long succession-planning process initiated by Mathews and the Reconciliation Services board to ensure leadership continuity, organizational stability and sustained community impact, the organization said in a press release.
Kristen Harris, Reconciliation Services; photo courtesy of Reconciliation Services
“Beginning in 2022, the Board and I committed to developing a thoughtful succession plan that would protect the mission, strengthen the organization and prepare the right leader to carry this work forward,” Mathews said. “Kristen is the right leader for the next chapter. She understands our mission and history, believes deeply in our team and brings the strategic vision, operational strength and commitment to the community that Reconciliation Services is built upon. I could not be more confident in her or more excited about the organization’s future.”
The leadership transition comes at a time of significant organizational growth and momentum, Mathews noted. Reconciliation Services has expanded its senior leadership team and established endowments totaling approximately $1.25 million. The organization also recently received a $5 million gift from the Sunderland Foundation to support its long-term mission and community impact.
Through those milestones, Harris has spent the past two years strengthening day-to-day operations and advancing organizational strategy, financial oversight and program development.
“During my time as chief operating officer, I have seen firsthand the dedication of our staff, the strength and determination of our neighbors and the transformational potential of an organization that approaches every person with dignity,” said Harris, who lauded the foundation laid by Mathews, the Reconciliation Services team, and the organization’s board.
Reconciliation Services is expected to continue providing its full range of community programs and services throughout the leadership transition and with leaders excited to announce the forthcoming reopening of Thelma’s Kitchen, which paused public-facing operations this fall at its Troost and 31st cafe.
Mathews and Harris will work closely with the board and senior leadership team through the end of the year to support a seamless transition, the organization said.
“Our mission will remain at the center of everything we do,” Harris said. “I look forward to working with our team and community partners to continue strengthening our programs, expanding pathways to economic mobility and ensuring that RS is always a trusted gathering place where people are treated with dignity, discover their strengths and build lasting well-being.”
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