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Grants Leadership & Development Staff

Malinda Bryan-Smith
Executive Director
913-469-3949

For most of her career, Malinda has developed or managed grants awarded by federal, state or local government agencies, as well as private foundations and financial institutions.  Prior to joining the Grants Leadership & Development team, she was a Small Business Consultant and then Regional Director at the JCCC Kansas Small Business Development Center.  As the marketing director and consultant at the Enterprise Center of Johnson County, Malinda marketed ECJC services and assisted entrepreneurs with their marketing needs.  At Yellow Freight System, she conducted marketing research and gathered competitive intelligence in the strategic market planning department. Malinda earned a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kansas.  In between degrees, she worked as a Recreation & Parks Director for the City of Brush, Colorado.  A native Kansan, Malinda grew up in the southwest part of the state on the family farm, which is now in its fifth generation.  She and her husband, Jeff, live in Overland Park with their dog Otto.

Anthony Funari, Ph.D., G.P.C.
Senior Grant Professional
913-469-8500, ext. 4847

Anthony hails from Allentown, Pennsylvania. He received his B.A. in English from the University of Pittsburgh, his M.A. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and his Ph.D. from Lehigh University. Since joining the Grants Leadership & Development Office as the Senior Grants Professional in 2014, Anthony has helped to develop successful proposals for the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of State, the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as state and private foundations. Anthony is certified as a grants professional. In 2020, Anthony was elected to the board of the Heart of America Chapter of the Grants Professional Association. As an adjunct English professor, Anthony teaches Composition, Literature, and Grant Writing at the College.

Selina Wu
Senior Administrative Assistant
913-469-8500, ext. 3585

Selina Wu has been working at JCCC since 2004.  She holds a bachelor's degree from University of Missouri – Kansas City.