Community Builders of Kansas City has added four new staff members to help keep up with its recent growth. Please join us in welcoming Michael Dayton, senior advisor; Jon Hartner, development specialist; Elexa Pierson, real estate and project analyst; and JoEllen Richardson, comptroller for CBKC subsidiary EastPointe Realty. 

Michael Dayton is an operations and finance leader with an extensive background including enterprise-wide strategy and corporate development, financial planning and analysis, technology, administrative operations and project management. Dayton’s experience stems from past posts at KIPP Endeavor Academy, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Community Development Corporation of Kansas City. As senior advisor, his charge is reviewing systems and procedures to ensure they are working towards optimal productivity and operation at CBKC, EastPointe Realty and the KC Sun Fresh grocery stores. 

“I’m impressed with all CBKC has accomplished and welcome the challenge of helping the organization grow, attracting dependable clientele to multi-family units and filling the ever-growing internal talent funnel,” he said. 

Dayton was born and raised in Kansas City, grew up in Parade Park and attended Rockhurst University.

Jon Hartner, development specialist, joined the team in March 2022 to provide professional development support for the initiation, procurement, planning and implementation of CBKC’s community development projects. Hartner was most recently at Black & Veatch and before that was development planner for Prairie Fire development. His experience is in large-scale infrastructure planning, housing economics, social science and community development. 

“I was drawn to CBKC because of its past accomplishments and unwavering dedication to underserved and under-resourced communities in Kansas City,” he explained. “After working at an engineering company with over 10,000 employees worldwide I was eager to broaden my skillset and help support any and all facets of a community-focused organization.”

Hartner grew up in Ohio, Wisconsin and Illinois and first came to the Kansas City area after he graduated with a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Kansas.

Elexa Pierson first worked at CBKC as an intern when Howard University went online during the pandemic. She returned to work full-time at CBKC upon graduation in 2021. Pierson’s responsibilities have included bringing to the grocery stores amenities of suburban grocery stores and more recently, attracting a national retailer to the Shops on Blue Parkway. Her big-picture goal is increased attention on Kansas City’s East Side and changing perceptions of it. 

“I joined CBKC because I enjoy the idea of one team driving toward the same goal and the fact that we’re the underdog proving something can be done when others think it can’t,” she said. 

Pierson grew up in the Lee’s Summit area and earned her bachelor’s degree in health science from Howard University.

JoEllen Richardson brings expertise in multi-family finance to her new role as comptroller at EastPointe Realty. After coming on board in February 2022, Richardson’s first charge was automating processes. She added a resident portal to all multi-family properties enabling tenants to conduct routine tasks such as payments and maintenance requests through a computer or a mobile phone. Additionally, she is overseeing an update to computer lab areas in each building with Wi-Fi to ensure access for all residents. 

“What attracted me to CBKC was the chance to work in a smaller, non-corporate environment where I feel like I’m making a difference,” she said. 

Richardson is from Kansas City, attended Paseo Academy and earned her bachelor’s degree at Saint Louis University and MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management.

We are happy to welcome Dayton, Hartner, Pierson and Richardson into the CBKC fold.