Founding Members

KCAIA was founded by Kansas City builders who wanted a serious, generous community for the people putting AI to work.

Kansas City skyline and fountain illustration
Black-and-white portrait of Shawn Bishop, President of KC AI Association
President

Shawn Bishop

Shawn leads the association's vision and partnerships across the Kansas City metro. He spends his time connecting builders, operators, and institutions — and making sure the community stays grounded in responsible, practical AI.

KANSAS CITY · MO

Vice President

Stephen Monaco

Bootstrapped a small tech startup to $50 million in annual revenue and a $71 million exit. Asymmetrical thinker, audaciously creative, master strategist.

STRATEGY · SCALE · EXIT

Portrait of Stephen Monaco, Vice President of KC AI Association
Black-and-white portrait of Jimmy Standaert, Head AI Operator & Integrator at KC AI Association
Head AI Operator & Integrator

Jimmy Standaert

Head AI Operator & Integrator for a $200M+ holding company. Jimmy is responsible for deploying, operating, and continuously improving AI-enabled systems across an ecosystem of multiple companies.

AI OPS · INTEGRATION

What we stand for

Safety, openness, and a community that shares what works.

We emphasize responsible AI, build with both frontier and open-source technologies, and partner with Kansas City institutions to grow the region's capacity to lead.

Get involved

KCAIA is always looking for builders who want to lead.

If you’re putting AI to work in Kansas City and want to help shape the community, we want to hear from you.

Reach out →