Kenneth (Kenn) P. Yancy I, BA, AWS Fellow Chief AI, Intent Digital Marketing, and Data Officer | 3rd Wave Marketing & Essential Families (501(c)(3) Nonprofit)

"In a field crowded with people who talk and write about AI, Kenneth P. Yancy builds it…" 

Kenneth (Kenn) P. Yancy I is a visionary leader and problem solver whose 40-year career spans traditional and digital marketing, artificial intelligence, high-speed broadband, telecom, and real estate development.  What sets Kenn apart isn’t commentary — it’s construction. 
He has spent nearly three decades architecting and shipping the AI/ML platforms that actually work. His journey began at IBM in 1983 and Sprint’s 1996 neural-network “Think Tank,” and continued at Cisco Systems, where he led the professional services team that helped build eBay, Priceline, and Yahoo.  
His work is now anchored by a pending provisional patent for his proprietary Expert Augment AI method. 2025 Recognitions: Named one of the “5 Most Visionary Chief AI Officers Transforming Business Intelligence in 2025” by The Global Business Times; honored by the Missouri House of Representatives (House Resolution 3844) for pioneering AI/ML work and impact on underserved families; and recognized by Jackson County, Missouri, with the “Freedom, Justice, and Courage” award. Kenn is also a ComeBack KC Ventures Fellow and AWS Fellow Community Recipient. 
What Kenn Has Built: the Essential Families Economic Mobility platform, connecting underserved families to telehealth, jobs, and resources — plus a portfolio of proprietary AI platforms:

1. Ask Carrie — a strong alternative to Google, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. 2. CarrieGrants — an AI engine that finds and writes grants in three minutes. 3. NoW Video (nowvideo.ai) — delivering real-time translation across 109 languages. 4. AI Accountability Audits — backed by his Four-Pillar Guarantee. 5. AI Data Center Consulting — bringing communities new economic-development revenue without passing higher electric or water bills to citizens. 

As Chief AI, Intent Digital Marketing, and Data Officer, Kenn has championed digital opportunity, pioneered live streaming for Black churches, and powered winning political campaigns — helping elect leaders including Kansas City Mayor Sly James and Senator Barbara Ann Washington.
Others write the white papers. Kenn writes the code, ships the platforms, and delivers the results.

Kenneth Yancy

"Understanding AI: Benefits, Risks, and Misinformation"

In this conversation,  Glenn Mills and Hayden Smith of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation alongside Kenneth Yancy of 3rd Wave will participate in a timely panel discussion on artificial intelligence and its impact on Black and Brown communities. The conversation will explore the promise of AI as a tool for opportunity and growth, while also confronting the real risks of unprotected access, systemic exclusion, and misinformation that disproportionately affect underserved populations. Moderated by Victoria Rollins of BCF, this panel offers a candid, community-centered look at how to harness AI's benefits while safeguarding against its pitfalls.