Don Harkins, M.A.

Don studied Psychology at Centre College in Danville, KY, and earned a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Missouri – Columbia. Don has more than 37 years of management experience with local and national nonprofit organizations. The last 25 of those were in senior management roles, and the most recent 15 years were spent as the President and CEO of the Rehabilitation Institute of Kansas City (RIKC), now AbilityKC.

During Don’s time in senior management roles within RIKC, the agency added two service sites and grew the number of individuals receiving services annually by almost 40%. When Don retired in 2017, the agency was serving more than 2,500 children, adults, and seniors each year. With a staff of 225, the agency operated out of six locations in western and north-western Missouri, delivering medical rehabilitation, employment, psychological and assistive technology services to those with a myriad of disabilities.

During Don’s tenure as CEO of RIKC, he was actively involved in state-wide trade and professional associations. He worked to provide legislative advocacy on behalf of RIKC’s services and clientele. In 2015, Don was recognized as one of the Kansas City area “Heroes in Healthcare” for his leadership.

As past President of both the Missouri Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (a state-wide trade association with over 80 members) and the Association of United Way Agency Executives (which formerly represented 100 United Way funded agencies), Don is skilled at working with a broad cross section of human service agencies and leaders. Additionally, Don spent four years working for a national not-for-profit that was based in New York, NY (AFB) as the Director of their Chicago Regional Office. In that role, Don was involved in national legislative advocacy, research, and fundraising. He worked closely with public and private agencies in seven Midwestern states to enhance their effectiveness.

In terms of his current professional activities, Don works with The Moran Company as a senior search advisor, partnering closely with clients on the identification of candidates for open senior-level positions. Don also teaches an MBA level on-line class regarding “Nonprofit Management” for the University of Maine Business School. He also provides periodic consultation to Kansas City area nonprofit Boards and management on strategic planning.

In today’s complex environment for non-profits, Don is acutely aware that the leadership of an organization is more important than ever. Being able to maintain communications with key constituents, focus on what is most important, understand finances, and utilize data effectively in evaluating and making decisions are all critical skills for today’s not-for-profit leaders. These are all attributes that Don has helped identify in people throughout his career, a talent which he now brings to The Moran Company.