2025 Blue KC Gamechanger Honoree Dr. Cokethea Hill-Woodard
Attacking the Goal
If Dr. Cokethea Hill-Woodard played soccer, she would no doubt be a striker. She approaches goals with an all-out approach, ready to fire at the net. But she probably wouldn’t be a ball hog because she also recognizes the need for teammates who might have a better chance of scoring.
“It definitely takes the entire team to get someone in position to score a goal,” she said. “There are opportunities where I see another organization in a better position. I have to figure out how to pass the ball to put them in position. And then play defense.”
Hill-Woodard is the founder and CEO of BLAQUE KC. BLAQUE is an acronym, which stands for Black Leaders Advancing Quality Urban Education. The organization focuses on improving educational systems in the inner-city of Kansas City, Mo.
Hill-Woodard is a product of Kansas City Missouri Public Schools, and her research shows a large disparity in student outcomes against minority children.
“When I first started BLAQUE KC in 2020, I was thinking, ‘How can I inform the community about the conditions that kids are facing in our public school system?’ At first, we just wanted to disaggregate the data by race.
“We wanted to ask why our literacy rate was not as high as we hoped. We have a lot of really great people wanting to do really great things. But for some reason, we were not seeing that materializing in student outcomes in the way that many people had hoped for.”
Hill-Woodard has a long history of doing things to advance opportunities for students in Kansas City, Mo. Through the years, she has served on Kansas City’s City Council, the Kansas City Public School Board and as an ambassador for the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts.
In addition to serving as CEO of BLAQUE KC, she has been the president of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City and vice chair of the City Planning Commission for Kansas City, Mo., and serves on the board of the Urban Neighborhood Initiative (UNI).
“When we started to disaggregate our data, we saw some stark statistics in each of our districts, whether it was public suburban, public urban or charter schools,” Hill-Woodard said. “Black kids were receiving the lowest educational outcomes. We know that’s not because Black kids are inherently not as smart or not willing to give their full selves on the education journey. It was something about how race was intersecting with curriculum and teaching and learning, and we really wanted to understand that.”
Because of her work, Dr. Hill-Woodard will receive the June “Blue KC Gamechanger” award. Launched during the 2024 NWSL season, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) and the Kansas City Current teamed up to create this exclusive program highlighting local individuals blazing the trail for all women across the Kansas City area. A Blue KC Gamechanger inspires bold ambition in all his or her work, enriching the community around them and enacting positive change through intentional action.
“I am just completely ecstatic,” she said of being honored by the KC Current. “When I step back and think about what this team has meant, not only to Kansas City, but globally, to support women’s sports, to have the only stadium in the world dedicated exclusively to a professional women’s sport, it’s just amazing. When I look at how the players all come from different parts of the world and different languages, I recognize that you need to come together with one goal.
“If I could be anybody else but me, I would want to be a KC Current player because of the precedent the team has set for women’s sports.”
“We are thrilled to recognize Dr. Hill-Woodard’s drive to uplift and support students in Kansas City as our June Blue KC Gamechanger,” said Kansas City Current Vice President, Community Relations Ben Aken. “Her research with BLAQUE KC is changing lives for young people in our community, and we are honored to acknowledge her impact on Kansas City. Plus, with her passion and drive to make a difference, we would gladly welcome her to our team.
“Dr. Hill-Woodard is a great example of using her passion and past experiences as motivation for helping students in Kansas City,” said Blue KC Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Jenny Housley. “We are very proud and excited to recognize her as our June Blue KC Gamechanger.”
That’s called scoring a goal!
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