Jennifer Wilding, community engagement advisor for the Kansas City Fed, uses writing and public engagement skills on special projects for the community development department.
Writing
In 2026, the Kansas City Fed released Wilding’s “The Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity,” examining how small towns have used route-based tourism as a strategy for economic development. Along with expert interviews and technical resources, the report includes stories from several byways, with a focus on Route 66 in Oklahoma.
Her External Linkthree-part series on Investment Connection, the Kansas City Fed’s signature program, appears on the External Linknational website about the Fed’s work in communities.
Wilding co-authored External LinkDisconnected: Seven lessons on fixing the digital divide, a layperson’s guide to putting broadband, devices and training within reach of a community.
In addition to special projects, Wilding edits the Kansas City Fed’s External Linkcommunity development newsletter. External LinkSubscribe here.
Engagement
Wilding served as project director for community-engaged research in a neighborhood where broadband subscriptions were very low. The engagement External Linkbuilt understanding of barriers to connection.
She also led External Linkfocus groups with unemployed individuals and with people from nonprofits that serve them, held in Chicago, Detroit, Denver and Kansas City.
Before joining the Kansas City Fed in 2018, Wilding was executive director of Consensus KC, a nonprofit consulting firm specializing in public policy and civic engagement. She holds a B.A. in urban affairs from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Her hobby is letterpress printing, using a 1,500-pound cast-iron press from the late 1800s.
About the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks that, along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., make up our nation's central bank. We work in the public’s interest by supporting economic and financial stability. The Kansas City Fed’s territory includes Colorado, Kansas, western Missouri, Nebraska, northern New Mexico, Oklahoma and Wyoming. Our headquarters is in Kansas City, with branch offices in Denver, Omaha and Oklahoma City.
The Kansas City Fed Community Development Department promotes economic development and public understanding that leads to progress for lower-income individuals and communities. Our focus areas include community development investments, digital inclusion, small business / entrepreneurism, and workforce development.