Speakers & Musicians
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Jennifer Tung Alexander is the founder and executive director of Fountain of Life, a nonprofit senior community center that connects limited English proficient older adults to social and civic engagement opportunities, healthcare and aging services, and mental health supports. Jennifer's grandmother, Fengnian Lee Tung, served as the founding inspiration for Fountain of Life. When Jennifer became her grandmother's part-time caregiver in 2021, she witnessed first-hand the challenges of social isolation and cultural/language barriers to healthcare on older adults and their families.
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Jennifer is also the founder and principal of Optimize Passion LLC, a business leadership and strategy consultancy that provides capacity building and education services to nonprofit organizations and social service agencies. Understanding the important role that the public sector plays in enhancing the lives of people and improving the community, Jennifer is dedicated to serving other community organizations with a particular focus on violence prevention and mental health. Passionate about mental wellness, in 2024, she became a certified instructor of Mental Health First Aid.
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As a highly introspective person, Jennifer developed a strong interest in human behavior at a young age. Therefore, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City graduating in 2011. During her undergraduate years, she also spent one year as a student in the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance briefly studying music therapy and piano from Professor John McIntyre. Combining her love of piano with heart for the marginalized, Jennifer's first nonprofit fundraiser was organizing and putting on a piano benefit recital to raise funds to support local victims of sex trafficking. Upon her college graduation, Jennifer began her journey in the nonprofit sector as an AmeriCorps VISTA, serving two back-to-back terms of national service at Veronica's Voice, a grassroots nonprofit that serves survivors of sex trafficking. During her time as a VISTA, Jennifer decided to return to her alma mater to gain more knowledge and tools about effective nonprofit leadership. She enrolled in UMKC's Henry W. Bloch School of Management graduating in 2015 with a Master of Public Administration in Nonprofit Management.
Jennifer is a daughter of Taiwanese immigrants. She has spent her entire life living in the Greater Kansas City community and currently resides in Cass County with her husband Damion and five young children. She dreams of studying the cello in the future.
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Hoi Kei Au immigrated from Hong Kong to the United States more than 40 years ago. She has been serving the Asian American community of Greater Kansas City in various roles for the past 4 plus decades. Some of her notable contributions include serving as the founder and principal of the Chinese School of Greater Kansas City, serving as the Republic of China (Taiwan) Commissioner for the Ethnic Enrichment Commission of Kansas City, coordinating the annual Beatrice Liu Memorial Concert, and leading the HK Chinese Folk Dance Group whose dancers have performed hundreds of Chinese folk dance routines all across the Kansas City community.
In addition to her numerous civic and leadership roles, Hoi Kei Au also teaches piano lessons, enjoys cooking and baking, playing the Guzheng (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument), and volunteering in many other ways including teaching elementary students at Foreign Language Academy how to fold Chinese dumplings and teaching seniors at Fountain of Life the art of Chinese paper cutting. Hoi Kei Au is a fabulous example of a senior citizen who continues to pursue her passions, embrace creative and musical expression, and faithfully serve her peers and community during her golden years.
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Matt Baldwin is a soulful saxophonist, creative composer, and passionate educator who seeks to glorify God through the gift of music. Baldwin's love for music began early in his life at church, where he absorbed the worship services that included everything from Gospel to hymns to praise songs in French, Spanish, and Swahili. Ever since then, he has continued to discover and explore all kinds of music.
Baldwin graduated summa cum laude as a member of the Honors College from the University of Missouri -Kansas City, where he earned his Master's in Jazz Studies and his Bachelor's in Jazz Performance. Throughout the years, he has had the privilege of studying with music mentors Bobby Watson, Dan Thomas, Roger Wilder, Steve Dekker, Matt Otto, Hugh Jones, John Brewer, and James Ward.
As a performer, Baldwin captivates audiences with his lively playing on all saxophones and other woodwind instruments. In addition to leading the Matt Baldwin Saxophone Quartet, Matt Baldwin Soultet, and co-leading the Westport Jazz Orchestra, he has performed with numerous Kansas City ensembles including the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, the Marcus Lewis Big Band, the Patrick Lentz Band, KC Flo, Boogaloo 7, the Chris Hazelton Quartet, and Julian Vaughn. Besides performing at jazz venues, festivals, and weddings, he has been the Reed 1 player for musical theater shows at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, the New Theatre Restaurant, Quality Hill Playhouse, and Musical Theater Heritage. Among others, Baldwin has shared the stage with the New York Voices, the Four Tops, and Michael Feinstein.
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As a composer/arranger, Baldwin continuously finds new ways to integrate musical genres and styles. Baldwin’s debut album, Joy to the World, exhibits his innovative arrangements of his favorite Christmas tunes. Fountain City Funk features Baldwin playing all the saxophones on twenty of his jazz saxophone quartet arrangements. Baldwin also plays all the saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet, and flute on his album, Panorama, which highlights seven of his original compositions that merge styles of jazz, third stream, R&B, and Gospel music with beautifully orchestrated horn solis. Baldwin has given debut performances of his compositions and arrangements at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Folly Theater, the historic 18th and Vine Blue Room, the Green Lady Lounge, and on Kansas City Live TV.
As an educator, Baldwin strives to help his students achieve their musical goals. Baldwin possesses years of experience as a college professor and private lessons instructor. Baldwin teaches at Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley, where he directs the big band, teaches jazz improvisation, music theory, midi music production, and offers lessons in woodwinds, piano and composition. Baldwin has a private lessons studio at the Culture House in Olathe, KS, as well as a home studio. At the American Jazz Museum, Baldwin directs the intermediate combo for the Jazz Academy program. Baldwin has also been a guest clinician and adjudicator at schools and festivals in Kansas City and throughout the Midwest. Baldwin lives at home in North Kansas City with his lovely wife, Samantha, and wonderful son, Timmy.
Benny Lee is an accomplished businessman with a sincere love for music and community. He successfully started and sold several companies in Kansas City. With a passion for music and lifelong learning, Benny began playing the clarinet in his late sixties and performs non-professionally for many audiences both domestically and internationally. Benny and his wife Edith are well-known for their generosity and have supported many charitable causes and performing arts organizations in the Greater Kansas City community. They have hosted numerous music concerts in their home to bring awareness and raise support for worthy causes. As a senior citizen, Benny continues to have dreams and great ambitions including mastering the piano and performing a piano concert in his home within the next 10 years. Even in his retirement years, Benny continues to fully embrace all that life has to offer believing that the best is yet to come.
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Born and raised in Taiwan, Benny graduated from the Tatung Institute of Technology with a major in electrical engineering and an entrepreneurial spirit. He then went to work for the Taipei office of Midland International, a Kansas City company. Later, he began his own company developing and sourcing several high-profile products, including the Ginsu 2000 that sold millions of units on American television infomercials, and developed a complete small appliance line for Singer. In 1995, Benny moved his family to the United States where he successfully expanded one of his companies, Top Innovations, including launching an affordable line of SteamFast steamers that sold 16,000 SteamFast fabric steamers in one day alone through QVC’s Today’s Special Value program. Benny sold Top Innovations in 2008. He also served Western Auto and Payless Cashways companies by establishing and maintaining import programs, including Western Auto’s Western Flyer bicycle program. This helped Western Auto to remain in the bicycle business and compete for many years against giant retailers that dominated the retail business at that time. Most recently, in October 2023, Benny entered retirement after selling his company, DuraComm Corporation, a worldwide supplier of power supply.
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Benny lives the practice of giving back to the community. He has served on numerous nonprofit boards including the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Kansas City, International Relations Council, United Way of Greater Kansas City, Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, Kansas City Youth Symphony, Spire Chamber Ensemble and Baroque Orchestra, and many others. In 2003, he was instrumental in beginning the International Music program for Park University which became a world-renowned International Center of Music (ICM). Benny’s accomplishments and service to the community have resulted in numerous civic and business awards including being named the 2007 Civic Leader of the Year, 2014 Kansas City Philanthropist of the Year, and a 2021 Honoree of the KC Shepherd’s Center 70 over 70 class, just to name a few. In May 2025, Benny released his memoir, A Taiwanese Immigrant’s Journey to Kansas City: A Business, Music, and Community Leader, which achieved International Best Seller status on Amazon on September 1, 2025.