MidAmerica Nazarene University (MNU) will present the Michael Copeland Civic Leadership Award to alumnus Kevin Gilmore (’84, MA ’10) during its Homecoming Chapel on Friday, October 9, 2026. Gilmore’s decades of service to Olathe, MNU and the Church of the Nazarene reflect a commitment to the community he joined as a student in 1979.
About the Michael Copeland Civic Leadership Award
The award honors the late Olathe Mayor Mike Copeland (’84), the city’s longest-serving mayor and a fellow member of Gilmore’s graduating class. Copeland’s civic leadership and community care left a lasting legacy in Olathe and the Kansas City Metro following his death in office in 2020.
Kevin Gilmore: A Lifetime of Service
Gilmore’s civic service has included the Olathe City Council, the Olathe School Board and the Kansas State Board of Education. He was appointed to the City Council in 2020, elected to an at-large seat in 2021 and served as mayor pro tem from 2022 to 2023. Earlier, he served as president of both the Olathe School Board and the Olathe Chamber of Commerce Board, and as chairman of the Kansas State Board of Education.
His connection to MNU extends well beyond his student years. Gilmore served as the university’s vice president for finance and chief financial officer from 2009 to 2016 and is a longtime MNU Foundation board member and its current chairman. MNU previously recognized him as Alumnus of the Year in 2001 and Administrator of the Year in 2011.
Gilmore held several other executive roles in finance and business consulting. He is now executive director of Nazarene Benefits USA, which administers retirement, insurance and other benefit programs for ministers and church employees across the United States. He also serves on civic, church and nonprofit boards, including the Olathe Community Prayer Breakfast and Olathe Santa Fe Trail Rotary Club.
Gilmore came to Kansas from New Jersey to attend MNU. He and his wife, Julie (Quinn ’83), met at the university and have three sons and seven grandchildren.
Join the Celebration MNU will recognize Gilmore during Homecoming Chapel on October 9 at 9:30 a.m. at College Church of the Nazarene, 2020 E. Sheridan, Olathe, Kansas. The public is invited to attend.
