John Tyler

John E. Tyler III has been General Counsel and Secretary of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation since 1999 and became its first Chief Ethics Office in 2004. He also serves as a liaison to national philanthropy generally, including by serving in fiduciary and/or formal advisory capacities for numerous charitable and philanthropy infrastructure organizations.

Tyler also is an author, speaker and guest lecturer on topics including governance, compliance, transparency, public-private partnerships, distinctive aspects of social entrepreneurship/ enterprise, fiduciary duties, regulation, social impact, and clarity about priority of purpose and accountability, among other topics.

He also is a lecturer for Columbia University’s Masters in Nonprofit Management program, for which he designed and has taught two courses over the past seven years: one on foundations and the other on social purpose businesses.

Before joining Kauffman, Tyler was a partner with one of Kansas City's oldest and largest law firms, where his practice focused on commercial litigation. In 2018, Missouri Lawyers Media recognized John as an inaugural recipient of its Top Legal Innovations award for emerging practice areas.