JoEllen Flanagan Engelbart Memorial Scholarship Endowment
The JoEllen Flanagan Engelbart Memorial Scholarship Endowment was established in 2021 in memory of JoEllen Flanagan Engelbart. JoEllen was a passionate attorney and dedicated public servant. She was a steadfast advocate with a fierce desire and mission to help others in the world, especially those who are most vulnerable. JoEllen was heavily involved in public service, including with her full-time job as a Jackson County Prosecutor, most recently in the Special Victims Unit. She also spent significant time volunteering in the community and was actively involved in numerous non-profit organizations, including Rose Brooks, Association for Women Lawyers (AWL), Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (KCMBA) and its Student Law Academy, Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA), Missouri Bar and Harvesters, among others. While in law school, JoEllen logged more than 1,000 pro bono service hours. To continue JoEllen’s legacy and impact, her family has chosen to establish this scholarship endowment in partnership with the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.
This endowment will provide annual scholarships to support incoming first-year law students with a demonstrated interest in pursuing the practice of law in the area of public service. The scholarships will be awarded to students who show strong community involvement and preferably financial need.
We invite you to consider supporting the scholarship with a donation via the direct link below, or in the form of a check made out to the UMKC Law Foundation mailed to the UMKC Law Foundation, 500 E. 52nd Street, Kansas City, MO 64110. Your gift will be matched due to a generous gift to the Law Foundation from the Estate of David Westfall (JD ’55).
JoEllen earned a J.D. at the UMKC School of Law and also a master’s degree in Public Administration from the university. While at UMKC Law, JoEllen was a staff member of all three of the law school’s journals and was a leading member of the trial advocacy competition teams, receiving the highest marks both for her analytical skill and artistry. JoEllen served as president of the Association of Women Law Students organization and built partnerships among many law student organizations that promote diversity, empowerment, and inclusion. JoEllen graduated cum laude with pro bono honors and was the recipient of the 2015 Judge John W. Oliver Public Service Fellowship, and was also a Tiera Farrow scholarship winner.
Prior to UMKC, JoEllen attended Truman State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. JoEllen was active on Truman’s campus as a member of Alpha Sigma Gamma service sorority, as well as Student Government where she served as student body president. After graduation, JoEllen was an active leader in Truman’s Kansas City Alumni Chapter. She served as chapter secretary and service and event chair and was awarded the 2021 Denise L. Smith Volunteer of the Year Award.
After graduation from UMKC, JoEllen served on the UMKC Law Young Alumni Committee and was active in the alumni community. Recently, JoEllen received the 2021 AWL public service award, which has been renamed to the JoEllen Flanagan Engelbart Public Service Award. Additionally, JoEllen was involved with the Missouri Bar and was recognized as an Up & Coming Young Lawyer. She was elected to the Missouri Bar Young Lawyers’ Section Council in 2018 and was selected by members of the council to serve as chair-elect for the 2020-21 bar year. JoEllen was also awarded KCMBA’s 2021 Young Lawyer of the Year Award.