Our mission
Amplify the business voice to support student achievement and career readiness.
- ✓ Nonpartisan
- ✓ Nonprofit
About Aligned
Aligned is the only state-wide nonprofit, nonpartisan business group working in Kansas and Missouri on educational issues impacting the full development of our children, supporting child care providers, and investing in the workforce of tomorrow.
What we do
Invest in values and relationships
We build strong organizational foundations by prioritizing values, relationships, and skills—ensuring growth is rooted in a solid, ethical framework.
Advocate for policy change
We learn what families and businesses need from the education system—and bring that insight to state leaders to drive action and change.
Tackle systemic challenges
We focus on key challenges—like child care access and the education-to-workforce pipeline—to champion realistic, politically feasible solutions.
Pursue incremental wins that last
We take a patient approach to growth. We build on past success, earn progress step-by-step, and stay strong for the long work of systems change.
Our History
In response to the pressing workforce challenges facing Kansas and Missouri, Tyler Nottberg (Chairman & CEO of U.S. Engineering Company Holdings) partnered with David Oliver (of Berkowitz Oliver), Jonathan Freiden (CEO of U.S. Toy & Constructive Play Things), and President Torree Pederson to establish Aligned (formerly the Alliance for Childhood Education).
Since our inception in October 2011, Aligned has played a pivotal role in uniting a coalition of dedicated business and civic leaders. Our shared commitment revolves around strategically addressing the interplay between the region’s student achievement and economic development. Notably, Aligned is the only statewide business group in Kansas and Missouri dedicated to tackling meaningful education issues.
Our Partners
