Board of Trustees
Carl L. Chinnery
Trustee at Large
Carl Chinnery was Vice-President of Kansas City Life Insurance Company until 1976, when he established his private law practice, Chinnery Evans & Nail, in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, concentrating on estate planning, probate, business law, and real estate. He has done legal work for over 130 nonprofits, including churches, athletic organizations, humanitarian groups, and civic and service clubs.
He is past president of the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Council, and R-7 School District. He has also chaired the Jackson County Coalition of Chambers, the Missouri Yacht Club, Summit Bank of Kansas City, Powell Gardens, and the Vestry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. He received the Bishop’s Shield of the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri and has chaired planned-giving committees for the Eastland Community Foundation, Truman Medical Center, Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation, and Children’s Mercy Hospital.
Honors include the Metropolitan Community Colleges President’s Citation, the Commerce Bank Community Service Award, installation in the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame, the Lee’s Summit Cares Lifetime Achievement Award, and Lee’s Summit Citizen of the Year for 2023. The Nature Trail at Unity World Headquarters in Lee’s Summit bears his name. He enjoys woodworking — having built three sailboats and two canoes — as well as traveling, gardening, sailing, and golf. He and his wife Jean have eight children and eighteen grandchildren between them.