Park University Commencement Set for May 9; KCMO Councilman Crispin Rea to Present Keynote Address

Park University Commencement Set for May 9; KCMO Councilman Crispin Rea to Present Keynote Address

April 27. 2026 - Crispin Rea, who represents Kansas City, Mo., on its city council, serving the 4th District as an at-large member, as well as serving on the city council's finance, governance and public safety committee, will present the keynote address during Park University's Kansas City Area Commencement on Saturday, May 9. The ceremony will be held at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, Mo., starting at 10 a.m.

The event will include 580 Park University students eligible to participate in the ceremony - 186 students are set to receive a master's degree and/or graduate certificate, and 394 students are scheduled to receive a bachelor's degree, associate degree and/or undergraduate certificate.

Rea was born in Kansas City, Mo., and grew up the youngest of three children on the City's eastside. His service to the community has included volunteerism and board membership with the Mattie Rhodes Center, Police Athletic League, Mothers in Charge and the UMKC Law Foundation. He was previously elected to the Jackson County (Mo.) Democratic Committee representing the historic Northeast's 13th Ward. He is also a union member of the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 42.

Rea was awarded an athletic scholarship to Park University and was a first-generation college graduate earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and public administration in 2008. While finishing college, he began work in a staff position in the Kansas City, Mo., mayor's office.

In 2010, Rea was elected to the Kansas City (Mo.) Public Schools Board of Education as the youngest member ever elected to serve on the board and the only Hispanic board member during his term. He went on to serve as vice president and was a leader of the reform movement that brought much needed stability to the school district.

After obtaining a master's degree in public administration from UMKC's Bloch School of Management and a juris doctorate degree from UMKC's School of Law, Rea began his career as a prosecuting attorney. He served eight years in the Jackson County (Mo.) Prosecutor's Office, spending most of his time in the Special Victims Unit prosecuting those who sexually and physically abused women and children.

Before becoming a prosecutor, Rea was a case worker with the Kansas City No Violence Alliance. His work aimed at keeping high-risk individuals from becoming victims or perpetrators of violent crime by offering resources and programs to build a new life free of violent crime.