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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jeff Lodermeier grew up on a farm in Minnesota and Kansas City became his first long-term journey from home.
“I have an aunt and uncle who live in Kansas City, in Leawood,” Lodermeier said. “My cousin, who I barely knew, graduated from Rockhurst College, and my parents on the farm in Minnesota said that would be an OK destination if you have to leave Minnesota.”
He received a scholarship to study international relations and went off to see the world, starting with Kansas City from 1988 to 1992.
After joining the U.S. State Department, Lodermeier has circled the globe. He’s worked as a foreign service officer in Afghanistan, Angola, Brazil, Iraq, Kenya, Mexico, Mozambique and Pakistan among other embassy stops.
But Lodermeier’s journey came full circle last August when he accepted a post through the Local Diplomat Program back in Kansas City.
“When I was asked to look at the possibility of being a Local Diplomat, I looked at the eight cities that were competing at the time, and only Kansas City was attractive to me,” Lodermeier said. “And it wasn’t just because I had lived here once before. It was because the World Cup is coming.”
Lodermeier remains employed with the State Department, but he works in Mayor Quinton Lucas’ office as a foreign affairs advisor for Kansas City, Missouri.
His main areas of focus are fostering direct foreign investment, assisting refugee and immigrant populations in Kansas City, and helping with preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will stage six games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
“It is not every day that people all around the world are talking about Kansas City, but with the World Cup, with even Taylor Swift, with a lot of the Chiefs success, with the women’s soccer stadium on the riverfront — we wanted to make sure that we’re not just celebrating this moment domestically, but also sharing a brand of Kansas City more broadly,” Lucas said.
The World Cup arrives in North America next year.
“I know the city and the Sports Commission, everyone is doing everything they can to make the city prepared to host the World Cup, but what I can do is help introduce us — the mayor and others — to the embassies, the US embassies, abroad,” Lodermeier said. “This is what I used to do. For the last 20 years, I was working in embassies abroad. They’re going to love it when I call and say, ‘Your team is coming to Kansas City in 2026, would you like to get more information about Kansas City? Would you like to get some barbecue? Would you like to know more about the Greater Kansas City area before your folks come, to stimulate more people coming?”
Lodermeier’s sole focus isn’t the World Cup. He’s also providing advice on re-establishing international flights — particularly to Canadian and Mexican destinations, but also beyond — and ways to stimulate business opportunities and expand language capabilities, but the world’s largest sporting event is an unmistakable opportunity.
“You want to think about the World Cup as more than something you’re just managing, but something that you’re actually able to show this community off and have a legacy for years to come,” Lucas said. “Jeff allows us to have that in a number of positions. So, the issue isn’t just a finite discussion of World Cup or immigration or business attraction. It’s instead saying, how do we integrate this into the things we’re doing every day in Kansas City? That’s why this makes such a difference, and it’s always great to have an expert on international affairs.”
Lodermeier — who recently signed on for a second year with the Local Diplomat Program, which extends his stay until August 2026 after the World Cup — believes the international community will be excited to learn about a new place.
“People know New York; people know the Florida cities,” Lodermeier said. “They’re going to be like, ‘Well, where is this place?’ Then, they’re going to get here and, if it’s my experience and the experience of so many other international visitors that I’ve helped to receive since I’ve been here, the hospitality here in Kansas City is second to none.”
He’s sure Kansas City will shine.
“I don’t think we need to do anything other than to be ourselves. Kansas City is going to do a great job in receiving people,” Lodermeier said. “We’ve got to be ready for crowds. We’re not used to that, and that’s going to be a bit of a challenge for us, but in a good way, because I think everyone is thinking about 2026 right now.”
San Diego, San Antonio and Chattanooga, Tennessee, were the other cities to land State Department liaisons through the Local Diplomat Program.
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