JUNE 29, 2015
Kevin Lockett had a decision to make toward the end of his seven year NFL career.
Lockett had spent most of his NFL years (1997-2003) with the Chiefs in Kansas City and had begun while still a player consulting there with the Kauffman Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the country.
"Although I thought I was prepared to make that transition from the field, I had my doubts," Lockett says, "but I think that is true for every player. I decided to retire in 2004 and hoped for the best.
“I was fortunate that both my parents had business careers. My mom worked at Shell Oil for 25 years while my father was employed in the oil and gas industry for the same amount of time. I majored at Kansas State in accounting and finance which has helped me a great deal since the NFL.”
Lockett spent nearly 10 years working in meaningful roles for the Foundation or its subsidiaries before leaving in 2013.
He currently is the COO/CFO at the Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) where he is responsible for its financial management and reporting. KBA was created by the Kansas Economic Growth Act of 2004 to accelerate growth in the bioscience sector and it does so by making venture capital-type investments into promising bioscience companies.
Lockett and his wife Cheryl have four sons.
In his “spare” time, he is very involved in the Chiefs Ambassadors Program for retired players which he says is a good thing. “Many of us miss playing the games, none of us miss practice but nearly all of us miss the comradery of the football locker-room,” he says. “The Ambassadors Program helps fill that void, at least in part, as 40 or 50 of us meet monthly and discuss current business... and old victories. I also advise the younger guys in the group to start networking outside sports as soon as possible because I am living proof that ‘Who you know’ goes a long way in your second career.”