In his role at UMKC, Stangler will collaborate with government officials and external stakeholders at the local, state and federal levels to help connect the university to the community and region.

Stangler most recently was the manager of government relations at Children's Mercy in Kansas City. In that role, he worked with government officials at the local, state and federal levels to promote the interests of the hospital and advocate for increased investments in transformative pediatric healthcare. Stangler helped strengthen Medicaid resources for hospitals in Kansas and helped secure a significant state appropriation for the hospital's new mental and behavioral health strategy.

Working with hospital allies and government partners, he advocated for increased resources from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other state agencies as well as generated new opportunities for Children's Mercy's research arm. He also worked closely with city and county officials to combat the surge in opioid deaths among children and teenagers.

Prior to Children's Mercy, Stangler worked as an analyst for the non-partisan Kansas Legislative Research Department, where he staffed several health and child welfare committees. He worked closely with legislators as the state of Kansas transformed its mental healthcare delivery system.

Stangler earned his doctoral degree in American history from Indiana University Bloomington, where he specialized in the history of policy evaluation and the history of anti-poverty policy. He has taught history and government at Indiana University, the University of Indianapolis, Kansas City Kansas Community College and Creighton University. He earned his master's degree from the University of Chicago and his bachelor's degree from Truman State University, where he was awarded the nationally competitive Harry S. Truman Scholarship in 2012.

Stangler serves on the boards of several local organizations, including Nurture KC and Nonprofit Connect's emerging professionals’ program, Connext.