The Kansas City Business Journal is honoring Lindsey Stephenson, LSCSW, President of KVC Missouri, as one of 25 rising stars in the KC business community through the 2022 NextGen Leaders Awards.

According to the KC Business Journal, the NextGen Leaders are “up-and-coming Kansas City business leaders everybody is talking about — or will be in a few years. These honorees are contributing key leadership at their companies and in the community, and they are poised to take on larger roles in the coming years.” Be sure to check out her full profile here when it publishes on June 24, 2022.

Lindsey has been actively involved in child welfare for over 15 years, positively influencing the fields of foster care, child welfare, and children’s mental health treatment. She has frequently worked in close partnership with elected officials, healthcare executives, and business leaders to find the best outcomes for children and families going through crisis.

In only one year, Lindsey has grown KVC Missouri’s annual revenue by 83%. She has developed positive working relationships with leaders and agencies that serve and affect tens of thousands of Missourians’ lives each year.

KVC Missouri is a private, nonprofit organization that strengthens families, prevents child abuse and neglect, and helps both children and adults achieve mental health wellness. Click here to learn more about our services.

Lindsey Stephenson Leading the Expansion of Child and Family Services Throughout Missouri

Last month, KVC Missouri and Great Circle – a large behavioral health nonprofit based in St. Louis – signed a letter of intent for Great Circle to be integrated with KVC Missouri by July 1. Read the Kansas City Business Journal’s coverage here. This restructuring could result in a combined team of up to 1,000 social workers, therapists, educators and other professionals based out of 20 locations in Missouri. Leaders at Great Circle and KVC trust Lindsey and her team to not only deliver high-quality mental health and related services for children and families, but also to bring forward innovative solutions that can solve tough, long-standing challenges.

Prior to her current role, Lindsey was Vice President of Operations for KVC Kansas based in Olathe, KS. In this role, she led a team that dramatically grew community support for children who are in foster care due to abuse or neglect, increasing the organization’s foster and adoptive families by 78%, from 500 to nearly 900 homes.

I’m looking forward to being a contributor and leader in transforming child welfare and mental health across Missouri by helping to build a broad continuum that is accessible and supportive to the needs of children and families.  Equally as exciting is the future of KVC Missouri workplace culture as we work to integrate two organizations with a continued focus on employee wellbeing and investment in growth. – Lindsey Stephenson

Lindsey is a licensed specialist clinical social worker who received her graduate and undergraduate degrees in social work from the University of Kansas. She is one of KVC’s strongest, most effective leaders because she is both incredibly talented and because she lives and breathes our values every day.

Are you looking to make a positive, life-changing difference in the lives of children, teens and families? Join KVC Missouri! The need is great for adults to provide safe, loving homes to children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or other serious family challenges. You can learn more about becoming a Missouri foster parent and sign up for the free training class. Or learn about donating funds or items to the children we serve. Or, consider working at KVC Missouri by exploring KVC careers. You can also explore our child and family services here. Join us in creating a world in which every person is safe and connected to a strong family and a healthy community.