About Us
OUR MISSION
Facilitate and promote community problem-solving by coordinating and developing all available resources for the betterment of the community.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
- Rob Baird
President/CEO, Conco Companies - Harold Bengsch
County Commissioner, Greene County Commission - Jeff Benscoter
News Director, KY3 - Roseann Bentley, Board Vice President
County Commissioner, Greene County Commission - Ron Carrier
Director of Operations, Boys and Girls Club - Bob Cumley
City Manager, City of Springfield - Dr. Janice Duncan, Board Treasurer
Acting Director, Greenwood Laboratory School – Missouri State University - Kevin Gipson
Director of Health for Springfield and Greene County, Springfield/Greene County Health Department - Bud Greve
Professor of Education, Evangel University - Sally Hargis
Director/Media Consultant, Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper - Dr. David Hockensmith Jr.
Executive Director, Council of Churches - Bob Horton
Executive Director, Urban Neighborhoods Alliance - David Kunze
Chairman/CEO, Bancorp South - Julie Leeth
Vice President, Community Foundation of the Ozarks - Barbara Lucks
Materials Recovery/Education Coordinator, City of Springfield – Public Works Department - Anne Sallee Mason
Attorney, Neale & Newman - Dr. Bernie McCarthy
Director of Community & Social Issues, Missouri State University - Jack Merritt
Greene County Sheriff, Greene County Sheriff's Department - Darrell Moore
Greene County Prosecuting Attorney's Office - Charlie O'Reilly
Vice-Chairman of the Board, O'Reilly Auto Parts - Leslie Peck, Board President
President, Peck Insurance & Financial Services - Dr. Nate Quinn
Cultural Diversity Coordinator, Springfield Public Schools - Dr. Norm Ridder
Superintendent, Springfield Public Schools - Carl Rosenkranz
Executive Director, OACAC - Lynn Rowe
Chief of Police, Springfield Police Department - Brad Stokes
Business Manager/Financial Secretary, IBEW Local 753 - Paul Thomlinson, Board Secretary
Vice President, Burrell Behavioral Health - Cindy Waites
President, Junior League of Springfield - Vonda Wallace
Circuit Manager, Greene County Children's Division - Greg Williams
Sr. Vice President of Economic Development, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
OUR HISTORY
Community Partnership of the Ozarks, Inc., was established in September 1998. Community Partnership integrates the initiatives developed by Community Task Force and Ozarks Fighting Back one decade ago. As Community Partnership of the Ozarks, Inc., we have one vision for the future "Building Stronger Neighborhoods and Families" a vision that addresses community problem solving more strongly than ever before.
Our vision is simple, yet profound: The Partnership seeks to bring together people and resources to solve our common problems and build a strong, healthy community. Community Partnership operates as a dynamic coalition, with a Board of Directors representing broad areas of the community. This structure provides a forum for an integrated approach to solve complex social problems by focusing and expanding available resources.
This partnership is unique in that it serves three separate functions, which contributes to its complexity but also increases the potential for effectiveness:
- One function is to serve as the state-designated "community partnership" for Greene County. This means certain funding is funneled through the Partnership including Caring Communities, House Bill 1519 and some welfare reform initiatives.
- A second function focuses on writing grants to help solve identified problems and leverage additional resources for the community, as well as oversight of these grant funded programs. This includes: ABCs of Secondhand Smoke, Caring Communities, Southwest Prevention Support Center, Early Childhood, EduCARE, Ozarks Fighting Back, Partnering for Success, SPIRIT, and Summer Sizzler.
- The third function is to act as a vehicle for both processing and action oriented collaboratives to explore community problems and promising solutions. These collaboratives include: the Continuum of Care, Education, Environmental, Healthy Community, Housing, Senior Link and Transportation and coalitions such as the Taskforce on Gangs & Youth Violence, Underage Drinking Task Force, Violence Free Families and Methamphetamine Awareness.