The leadership of two Mid-Missouri nonprofits is changing.
Stephanie Johnson, chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City, is leaving the position to take over as executive director of the Special Learning Center.
Current Special Learning Center Executive Director Debbie Hamler is transitioning to a leadership role with the center's foundation. Hamler has been responsible for administration of the center and for fundraising.
"I couldn't do both jobs, so I had to make a choice," Hamler said. "We've been working on continuity planning - and it happened really quickly."
Special Learning Center, located at 1115 Fairgrounds Road in Jefferson City, helps children with special needs meet the challenges they face through classroom instruction and comprehensive therapy services.
Hamler has been associated with the center for 30 years.
She was involved with the merger of the Peter Pan School and the Goshorn Center, which created the Special Learning Center in the mid-1980s. Under Hamler, the center built and moved into a new facility in 1991.
It has grown to serve more than 700 children. The center now reaches more than 20 outlying school districts to provide early childhood special education and therapy services.
"I'm really sad because I love my staff and all the children and families," Hamler said. "I just won't be running the day-to-day operations of the Special Learning Center."
She and Johnson will assume their new roles Oct. 1, according to a news release.
Johnson has been with the Boys & Girls Club since 2011. While there, the club has expanded to include hundreds more children. It built and opened its new site, at 1105 Lafayette St., in 2017.
She started her career in nonprofits in 1993, working for the United Way of Central Missouri, where she stayed throughout the 1990s.
"In my time there, I fell in love with the mission at the Special Learning Center. It has always carried a special place in my heart," Johnson said.
From the beginning of her nonprofit career, she dreamed of directing the center.
"It's exciting to look back at when I was 22 and had this dream," she continued. "I can't stop smiling about it."
The club offers children a space that promotes their development and confidence. Programs include education, physical fitness, music, dance and more. Children also receive a daily hot meal at the club.
Johnson, who is a member of the Jefferson City School District Board of Education, has poured her "heart and soul" into the club for the past nine years, said Andy Stuckenschneider, the club's board president.
"Her efforts have been instrumental in getting the club to where it is today," Stuckenschneider said in the release. "Jefferson City is blessed that she will continue to serve at another vital United Way agency."
When Johnson arrived at the Boys & Girls Club, it was operated out of a remodeled gas station, she said.
"I'm very proud of the fact that I'm leaving the Boys & Girls Club in a very strong position," Johnson said. "We've got a strong financial situation. We have 11 full-time employees."
And she's excited about what the next leader for the club may do. The groundwork is within the organization for the next person to build on and strengthen programs for children.
Johnson said the center has a dynamic, professional staff. She sees her role there much the same as it is at the Boys & Girls Club, leading a strong team of professionals.
The Boys & Girls Club's board of directors is seeking applications for the CEO position.