Jennifer Schenck (GMLC Class of 2018) has accepted the responsibility of serving as the Interim Director of the Missouri Women’s Business Center at Central Missouri Community Action based in Columbia. Jennifer has been an integral part of the MoWBC family since the beginning, serving on their advisory board and as a member of their coaching team while being incredibly active in the community and growing her business, The Connection Exchange. We are so grateful for her continued leadership.

The current and exiting Director Jessie Yankee is moving into a new role as the Director of Community Financial Services at Central Missouri Community Action, a program that will focus on creating economic inclusion avenues in collaboration with community partners.

Jessie shared her thoughts on leaving: “As MoWBC Director I have the privilege and responsibility of leading an incredible team of coaches who spend each day helping local entrepreneurs in pursuing their dreams of business ownership. During my last four years as Director our team has assisted over 1500 women and men, helped launch over 90 businesses, and helped our clients access over $4 million in capital. I could never have imagined we would do this while facing challenges like a global pandemic and severe economic uncertainty which we are still fighting today. I am fully confident of the continued strength and commitment of our team though this upcoming transition.

Through my time at the MoWBC and the uncertainties of the pandemic I have discovered a deep passion for a particular area of our mission: economic inclusion. Building avenues to capital and financial stability for the historically underserved is an essential piece as we work to build economic prosperity for all members of our communities.”

A search continues for the next permanent leader of the Women’s Business Center. If you or someone you know is excited and passionate about the prosperity of women entrepreneurs, you can find the job posting and apply at cmca.us/careers.

Best wishes to all!