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2012 Most Influential Women Honoree: Julie Conway

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For the past 22 years, Julie Conway has aimed to make an impact on the lives of others through her work in the nonprofit industry for Good Samaritan Boys Ranch and Ozarks Area Community Action Corp.

Conway has a communications degree from the University of Missouri with an emphasis in radio and TV. Before going to work in the nonprofit field, she put her degree to work at KTWO as a radio reporter, where she hosted the “Springfield Scene” program and served as associate editor for Today’s Woman Journal.

During Conway’s 15 years as OACAC’s communications director, she developed and managed initiatives that allowed the agency to assist elderly and low-income individuals by increasing their income through tax returns. She also was involved in multicultural initiatives to provide services to a growing Hispanic population in Barry and Lawrence counties.

Conway’s current role is director of development for Good Samaritan Boys Ranch, where she’s worked since December 2005. In that time, she has led fundraising efforts totaling $4 million, including four fundraising campaigns to help develop the campus on Highway 13 roughly 12 miles north of Springfield. The nonprofit provides homes and an education for children who have been abandoned, abused or neglected, and Conway’s efforts have facilitated campus improvements such as a 20-bed group home, a recreation center, rock climbing wall, art therapy center, calving barn and dining hall.

Conway was named 2010 Outstanding Fundraising Professional by peers in the Ozarks Region Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

“Whether it’s collecting books for kids enrolled in Head Start when I was employed at OACAC or it’s obtaining grants to help with dental care for our boys at Good Samaritan Boys Ranch, I love to see a need in our community and be able to capture the resources to meet that need,” Conway says.

Conway has been active in various organizations since 1989, serving on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Springfield, North Springfield Betterment Association, Affordable Housing Action Board and Downtown Kiwanis Club of Springfield. Most recently, she has served on the Rotary Rock ’n Ribs BBQ Festival Executive Committee and on the Price Cutter Charity Championship Committee.

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