2021 40 Under 40 Yearbook: Jaimie Trussell

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Then: Director of Development, Missouri State University

Now: CEO, Council of Churches of the Ozarks Inc.


Jaimie Trussell, 44, admits becoming the leader of Council of Churches of the Ozarks in August 2020 has resulted in a few new gray hairs.

Still, the new CEO says her expectations have been exceeded working at the nonprofit and its nine outreach services, including Crosslines food pantry and Safe to Sleep women’s shelter.

“The people here, they love the work we do,” she says. “They care so much and so passionately about the under-resourced population.”

Trussell came to the 52-year-old organization from Adult & Teen Challenge USA. She leads a staff of 59 at CCO, which had a $7.5 million operating budget go into effect Jan. 1.

“I thought God must trust me a lot. This position’s hard anyway,” she says of starting at the nonprofit during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It impacted the learning curve a lot.”

Best advice to young professionals? It is more important to be the kind of person people want to be around, than it is to be smart, savvy or skilled. If you are the kind of person others want to see succeed, you will.