2021 Most Influential Women: Rebecca Weber

At only 23 years old, Rebecca Weber became a foster parent. It’s never too early and no one is ever too young to make a difference, she reasons, and has centered her life – both professionally and personally – around providing safety and security for Missouri children in need.

“I feel that I am making a difference in my community by investing in one of our most vulnerable populations: children in foster care,” Weber says. “Through my work as a foster parent and investing in future leaders of our community in my home to encouraging others within the professional and nonprofit communities to make a difference, I always attempt to lead with passion.”

Weber earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southwest Baptist University in 2012 and was hired that year as foster care case manager at the Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services in Springfield. In 2014, Weber began serving at Missouri Alliance for Children and Families LLC, aiding children with more complex needs linked to trauma. She began independently pursuing education in trauma-informed care, ultimately earning certification as a trust-based relational intervention practitioner. Additionally, she developed trauma-oriented curriculum and trained specialists statewide.

Weber began her current employment at CASA in 2018 as program director and advocate supervisor with continued emphasis on trauma-informed education and care. In part to her leadership, CASA’s volunteer program participation increased by 179% in three years.

“My work through the volunteer program at our nonprofit has been a huge … undertaking, but leading with the passion I have for vulnerable children will always seem easy and worth the struggles I may experience,” she says.

Because working in foster care is challenging and puts those involved at risk of developing secondary trauma, Weber is highly attentive to her own well-being and that of others, developing training for her co-workers and teams throughout Missouri.

“Working in child welfare, it can be a difficult job as we are exposed to secondary trauma on a daily basis due to the nature of our cases,” she says. “I have been able to lead my team with passion and help bring awareness and understanding to secondary trauma so that they can maintain a high level of personal physical and mental health.”

Weber further touches the lives of Springfield children through Community Partnership of the Ozarks Inc.’s Child Abuse and Neglect Collaborative, for which she hosts the virtual Trauma Talks series. Additionally, she serves as a lunch buddy with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks Inc., and trains foster parents through social media and educational panels.

“I am truly invested in our mission as I have seen the firsthand effects of children that fall through the cracks in foster care,” she says. “I feel that I am working to break the curse of generational trauma within our community by helping children receive the care they deserve, get their needs met and have the consistency of a trusted adult in their life through CASA.”