Lynne Meyerkord

The Accidental Executive

I never planned on being an executive director. In fact, when the board approached me I didn’t even want to be interviewed. Then I thought of all the good things we had built and I didn’t want to see them go by the wayside. So I thought maybe I should give it a try.

My passion for this work was driven because my friends were dying. Leading with empathy is a must to effectively work with our clients at APO. There’s no room for being judgmental because there but for the grace of God, go all of us.

Success comes from a strong, dedicated team. It’s really important to know what your weaknesses are and fill those gaps accordingly. It is incredibly important to talk to and listen to your staff. They’re all really good at their jobs, and I wouldn’t be able to lead effectively without them. And, finally, I don’t ask my staff to do anything I wouldn’t do.

I’m so proud that in the time I’ve been with APO we’ve gone from a tiny downtown office with no name on the building, because people didn’t want to talk about AIDS and HIV, to our current building on Glenstone where we provide medical, financial, and educational services to our clients and to the public in 29 southwest Missouri counties.

Lynne Meyerkord

Executive Director

APO

apo-ozarks.org

417-881-1900