Leadership Springfield

Leadership Springfield and the Springfield Sister Cities Association both turn 40 this year! To celebrate these milestone anniversaries, we are inviting alumni and guests on a trip to one of Springfield's sister cities, Tlaquepaque, Mexico. Expand your perspective, build relationships, and deepen your understanding of community and engagement, both at home and around the world.✈️

Find more details and secure your spot now: https://leadershipspringfield.org/forms/ssca-alumni-trip/

Only 20 spots are available, and alumni can bring one guest!

Meet Dr. Nicole Holt and Dr. Nichole Lemmon, our 2026 Visionary Volunteer Award Recipients!✨

For nearly a decade, Dr. Nicole Holt (Signature Class 37) and Dr. Nichole Lemmon (Signature Class 36) have been so closely intertwined with the evolution of Leadership Springfield that their collective impact is best understood together.

Professionally, both leaders have had an extraordinary impact on education in Springfield and across Missouri. Dr. Lemmon helped build and scale a virtual learning model that now serves students from hundreds of school districts statewide, creating educational opportunities regardless of geography or circumstance. Dr. Holt oversees academic programs and services for Missouri’s largest accredited school district, supporting educators, students, and families while fostering high-performing teams focused on student success.

Together, they have served as trusted thought partners, curriculum architects, and champions of leadership development at LeadSGF. Over the past seven to eight years, their work has transformed Leadership Springfield’s curriculum and volunteer programming, most visibly in co-creating the organization’s inaugural Committee Summit, which equipped more than 100 volunteers. Their combined influence has touched nearly every Leadership Springfield graduate in the organization’s recent history.

“Nicole and Nichole have poured their expertise, energy, and hearts into this organization for years,” said Carrie Richardson, Leadership Springfield Executive Director. “Their legacy is reflected not only in the programs they have helped shape, but in the thousands of leaders whose lives have been impacted because they chose to say yes.

We are proud to celebrate their impact. Help us once again congratulate our 2026 Visionary Volunteers!