Passion & Purpose: Winter 2025-26
2025 Humanitarian recognized for volunteering Expert leadership to myriad nonprofits
Stephanie Stenger is all about sustainable, thoughtful change. The Springfield attorney has invested years of her time and expertise in a list of local causes — several focused on children — to help create a better Ozarks today and tomorrow.
Despite a long list of causes, when Stenger was named the 2025 Humanitarian of the Year in November, she knew who received the most from these efforts.
“I will simply say that I’ve gotten much more out of everything than I have given over the years,” she said, speaking of the many friends and mentors who helped her on her journey of service. That legacy, she said, began in childhood.
“Any service that I’ve been able to do is in large part due to the example and opportunity that my parents, Ron and Lezah Stenger — particularly my mother — gave me today,” Stenger said. “All the board service, leadership and project development that I’ve participated in, she did first.”
That modeling led Stenger to a career and community-minded moments with big impact.
“With characteristic intelligence, discretion and thousands of hours of work, she has carried several of our community groups through times of major change and crisis — and we are all the unaware beneficiaries,” wrote Crista Hogan, a fellow attorney, in a letter of support for Stenger’s nomination. “Stephanie has been president/chairman of the board of almost every major community group and a bunch of minor ones. I can speak from direct experience that when she commits to lead, she takes that role much more seriously than most.”
In addition to her role as CEO of Springfield Land LP, a real estate development company, Stenger has served in leadership roles with numerous nonprofits. That list includes Junior League of Springfield, Care to Learn, Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association, Legal Services of Southern Missouri, Springfield-Greene County Library District’s Board of Trustees, Friends of the Zoo and the CFO, where she served as board chair during its 2016 fiscal year. Stenger was also integral in Moxie Cinema’s conversion to a nonprofit in 2010 and serves as its president.
Of these many efforts, a key example of her impact is Isabel’s House Crisis Nursery. The Springfield nonprofit, which began as a signature project of the Junior League of Springfield in 2007, provides free short-term, round-the-clock care for infants and children.
“While there were several women involved in the research, planning, fundraising and opening of Isabel’s House, Stephanie is recognized by all involved as key to the Junior League of Springfield project’s success,” wrote Morey Mechlin, the 2014 Humanitarian and former Care to Learn executive director, in a letter of support. “She listens, learns and leads. She treats everyone, from the most prominent elected official to the underprivileged student receiving Care to Learn assistance, with respect and dignity. She leads with intelligence and always delivers as promised.”
— by Kaitlyn McConnell
