Dan Glazier
Todd Graves
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
Graves Garrett Kansas City
In Hebrew, tikkun olam is a cornerstone of the Jewish identity: It means striving to repair the world. “That ethos, the idea of using your skills to make difference—that’s it for me,” says Dan Glazier, executive director of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. “I love being a lawyer because I’m an advocate and can use those tools to help others.” So this native of Bethlehem— Pennsylvania—has found his calling helping address homelessness, poverty and need with LSEM, where he’s served as executive director for the past 18 years. Armed with a law degree from Washington Univ. in St. Louis, he could have punched his ticket to most any large law firm in the nation, and reaped the personal rewards. But “I really was never temped by the sort of shiny objects out there that I might have had opportunities for with these kinds of degrees. This is what I wanted to do. This has been my calling.” That calling nourishes his spirit every day, knowing that he and his team are helping people in 21 counties stay in their homes, get access to food or escape the scourge of domestic violence. The need, even after four decades of his service, remains great, and the nature of it is constantly changing, Glazier says. “In the richest country in the world, the fact that we still have folks without homes has always been a problem, but in many ways, it has gotten worse,” he says. “The fact that we don’t have health care for all is a challenge. So many of the challenges get accelerated when you’re not able to bring the resources to bear, and homelessness is a good example: What it was 40 years ago was not the same problem it is today.”
Heather Hardinger
Ken Haskin
CoxHealth/Springfield City Council
City of Cape Girardeau
Given the summer heat and humidity in Springfield, there’s no questioning Heather Hardinger’s commitment to her adopted hometown: Raised in Alaska, she arrived for college, and 18 years later, she continues to impact the community in multiple ways. Her day job is with CoxHealth as director of diversity equity and inclusion efforts; off the clock, she’s a member of the City Council. “Working in the public and non-profit sectors throughout my career has helped connect me to my sense of purpose while allowing me to have a direct and tangible impact and help create positive change, contributing to the greater good,” she says. That goes back to staff roles in the Alaska state and U.S. Senate offices even before she enrolled at Southwest Missouri State, then as an AmeriCorps volunteer with Missouri Job Centers, where she found her footing in work-force and economic development. On her role with CoxHealth, she says that “as our communities become more diverse, our patient population also has unique health-care needs and cultural preferences. It’s all about building trust and strong relationships, ensuring all employees, community members, and patients feel valued and understood as they trust us to help improve their health and quality of life.” She’s also the first woman of color to sit on the City Council, where, she says, “I hope to inspire greater civic engagement in young folks, especially those who may not see themselves represented in these spaces.”
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Like the six generations of Missouri farmers who came before him, Todd Graves has that same spirit of independence—and, he admits, plenty of anti-authority attitudes. “I’ve always wanted to chart my own path,” he said. “We formed this law firm over 17 years ago, and it’s among the best decisions I’ve ever made.” Graves Garrett represents clients nationwide in white-collar criminal defense, political speech and election law, internal investigations, regulatory compliance, and complex commercial litigation. But that anti-authority thing makes his work so fun, he said. “We are at our best when we stand up to government authority or big business on behalf of a principled client. I want to be the attorney a client wants in their foxhole with them when things are bad.” The firm draws much of its spirit from Graves’ upbringing in Tarkio, a small farming community not far from the Iowa border. “You know everybody, and everybody knows you,” he said. “Responsibility, self-reliance, and pitching in (community service) are a way of life.” He serves as chairman of the Herzog Foundation and an active role in the Pony Express Council of Boy Scouts of America, he’s also a member of the University of Missouri Board of Curators—an alma mater he shares with family going back to 1912, including his father, siblings, wife, and children. He’s also the founding president of the Kansas City Police Foundation. “I get involved in organizations I believe in,” he says.
Regional Publications
His family might have been pushing for the priesthood, but Dr. Ken Haskin found his calling to serve elsewhere—including the court system, the non-profit world and in public service. “Those diverse experiences across the public sector help me understand and tackle the complex challenges facing American cities today,” he says. After graduating high school in Arkansas, he earned a bachelor’s from Henderson State University and a master’s in public administration from Webster University, and now has more than 25 years of experience in public management as a senior-level administrator. Today, he serves as city manager of Cape Girardeau, but he has also served as economic-development director and negotiated with many companies who either located or decided to remain within the city. In addition, he’s focused on staying responsible with the public funds, and recently renegotiated the Public Safety Pension Plan, saving $10 million over the life of the plan. He also balanced the city budget and is implementing a strategic, conservative spending plan to boost economic growth. He said he sees the city as the perfect setting for these kinds of efforts. “Cape is a city of opportunity for everyone, which results in better jobs, better health outcomes, and increased safety,” he says. “Cities our size are for the people who want it all—big city amenities but with the small town feel and convenience. … If we keep focused on a strong economy where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, then life is good in Cape Girardeau.” Ingrams.com