Joplin’s Louis Secker joins CFO Board

Louise Secker, a real estate professional in Joplin, joined the Board of Directors for the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. Her first three-year term began July 1. Secker also chairs the board of the Joplin Regional Community Foundation, a regional affiliate foundation of the CFO.

The CFO’s other new board members are:

• Dr. Josh Cotter is an educator and director of Southern Missouri Technical Institute in West Plains. He recently completed his final term as board chair for the Community Foundation of West Plains Inc.
• Barb Houser leads the nonprofit practice of KPM CPAs in Springfield. She serves on the CFO board as the new chair of the Audit/Operations Committee.
• Travis Liles is a director with Forvis Mazars Private Client in Springfield. Travis began his career with the CFO and returns to serve on the board.
• Dr. Judith Martínez-García is an associate professor of languages, cultures and religion at Missouri State University in Springfield.

The CFO also recently elected officers for 2025–26. The FY26 Executive Committee comprises:

• Chair: Roy Hardy Jr., Ozark (Associated Electric Cooperative)
• Vice chair: Jimmy Liles, Nixa (City of Nixa)
• Treasurer: Greg Hoffman, Nevada (retired financial professional)
• Secretary: Gary Garwitz, Springfield (retired partner at BKD, now Forvis Mazars)
• At-large: Sarah Honeycutt, Cabool (accountant)
• Investment Advisory Board chair: Kari Creighton, Springfield (financial professional)
• Audit/Operations Committee chair: Barb Houser, Springfield (KPM nonprofit practice)
• Chair emeritus: Anne E. McGregor, Branson (The Neighbor Company)

The CFO ended its 2025 fiscal year with $549 million in assets under management, boosted by $64.9 million in gifts and 12.2% growth for funds invested in its Diversified Growth Pool. The CFO issued $53.8 million in grants, scholarships and charitable distributions to improve quality of life across the region and support the charitable goals of donors. These preliminary figures will be finalized in its FY25 annual report, to be published in December.

The CFO recently opened the initial grant programs for 2025–26, supported by a record $5.4 million grantmaking budget. It also recently moved its headquarters to 300 South Jefferson in downtown Springfield. For more information, visit cfozarks.org.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is the region’s largest public charitable foundation serving donors, nonprofit partners and 55 regional affiliates — including the Joplin Regional Community Foundation — with $549 million in assets under management as of June 30, 2025. The CFO’s mission is to improve the quality of life for everyone in central and southern Missouri through resource development, community grantmaking, collaboration and public leadership.