Partner for Better

Come learn with us about ways to meaningfully boost and support nonprofit professionals who dedicate their lives to caring for others.

For the last three years, the Shepard McCaskill Foundation and its initial nonprofit partners have invested grant dollars in their teams' wellness. In this ongoing effort, the foundation's leaders are pleased to welcome any and all nonprofit professionals, community leaders, board members, and funders to this special keynote on building nonprofit team well-being featuring Merideth Rose, President & CEO of Cornerstones of Care.

Drawing from both her personal journey and her experience leading one of the Midwest's largest trauma-responsive behavioral health organizations, Merideth invites participants to rethink what it truly means to care for those who care for others. Through powerful storytelling, practical leadership insights, and lessons learned from implementing the Sanctuary Model™, this keynote explores how leaders can build resilient organizations where people remain connected to purpose, strengthen one another through adversity, and flourish, as individuals and organizations.

Directly following her keynote, Merideth will sit down for an audience Q&A.

This keynote is free and open to the public.

9:15-9:25 Arrival & Registration

9:30-10:30 Keynote

10:30-11:00 Audience Q&A

More about the Shepard McCaskill Foundation:

In addition to nonprofit staff wellness investments, the Shepard McCaskill Foundation and its founders – Joseph Shepard and former U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill – are partnering with Columbia, Kansas City and St. Louis organizations helping families experiencing intimate partner violence, substance misuse/recovery and reentry from justice-involved situations.

More about Merideth:

Merideth Rose serves as President and CEO of Cornerstones of Care, one of the Midwest's largest behavioral health organizations dedicated to strengthening children, families, and communities through prevention, treatment, education, and trauma-responsive care.

A nationally recognized leader in child and family well-being, Merideth has spent more than two decades leading across public service, education, disaster response, and behavioral health. Prior to joining Cornerstones of Care, she served in leadership roles with FEMA, public education, and community-based human services, developing a unique perspective on how systems, communities, and relationships shape outcomes for children and families.

As an adoptee, foster care alum, and survivor of childhood adversity, Merideth's personal journey deeply informs her professional mission and leadership philosophy. Under her leadership, Cornerstones of Care serves more than 14,000 children and families annually and continues its longstanding commitment as a nationally recognized leader in trauma-responsive care and Sanctuary implementation.

A sought-after keynote speaker and facilitator, Merideth regularly speaks with nonprofit, healthcare, education, business, and civic audiences on courageous leadership, organizational culture, workforce well-being, resilience, trauma-responsive practice, and systems change. Her engaging style blends lived experience, practical leadership insights, and organizational lessons that inspire leaders to build healthier workplaces where both people and purpose can thrive.

Merideth is a 2024 Kansas City Business Journal Woman of Influence, recipient of the 2025 Kansas City Pinnacle Prize, and serves on numerous civic and nonprofit boards throughout the Kansas City region. Whether leading an organization or speaking with audiences across the country, she believes the strongest organizations are those that care for their people with the same intentionality they bring to their mission.