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Former Convoy, MSU exec moves to new role at Ozark nonprofit

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A former executive at Convoy of Hope and Missouri State University started this month at Ozark-based Adult & Teen Challenge USA.

Jaimie Trussell became chief development officer and vice president of marketing, a newly created role for Adult & Teen Challenge, effective March 1, she said this morning. She exited Convoy of Hope a week prior as senior director overseeing fund development.

“There’s definitely a spiritual element to it,” Trussell said. “I felt like it was a calling I couldn’t ignore.”

In her new role, Trussell is responsible for overseeing Adult & Teen Challenge’s fund development strategies, as well as marketing for the nonprofit and “better telling the story.”

“We’re still not well known,” she said, noting the nonprofit is more than 60 years old.

Adult & Teen Challenge in Ozark serves as the central office for some 1,400 addiction recovery programs worldwide, including locations in Ozark and Branson, Trussell said. The residential and short-term programs work to “treat families coping with addictions,” she said. The nonprofit’s website indicates a vision statement to “see all people freed from addiction through the power of Jesus Christ.”

Trussell said Adult & Teen Challenge’s model works similarly to franchises, through which each chapter has its own CEO, staff and operating budget. At the Ozark headquarters, 12 employees work with an operating budget of $2.3 million, overseeing accreditation standards and brand guidelines, she said. The nonprofit serves more than 1 million individuals worldwide annually.

Prior to her nearly seven years at Convoy of Hope, Trussell worked for MSU for nearly nine years as director of development and scholarship coordinator, according to her LinkedIn profile. She also previously was at Drury University for two years as regional director of admissions.

Trussell was a member of Springfield Business Journal’s 2012 class of 40 Under 40 honorees. She served as a judge for this year’s class, which is scheduled to be honored March 21.

Trussell’s switch to Adult & Teen Challenge came about four months after the hiring of Gary Blackard as president and CEO of the nonprofit. Blackard previously was chief information officer for Evangel University and has past experience as a vice president at Xerox Corp., according to a news release.

Adult & Teen Challenge is a department of Assemblies of God’s U.S. Missions.

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