Most Impactful Board Member:
Kayla Wilbers, Boys & Girls Club
When it comes to serving the community, Kayla Wilbers is a game-changer. She doesn’t view being on a board as a passive role, but rather as an opportunity to roll up her sleeves, leverage her strengths, and contribute to a unified mission.
Kayla, a client solutions executive for Huber & Associates, is in her sixth year as a board member for the Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City. She joined a group of 25 other members at the same time Wade Middaugh became the chief executive officer. Kayla is also a licensed realtor, and it immediately became clear how her experience in real estate could be utilized on the board as they focused on growth.
“Once I understood I had talents they could tap into, it became that much more exciting,” Kayla says. “Wade and I be came unstoppable and started dreaming big.”
Kayla is moving into her last year and will rotate off the board after serving her term limit. She has seen significant progress and growth while in her role.
“The growth has been really rewarding,” she says. “My time on the board has aligned with Wade’s first five years as CEO. In 2025, we opened the Burcham Youth Center in Holts Summit, our third location in three years. Last year, we opened the Future Blue Tiger Teen Center at Lincoln University, and in 2023, we opened the Sadowski Center on the west side of town. Let’s just say there’s been a little bit to do.”
While Kayla has been active in community service for years, her time on the Boys & Girls Club board has illuminated and magnified the positive impact she has made. It’s been extra special for her to see the Holts Summit community rally around the new facility.
“I was surprised by how the Holts Summit community donated over $250,000 in 45 days,” Kayla remarks. “We began a pledge campaign in March, voted to purchase property by May 1, and it opened in mid-August for the school year.”
Progress, while satisfying, hasn’t come without growing pains, but Kayla and the board pushed through.
“Things were not perfect, but you’re never going to get anywhere waiting for things to be perfect,” she notes. “No risk, no reward.”
Although she will leave the board in June 2026, Kayla is grateful to have been a part of the board puzzle, contributing her strengths to the board’s projects.
“It’s all been adventurous and surprising and fun,” Kayla says. “It’s all up to you on what you want to make of it and the impact you want to leave.”