Lindsey Stephenson, LSCSW, has been with KVC for 15 years and previously served as Vice President of Operations for KVC Kansas based in Olathe. In this role, she led a team that dramatically grew community support for children who are in foster care due to abuse or neglect, increasing the organization’s foster and adoptive families by 78%, from 500 to 892 homes. She also expanded community partnerships, such as collaborating with Global Orphan Project’s CarePortal to create Protective Homes in Kansas and worked with community mental health centers and churches to strengthen families and safely prevent children from entering foster care.

Stephenson led the transformation of KVC’s youth residential center in Kansas City, KS into a Qualified Residential Treatment Center (QRTP), in line with the federal Family First Prevention Services Act. This treatment center is licensed to care for up to 16 adolescent youth with mental and behavioral health needs at a time by offering comprehensive services and helping them successfully transition back to family-like settings with relative caregivers, foster family homes, or their birth family homes.

In addition to overseeing KVC Kansas’ Child Placing Agency (CPA) and QRTP, she oversaw its Admissions, Quality and Data Management, and Community Outreach teams. Stephenson received her graduate and undergraduate degrees in social work from the University of Kansas.

Stephenson was named President of KVC Missouri in June 2021. She also leads new partnerships and collaborations.

As the Director of Administration at KVC Niles, Cheryl oversees business operations, strategic planning and interdepartmental projects and provides direct oversight of the leadership team. She focuses on ensuring Niles’ residential treatment program is a safe and healing space for children and teens who are receiving intensive clinical services for behavioral and mental health challenges.

Cheryl brings more than 20 years of expertise in management and program service delivery and more than 12 years of experience working in the mental health field. She has extensive experience working in children’s psychiatric treatment centers and school settings and most recently served as the Director of Residential Programs at a treatment program in Kansas City, Missouri. In this role, Cheryl directed the planning, development and administration of residential programs. Her knowledge and expertise extend to operational oversight, employee management, developing curriculum, clinical treatment, budgeting, compliance with state and federal standards, crisis intervention, Council on Accreditation (COA) standards, and many other aspects of leading a treatment center.

Cheryl is a licensed professional counselor in the State of Missouri and a licensed clinical professional counselor in the State of Kansas. She received a master’s degree in counseling and certifications in Sexual Addiction and Play Therapy from MidAmerica Nazarene University. Additionally, she has completed Part 1 of both Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

“I choose to work in this field because I believe in investing in our youth, their families, and our hard-working employees who care for our clients. I believe we can make an impact in people’s lives to help them grow and develop into their best selves. I strive every day to ensure our clients feel cherished, cared for, safe and accepted, so that they can start to heal from the effects of trauma and learn skills to manage their big feelings and be safe with themselves and others.” – Cheryl Costabile

Lindsey Russell serves as the KVC Niles Prep School Administrator where she manages the Niles Prep School and coordinates education by developing strong relationships with staff, students, caregivers and community partners. She has more than 15 years of experience working in education, with 12 years as a special education teacher and 3 years in school administration.

Lindsey received a bachelor’s degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia, a master’s degree in special education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and an education specialist degree in leadership and administration at the University of Central Missouri.

“As the demands and challenges of teaching children increase, it becomes more apparent that Niles Prep and the community need to work together to ensure our children reach their full potential. We believe it is everyone’s responsibility to empower youth with the creative, intellectual, and decision-making skills necessary for them to become academically, socially, physically, and emotionally successful and responsible.” – Lindsey Russell

Alejandro (Alex) Mendez is Associate Director of Operations for KVC Niles and has been with the organization for 20 years. Throughout his career at KVC, Alex has held many roles providing direct care to clients and leading direct care teams including Behavioral Health Technician, Hospital Supervisor, Campus Supervisor and Milieu Manager.

After his first seven years at KVC, Alex transitioned to a career in business working at Lockton Companies as a financial analyst. After serving in that role for 10 years he decided to re-join the KVC family because of his passion for KVC’s mission and service to children and families. In addition to the experience he has gained in working with youth at KVC, he has also been a club soccer coach with KC Fusion for 14 years. His time with KC Fusion is another important way he gives back to the community and works to support and encourage kids of all ages and backgrounds.

“I truly believe the work we do at KVC impacts the lives of children and families and strengthens our communities. I choose this work because I want to have a positive impact on all the lives that I touch and to make sure everyone feels safe and has a caring environment.” – Alex Mendez