Darin Preis

Darin Preis has led Central Missouri Community Action (CMCA) for nineteen years.

“I guess at the end of the day I want to be able to tell my son that I did the best I could to make a difference in our community,” Preis said, citing one thought that motivates him.

As executive director, Preis is responsible for CMCA’s public image, funder relationships, board management, agency budget, staff morale, the work equipment, internal and external communication, and “turning out the lights at the end of the night.”

“As the executive director, I take all the blame for the bad stuff and spread the love when good things happen,” he added. “I try to establish a vision for our organization and set an example that our 220 employees can follow. I am at the top of the organizational chart and try to keep us all rowing in the right direction.”

Preis’ goals for CMCA are to build relationships to empower people, strengthen resilience, and improve quality of life for all members of the community. The organization’s strategic priorities include employment and income support, health, housing, and becoming an Agency of Excellence (a Baldrige-inspired certification from CMCA’s National Community Action Partnership).

Several projects are in motion, such as building forty workforce apartment units in Jefferson City and fourteen affordable homes for sale in Columbia this year. He is working on plans to build another forty apartments in Mexico and up to thirty homes in Fulton. Preis also plans to support the Head Start director and team to meet the new challenge of meeting approximately 1,200 standards — a part of the new Head Start Program Performance Standards, which were updated for the first time since 2016. Head Start is a comprehensive early childhood education experience that provides both quality classroom experiences and a whole family approach that holistically supports the entire family. It is CMCA’s largest program.

“My personal goal is to maintain my own work/life balance so that I can be everything CMCA needs me to be,” Preis explained. “I want to be at my best so that I can be present for my team and make sure CMCA is living up to its mission. This means keeping my wife, son, and dogs top of mind as I plan each week. The cat is on her own.”