Morgan Yost recognized for leadership in human services and organizational growth

Morgan Yost, a human resources management student in Corydon, Iowa, is being recognized for nearly seven years of experience in social services, behavioral health and community support. Her work highlights the growing need for people-centered leadership, stronger workforce development and better support for families and vulnerable individuals.

Why it matters: - Morgan Yost’s career spans human services and human resources, a combination that reflects a broader need for leaders who understand both frontline care and workplace systems. - Her focus on workforce development, retention and supportive leadership comes as mental health and social services organizations face shortages, burnout and high turnover. - Yost’s work with vulnerable children and families points to the real-world impact of stable, compassionate support in child welfare and behavioral health.

What happened: - Influential Women recognized Morgan Yost for leadership in human services and organizational growth. - Yost lives in Corydon, Iowa, and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management at Western Governors University. - Her background includes nearly seven years in social services, behavioral health and community-based support. - Her career began in childcare, where she worked as a nanny before moving into behavioral health service coordination, case management, life service coordination and community outreach. - The Influential Women profile is available here.

The details: - Yost is building expertise in organizational psychology, critical thinking, leadership and people-centered management. - Her long-term goals include organizational development, change management, business acquisitions and entrepreneurship. - Her work has centered on behavioral de-escalation, crisis intervention, outreach, family reunification and connecting people to long-term stability resources. - Yost says meaningful change starts by meeting people where they are and offering consistent, compassionate support tailored to individual circumstances. - C3 training supports her ability to manage high-emotion situations and coordinate with multidisciplinary professionals and community partners. - Yost built and trained an eight-person team of independent contractors with lived experience across eight counties in six months. - The team was created to mentor and support families navigating the child welfare system. - Yost’s leadership values include integrity, empathy, resilience, creativity and continuous development. - Outside of work and school, she reads, spends time in nature and travels.

Between the lines: - Yost’s path shows how direct-service experience can translate into organizational leadership and talent development. - Her emphasis on empathy and nonjudgment reflects a broader shift in human services toward trust-based support models. - The workforce challenges she highlights suggest that service quality depends not only on funding and demand, but also on how organizations recruit, train and retain staff. - Her interest in business ownership suggests an intent to move from serving within systems to shaping how those systems operate.

What's next: - Yost plans to continue her education while expanding her leadership experience. - She aims to apply human services lessons to broader organizational settings and help businesses and nonprofits navigate change. - She also plans to become a business owner focused on innovative solutions that address gaps in organizational effectiveness and human services. - As she advances, Yost says she will keep centering people, workplace culture and long-term stability in her work.