Manager of Community Services, City of Columbia – Age: 35

For Steve Hollis, manager of community services for local government, the City of Columbia is not only a community but also a career.
In 1995, after graduating from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, Hollis worked briefly at the Voluntary Action Center as an information and referral specialist. In 1996, he joined the City of Columbia as a social services specialist, was promoted to social services supervisor in 1998 and became manager of community services, his current position, in 2006.
Hollis stays active in the community through involvement with the Health Care Access Committee, the Long-Term Disaster Recovery Committee, the Senior Collaborative Services Committee, the Networking Early Childhood Team, the Boone County Basic Needs Coalition, the Board for Early Childhood Education, the Columbia Public Schools Substance Abuse Task Force and the Downtown Rotary. He also formerly served on the First Chance for Children Board, and as a staff member for the Missouri Scholars Academy.
Hollis likes to spend his free time involved in farming, hunting, fishing, carpentry and rock climbing. He and his wife, Sally, have a new baby boy, Gus.
“If I were a rich man I would like to spend some of my fortune redeveloping the area between downtown and Columbia College,” said Holden. “I’ve often thought that this part of Columbia could be better developed as an example of a mixed-use neighborhood accessible to folks of all income levels.”