2024 40 Under 40: Whitney Grieshaber

In a five-year span, Whitney Grieshaber went from a part-time, entry-level employee at Ozarks Technical Community College’s Center of Excellence for Medical Simulation to its director.

In the leadership role since 2020, the 37-year-old says the center has provided over 8,000 simulations, such as preventive care and invasive surgery, over the past year to students enrolled in a health sciences field at OTC and to community law enforcement and health care organizations.

Her civic activities include co-founding Friends of Springfield Fire, a nonprofit that supports the needs of Springfield firefighters and their families. It holds an annual awards ceremony, fundraises for a peer support group and funds multicancer early detection screenings for firefighters.

Your proudest moment? Reuniting with my husband and daughters after graduating with my degree. They carried me through that process, and that success was just as much theirs as it was mine.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes lead to growth, and growth and comfort do not coexist.

Your most treasured possession? My wedding bands. Some of the diamonds were from my grandparents and my parents over the years, combined with the promise of forever with my person. 

Favorite local food/drink order? An Italian margarita and all the chips and dip at Cesar’s Old Mexico!