Vince Hillyer, ACSW, LCSW, BCD
CEO

A dedicated and experienced veteran of child welfare for nearly 20 years, CEO Vincent D. Hillyer guides the newly formed Great Circle, product of the merger between Boys & Girls Town of Missouri and Edgewood Children’s Center. Responsible for the coordination of over 700 staff members spread over four campuses in St. James, Springfield, Columbia and St. Louis, Hillyer leads the strength-based agency that serves children with severe emotional and behavioral problems and their families.

Hillyer previously served as President of Boys & Girls Town, implementing some of the agency’s most innovative programs, such as Equestrian Therapy, Independent Living Centers and the School in the Wilderness. During Hillyer’s tenure, Boys & Girls Town made the major philosophical change to strength-based positive environment for kids and families.

ACSW and LCSW credentialed, Hillyer started at Boys & Girls Town in 1993 as a social worker. He quickly rose to associate director of treatment and oversaw the implementation and management of the newly created Outreach Department that assists clients and their families in a home setting. In 1996, he was promoted to associate director/vice president of treatment services. While in this new role, Hillyer was responsible for the coordination of services and programs on three campuses. He also participated with a group of ten agencies to formulate a managed care entity called The Missouri Alliance. Hillyer achieved the position of executive director in 1999.  In 2006 the position was renamed “president” to better reflect the size and variety of services available through Boys & Girls Town.

Hillyer began working in the childcare field in 1985 as a counselor for Bernice Howe Shelter for Boys and Girls in Denver, Colo. He later held positions with Forest Heights Lodge Residential Center in Evergreen, Colo., and Child Advocates of California, where he developed and implemented treatment programs for troubled youths. Hillyer also has served as a foster parent. 

Hillyer has served on several boards of directors, including the Missouri Alliance for Children and Families and the Missouri Coalition of Children’s Agencies. His expertise gained him appointments to the Surgeon General’s Conference of Children’s Mental Health, the Missouri Child Welfare System Task Force and the Governor’s 21st Century Youth Education & Development Summit. He is an active member of the National Association of Social Workers and the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. Hillyer also was named the Missouri State Representative for the Child Welfare League of America.  In January 2006, Hillyer was appointed to the State of Missouri Child Abuse and Neglect Review Board by Gov. Matt Blunt.  He was named 2006 Child Advocate of the Year by the Missouri Alliance for Children and Families.

In 2008, he was appointed by Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt to the Governor’s Aging Out Task Force, blue ribbon task force to review the needs of Missourians coming of age in the state’s care as foster children. 

He is a respected voice on children’s issues and has published many articles and presented at several conferences. Hillyer’s article on “Discipline Issues” was featured in Parent’s Magazine. His editorial piece, “Surgeon General’s Conference: Children’s Warning Signs”, ran in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chicago Tribune and Kansas City Star.  In 2001, he presented “Warning Signs of Disturbed Children” to the American School Counselor’s Association in Washington, D.C.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Northern Colorado and a master’s in social work from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Hillyer, his wife Judy, two daughters and son reside in Eureka, Mo.  Judy Hillyer serves as director of advancement for Great Circle.
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