THE SAFE SPACE

Bobbie Spry

Chief Development Consultant, Kingery and Company

SUPERPOWER: Connecting others

Bobbie Spry wears a bracelet with an inscription: Be who you needed when you were younger. “I experienced a lot of trauma as a kid, so I grew up wanting to help other people and to be an example of what you can do—how you can use that negativity to build something positive,” she says.

Spry serves as chief development consultant with Kingery and Company, a consulting firm that does strategic planning, needs assessments, and board development. The company works with small businesses and with the nonprofit organizations EveryChild NOW and the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Coalition of West Virginia, which create and support safe, healthy, and positive experiences for the children of the Mountain State.

The abuse Spry suffered as a child had adverse effects, but she encountered people who provided glimpses of hope. Teachers went above and beyond to keep her in school and to overcome bad habits. She became passionate about helping those who couldn’t help themselves, choosing to volunteer while attending West Virginia State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communications with a minor in English.

After employment stints at the university and with West Virginia Executive magazine, Spry worked in marketing and promotions for West Virginia Radio Corporation. Then she was approached by Tricia Kingery, president and founder of Kingery and Company. “Tricia was all about changing the world, and I was so grateful to be able to do that with her,” she says.

Spry became familiar with the ACEs Coalition, which targets the mission she is most passionate about. “I wish I knew about this when I was younger, to help with decision-making and learn why I reacted the way I did to some things that happened in my life.”

In 2025, Kingery and Company will host the first ACEs Coalition of West Virginia Conference. “I’m pretty excited to bring people in from all over West Virginia and surrounding areas to discuss trauma and recovery efforts,” Spry says.

WRITTEN BY JULIE PERINE

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER 2024 WEST VIRGINIA WONDER WOMEN

Learn more about our Wonder Women

Since 2014 WV Living magazine has been honoring West Virginia Wonder Women, amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. WV Living is proud to celebrate these Appalachian mothers, millennials, and mavens proving that in a time full of uncertainty, divisiveness, and hate, love for one another is all we really need. No need for bulletproof bracelets or a golden lasso of truth—these women are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.