Heartspring names new chief executive

Heartspring will have a new president and CEO next week.

The northeast Wichita-based organization that serves special needs children said David Stupay will assume the top executive post April 13.

Stupay, 34, replaces Gary Singleton, Heartspring’s CEO since 2002, who is retiring.

“David has an incredible passion for individuals with special needs; his experience and vision for an even more impactful organization undoubtedly aligns with the mentality that has guided Heartspring toward success for more than 80 years,” Laurie Labarca, Heartspring’s chairwoman, said in a release.

Stupay was most recently with Valparaiso, Ind.-based Opportunity Enterprises, where he was CEO from August 2013 to August 2014. He said in a telephone interview Monday that his year-long stint there was intended to be short, and focused on getting the organization “on stable footing, drawing up a strategic plan” and developing a leadership team to take over longer term.

Prior to that Stupay was executive director of Esperanza Community Services in Chicago, where he worked for nearly five years. And from April 2005 to November 2008, he was operations director for two Salvation Army organizations.

He has a bachelor’s degree in business management from Southeastern University in Florida and a master’s in business administration from North Park University in Chicago.

Stupay said one of his first jobs at Heartspring will be to help it meet growing demand for its pediatric programs and its school, which is currently at capacity “and has the largest waiting list its had in five decades.”

“That’s a top-line priority,” he said.

This story was originally published April 6, 2015 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Heartspring names new chief executive."