Building Meaningful Work Through Human Services | Jason Schoolmeester

What does it look like to build a career that blends business leadership with meaningful, life-changing work? Jason Schoolmeester has taken a path through agriculture, staffing, and corporate HR before landing in a role that brings it all together. In this episode, Jason joins Levi to share his journey from growing up on a farm near the Minnesota–South Dakota border to becoming Chief Human Resource Officer at Lifescape in Sioux Falls. After studying psychology at Dordt University, his early experience working directly with individuals with developmental and behavioral needs sparked an interest that would later come full circle. His career took him through high-volume staffing, relocation to Alabama, and HR leadership roles supporting complex operations before ultimately returning to the Midwest to join Lifescape. What You'll Hear: Jason shares how his early hands-on experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities shaped his perspective on meaningful work. He walks through his transition into human resources, including managing large-scale hiring operations and working in high-stakes environments that required strict procedures and accountability. He also explains what Lifescape does, supporting children and adults across all stages of life with developmental, behavioral, and complex medical needs through a combination of healthcare, education, and residential services. You’ll gain insight into the challenges of building culture and retaining talent in a highly competitive job market, especially in a mission-driven organization. Jason also discusses the importance of listening to employees, understanding the real issues behind workplace concerns, and balancing operational demands with purpose-driven work. He also shares a personal story of how Lifescape impacted his own family, reinforcing the real-world impact of the organization’s services.