2021 Men of the Year: Ryan Sivill

The past year has been quite a ride for Ryan Sivill.

Sivill was elected as partner at BKD LLP, he and his wife welcomed their third child in March, and he had the experience of serving through a pandemic as chair of The Network, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s nearly 500-member young professionals group.

Sivill says his position at BKD allows him to lead in meaningful ways in his community while taking care of and being present for his family.

“A significant part of the reason for the profession I am in and place where I have chosen to work is that I believe that is the best vehicle that I have found to have an impact on my family and my community,” Sivill says.

Sivill earned his bachelor’s degrees in accounting and finance at Missouri State University before adding an MBA in 2008.

Upon graduation, Sivill joined BKD, where he worked his way up. He was elected partner in June 2021.

Leadership is important to Sivill, not just at work.

“Leadership professionally doesn’t just mean leadership within the walls of your business; it also means being a leader in your community,” he says.

With The Network, he put a focus on engaging the YP group on the city’s Forward SGF initiative. Members attended a retreat to come up with bold and transformative ideas for Springfield.

Sivill says while the pandemic presented challenges during his year leading The Network, it also provided unique opportunities to shape the group for the future.

But the pandemic proved to be among Sivill’s tests at work.

“I will for the rest of my career remember the Sunday that Gary Schafer (my managing partner) called and said, ‘I need you to start thinking about who in your department is essential to be on-site if we need to make that call.’ And the following Monday morning when he called at 9 a.m. and said, ‘This is your one-hour heads up; we’re going remote at 10 a.m.’

“We didn’t have a playbook for reengineering our processes … but we were able to find a way to continue to build culture, to serve each other and serve our clients through the past 18 months,” Sivill recalls.

In addition to his role with The Network and his board position at the chamber, Sivill also is involved in the Renew Jordan Creek initiative and serves on the 2021 Campaign Cabinet for United Way of the Ozarks.

For his alma mater, he serves on the advisory board for the School of Accountancy and is a mentor in men’s basketball coach Dana Ford’s Sweet 16 Mentoring Program.

Sivill says as his career evolves, he’s able to continue to balance his home life and community contributions with his profession.

“Public accounting is a demanding profession, and I love serving my team and my clients because I know that we get to play a role in economic success that helps the Ozarks that we love,” he says. “However, I’m also mindful that my role as a leader not only demonstrates how to be successful professionally but concurrently demonstrating the importance of being a great father and a great husband.”