Our Story
The Chapman Foundation for Caring Communities is a national family foundation committed to strengthening relationships, improving workplaces, and building more connected communities.
Our story began inside Barry-Wehmiller, a St. Louis-based manufacturing firm led by Bob Chapman, whose leadership philosophy transformed the company’s culture. Through both business and personal experience, Bob came to realize that managers use people for their own success, while leaders inspire and equip people for the success of all.
Determined to lead differently, Bob began calling the now 12,000 employees in his care “teammates” and fostered a culture where dignity and trust could flourish. To support this shift, Barry-Wehmiller launched a training program to help emerging leaders learn how to listen empathetically and authentically care for their team members.
The results were profound. Graduates of the training program shared that the experience was life-changing—not only in their work relationships, but in their personal lives as well. Many described mended relationships, deeper connections, and a renewed sense of purpose.
This profound impact on team members’ lives led Cynthia Chapman, Bob’s wife, to a pivotal point: “We have to find a way to share this with the world!” In 2010, the Chapmans offered the first communication skills training program to the community at large, starting in the town of Phillips, Wisconsin.
Since then, the Chapman Foundation has grown into a national movement. Our first foundational class, Our Community Listens, has reached more than 13,000 people worldwide, helping individuals develop the human skills needed to lead with empathy and build stronger relationships. It has since been joined by Our Community Serves and Our Community Transforms, expanding our impact across sectors and communities.
Today, the Chapman Foundation partners with nonprofits, schools, civic leaders, and municipal organizations, including police and fire departments, to embed these life-changing principles into their work. We remain committed to our mission: to create a society where people care for each other first.
With our partners across the country, we continue to redefine leadership through a more caring approach, equipping individuals, organizations, and communities with the skills and courage to care.
Our Founders
Bob and Cynthia Chapman founded the Chapman Foundation for Caring Communities, driven by a shared belief that leadership rooted in empathy and human connection can transform lives.
Bob Chapman serves as the Chairman and CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, a $3.6 billion global manufacturing and engineering firm based in St. Louis, Missouri. Since taking the helm in 1975, he has led the company through more than 130 acquisitions, turning it from a struggling business into a thriving organization with over 12,000 team members. Over the past two decades, Bob developed a leadership philosophy called Truly Human Leadership—a people-centric approach that defines success by the number of lives positively impacted. His work appears in a Harvard Business School case study and in his bestselling book, Everybody Matters, co-authored with Raj Sisodia.
In 2010, Bob and Cynthia launched the Chapman Foundation for Caring Communities to share Barry-Wehmiller’s transformative leadership and communication training with the broader public. What started as internal development for company leaders grew into a movement that equips individuals, organizations, and communities with the skills and courage to care. Bob continues to lead the Foundation as Chairman, advancing a vision of leadership grounded in empathy, connection, and human dignity.
