10 for the Next 10: Ren Luebbering

Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Springfield-Branson National Airport

Ren Luebbering is the ears of the Springfield-Branson National Airport. As the communications and marketing coordinator, she shapes how travelers experience everything from signage to social media, all with the goal of "helping people choose to fly Springfield every time," she says.

She started in 2025 after more than a decade at Springfield Public Schools, where she led digital strategy and helped reframe how it told its story.

Now at the airport, she oversees communications that shape every touchpoint of the passenger journey. A major example is the 110,000-square-foot carpet replacement, which she turned into a community moment. "Some people think it's just carpet, and it definitely is just carpet, but it's also a memory made real," she says. "When you're at the airport, it's some of your best and your worst days. We hope they're always great, but sometimes travel isn't for a positive reason… those visuals are the anchors of our memories that are associated with travel. And we honor that, and people want to be a part of it." The airport leaned into nostalgia and donated the carpet squares to the Springfield Regional Arts Council, which raised more than $10,000 for the arts.

Just a piece of Luebbering's job is managing and making creative content for the airport's social media accounts (@flysgf). "She never says no and is always eager to see what a collaboration can look like, willing to face a project or task she has never done before," says Tina Pham-Morgan, operations director for The Alliance for Healthcare Education.

Luebbering sees the airport as a civic engine. "The airport is for everyone," she says, while advocating for sensory spaces, improved amenities and a stronger passenger experience overall.

What's your go-to coffee order? Travellers House Coffee & Tea's iced hazelnut latte.

Favorite way to reset after a long day? I live in east Springfield. It's about 25 minutes from the airport, and I love listening to music superloud in my car on the way home. Show tunes. My favorite.

What's one word you want people to associate with your work? Bold.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? A writer.

Favorite local spot? Any stage with live theater.

Where is your hometown? Springfield, Missouri.

What's your favorite book recommendation? Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara.