FOCUS St. Louis has selected 62 outstanding individuals from the private, public and nonprofit sectors for the 48th Leadership St. Louis (LSL) class. These participants join a prestigious group of more than 2,600 leaders who have graduated from the LSL program since its inception in 1976.
Leadership St. Louis is a highly respected program for experienced leaders who have demonstrated a deep commitment to improving the St. Louis region. The immersive nine-month curriculum explores issues such as economic development, racial equity, education, criminal justice, health care, immigration and more. Leadership St. Louis is designed to challenge participants’ thinking, expose them to new ideas and perspectives, and promote discussion, reflection and action. Many graduates describe the experience as “transformative,” arming them with the tools, resources and connections to lead more effectively in their personal, professional and civic roles.
“The need for collaborative leadership has never been greater in our region,” says Yemi Akande-Bartsch, Ph.D., President & CEO of FOCUS St. Louis and Director of the Leadership St. Louis program. “We’re excited to bring together this diverse group of leaders to gain a deeper understanding of St. Louis’ civic landscape by exploring the institutions and systems shaping it and leverage their collective strength and passion to address critical issues facing our region.”
Leadership St. Louis is part of the continuum of leadership programs offered by FOCUS St. Louis to further its mission of educating and connecting leaders to work cooperatively for a thriving St. Louis region.
2023-24 Leadership St. Louis Class
Aramide Ayorinde
Chief Executive Officer
Family Care Health Centers
Krystal Barnett
Founder/ CEO
Bridge 2 Hope Parent Institute
Doneisha Bohannon
Director, Community Health Partnerships and Collaboration
BJC HealthCare
Michael Brockland
Partner
SWMW Law
Lisa Capone
Vice Chancellor for Advancement
University of Missouri-St. Louis
Candice Carter-Oliver, Ph.D.
CEO
Confluence Academies
Tiffany Charles
VP Public Relations & Brand Strategies Manager
Commerce Bank
Kira Cheree Cobb
CEO and Founder
Entrepreneur Business Basics, LLC
Rebecca Cornatzer
Chief Human Resources Officer
S.M. Wilson & Co.
Kristin Croce
Shareholder and Co-Chair Capital Markets and Commercial Lending Practice Group
Polsinelli
Dr. Kanika Cunningham
Director
St. Louis County Public Health Department
Shaughnessy H. Daniels
Director, Civic Engagement
Great Rivers Greenway
Heather Dell
Vice President
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Edward DeVault
Principal
Edward Jones
Christopher Fan
Director, Language Services
BJC HealthCare
Deanna Finch
Executive Director
United 4 Children
Gina Fromme
Chief Development Officer
Humane Society of Missouri
Delesha George
Program Manager
Deaconess Foundation
Susan Gobbo
Consultant
St. Louis Mosaic Project – St. Louis Economic Development Partnership
Chris Gordon
Associate Dean
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Mary Jo Gorman
Chairman
Harris Stowe State University Foundation Board
Mandy Greeno
Director Human Resources
Nestlé Purina PetCare Company
Katrina Harrison Peoples
Vice President, School Age Initiatives
ARCHS
Kate Hatfield
Mayor
City of Frontenac
Amanda Hettinger
Partner
Thompson Coburn LLP
Melissa Hoffmeister
Client Account Manager – Midwest Water
Jacobs
Lydia Huston
Executive Director
Kwame Charitable Foundation
Jordan Iverson
Global Go To Market Strategy Lead
Bayer Crop Science
Andrea Jackson-Jennings
Managing Director
Regional Response Team
Jassen Johnson
President
Renaissance Development / Tower Real Estate Group
Lalage Katunga, Ph.D.
Therapeutic Area Manager- Hematology
Genentech
LaTonya Keaton
Regional Vice President
CoBank
Shannon Koenig
Executive Director and CEO
Housing Authority of St. Louis County
Dan Lawrence
National Sector Executive, Healthcare and Life Sciences
KPMG LLP
Adam Layne
Treasurer
City of St. Louis
Laura Lyon
Vice President of Program Strategy & Impact
HeartLands Conservancy
Andrew Marti
Director of Facilities Management
Saint Louis Zoo
Rev. Kim Mason
Minister
First Unitarian Church of St. Louis
Jason McClellan
Assistant Vice Chancellor, University Services
Washington University in St. Louis
Matt Miller
Executive Director
Send Me St. Louis
Brian Nolan
Attorney/Partner
Carmody MacDonald P.C.
Allen North
Vice President, Supervision Division
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Kenneth Patrick
Sr. Manager Electrification Policy and Innovation
Ameren
Virgil Pearson
Dean of Students
Harris-Stowe State University
Kate Polokonis
Executive Director
STEMSTL
Erica Raphael-Randall
Talent Acquisition Partner
RGA
Malachi Rein
Director
Building Energy Exchange St. Louis
Rosalynn Robinson
Chief People Officer
Ranken Technical College
David Sandler
Vice President, Major Gifts
Muscular Dystrophy Association
Toni Schneider Finch
Vice President of Development
Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri
Jeffrey Shaw
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Harris-Stowe State University
Kristen Slaughter
President and CEO
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri
Julie Scott Soffner
Executive Director
Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation
Andrea Spates, MSN, RN
Director of Operations
Care STL Health
Chris Stephen
V.P. Digital Human Resources
Emerson
Christine Stewart
Executive Director
St. John’s Community Care
Dawn Suggs
Digital Director
St. Louis American
Kim Tate
Vice President, New Business North America
Ezra Coaching
Cort VanOstran
Attorney
Gray Ritter Graham
Francine Voss
Director, eCommerce
Panera
Ashley Wiehle
Senior Vice President and Partner
FleishmanHillard
Travis Wools
Vice President, Asset Protection & Specialty
Protective Life Corporation