FOCUS St. Louis is pleased to announce the incoming officers for the 2025-26 fiscal year, as well as 10 new board members. Board members are community leaders who demonstrate interest and commitment to FOCUS’ mission to educate leaders, connect leaders and facilitate important conversations in the St. Louis region.

Board Officers for July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026 are:

• Board Chair – Edward Bryant, Vice President, Public Affairs & Communications, Heartland Coca-Cola
• Executive Vice Chair – Matthew Blakely, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability, RGA Reinsurance Company (Leadership St. Louis 2021)
• Vice Chair – Missy Kelley, Chief Growth Officer, Anders (Impact Fellows 2016)
• Treasurer – John McClelland, Portfolio Manager, Acropolis Investment Management LLC (Leadership St. Louis 2014)
• Secretary – Sara Stock, CEO, Stock Legal, Co-Founder, Legal Back Office (Leadership St. Louis 2022)
• Member-at-Large – Stephen Lee, Vice President & Interim General Counsel, Ameren (Leadership St. Louis 2023)

New board members are:

• Emily Brasel, Vice President, Internal Communications, BJC Health System (Leadership St. Louis 2015)
• Rebecca Brown, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and University Governance, Washington University in St. Louis (Leadership St. Louis 2021)
• Vanessa Cooksey, President & CEO, Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (Leadership St. Louis 2025)
• Ruth Durrell, CRM Coach, Less Annoying CRM (Emerging Leaders 2024)
• Yinka Faleti, Partner, Ascend Venture Capital (Leadership St. Louis 2019)
• Barry Falke, Chief Executive Officer, American Red Cross, Missouri & Arkansas Region (Experience St. Louis 2024)
• Reggie Hill, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Enrollment and Career Advancement, University of Missouri – St. Louis (Leadership St. Louis 2025)
• Kathy O’Neill, President, St. Louis Market, CommunityAmerica Credit Union

In addition, FOCUS St. Louis^® welcomes to the board two youth members who are 2025 graduates of FOCUS’ Youth Leadership St. Louis program:

• Asmaa Mohamood Osman, St. Louis Internship Program / Rockwood Summit High School
• Reed Thomas Shah, Louis University High School

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Executive Committee

Ed Bryant has over 20 years of expertise developing and executing effective strategic and integrated stakeholder engagement, communications and public affairs, and minority economic inclusion solutions for a variety of for-profit and non-profit organizations. He currently serves as Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications, for Heartland Coca-Cola. Previous positions include serving as President of the St. Louis Minority Business Council, leading the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership’s Economic Development Collaborative, and serving as Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement at the United Way of Greater St. Louis, where he led the Ready by 21 St. Louis and East Side Aligned collective impact teams.

Ed holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Memphis and a master’s degree in public policy from Regent University. In addition, he has completed graduate level coursework in policy development and urban planning at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He is also a certified DEI trainer (NCCJSTL). Throughout his career, Ed has served numerous state and local government commissions and Boards, as well as several non-profit boards.

Mett Blakely has 25 years of experience working with foundations and corporate social responsibility programs. He is Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability for Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (RGA). In that role, Matt leads the philanthropic, employee volunteerism, sustainability, and CSR reporting for RGA – one of the world’s largest global life and health reinsurance companies. Previously, Matt served as Executive Director of Motorola Solutions Foundation and Director of Inclusion, Diversity and Outreach for Motorola Solutions, coordinating the giving, volunteerism, and inclusion efforts of Motorola Solutions Foundation and Motorola Solutions.

Matt is a 2020-21 graduate of FOCUS Leadership St. Louis and has served on the boards and advisory committees of many large and small nonprofit organizations.

Missy Kelley is a seasoned professional with over 22 years of experience in strategic growth roles within Fortune 500 companies in the consumer-packaged goods and pharmacy benefits management sectors. Her expertise lies in driving innovation, market expansion and strategic planning. Missy’s strategic insights and leadership capabilities have been instrumental in creating lasting impacts on both the corporate and public sectors. Her unique blend of corporate experience and non-profit leadership has enabled her to approach challenges holistically, fostering innovation and growth across different contexts. The two pillars of her professional journey that she cherishes most are strategic planning and collaboration. Engaging with diverse minds, each contributing their unique expertise and insights not only enriches the strategic process but also fosters a sense of shared purpose and camaraderie, which Missy holds dear. In 2018, the St. Louis Business Journal recognized Missy as one of the Most Influential Business Women awardees.

John McClelland joined Acropolis in 2003 as a Portfolio Manager. He works directly with clients developing and implementing personal financial plans and investment strategies, as well as advising on estate and tax planning, retirement planning, insurance and banking needs, and trust administration. Prior to Acropolis, John worked for six years as a fixed-income research analyst at A.G. Edwards & Sons.

John holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and Master of Business Administration, with a concentration in finance and accounting, from Washington University. He earned his Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation in 2006. John has served on the finance committees and board of directors at the Sheldon Arts Foundation and New City School. He also serves on the alumni board of the Yale University Rugby Football Club. Originally from Bozeman, Montana, John has been a resident of St. Louis since 1998 and has three children. He is a 2014 graduate of Leadership St. Louis.

Sara Stock is founder and CEO of Stock Legal, and co-founder of Legal Back Office. Her legal practice focuses on general corporate work for small- to medium-sized businesses and commercial real estate transactions, advising clients in all aspects of the business lifecycle. Sara’s joint MBA and law degree uniquely position her to provide the highest quality legal advice seasoned with a solid understanding of her clients’ business objectives. She left an equity position at a large St. Louis law firm to join KWS Law, and later to form Stock Legal, because she felt she could better serve her target clients – small- to medium-sized businesses – from a small- to medium-sized law firm. In 2018, Sara cofounded Legal Back Office, which provides back office services to small- to medium-sized businesses. Sara is chair of the Middle Market and Small Business Committee, a committee of the American Bar Association, and sits on the YWCA Board of Directors, the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Development Board of Directors, and the Gateway 180 Board of Directors. She is also an active member of ACG St. Louis, and sits on the advisory board for a number of institutions, including banking organizations and local companies.

Stephen Lee is currently a Vice President and Interim General Counsel at Ameren Corporation leading the legal department of over 45 legal professionals in support of Ameren Corporation’s various power companies. Prior to joining Ameren in 2020, Stephen was a Managing Counsel at BP for over 19 years leading the downstream legal team in the Americas.

Stephen graduated with a B.S. in Business Logistics from the Pennsylvania State University in 1993 and a J.D. from Case Western Reserve Law School in 1996. He currently serves on the Board of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of St. Louis and is an Advisory Board member at the Pennsylvania State Law School. Stephen and his family currently live in Creve Coeur, MO.

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New Board Members

Emily Brasel is the Vice President of Internal Communications at BJC Health System, one of the region’s largest employers, with 44,000 employees, 24 hospitals, and hundreds of clinics, service organizations and physician offices in Missouri, southern Illinois and eastern Kansas. Prior to her current role, she led internal communications at Wells Fargo Advisors. She also has held communication leadership roles at Missouri Baptist Medical Center and Bank of America.

Emily earned a master’s degree in management and leadership from Webster University and a bachelor’s degree in public relations and communication from Illinois State University. She is a graduate of Leadership St. Louis (class of 2015), and the Greater Missouri Women’s Leadership Challenge (class of 2017).

Rebecca Brown is the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and University Governance, where she serves as a thought partner to the Chancellor and the cabinet. She is also a designated strategic liaison to various constituencies internal and external to the university. As Board Secretary, Rebecca is responsible for working alongside the Board of Chair and Chancellor on matters of university governance. Most recently her professional efforts have focused on restoration of trust in higher education through championing academic freedom, free expression, institutional neutrality, student access, and preparation of graduates for engaged lives and meaningful careers. She is a frequent speaker on governance best practices and combatting hate and antisemitism on college campuses.

Rebecca’s career in higher education also includes roles as Associate Counsel in the Office of General Counsel at Washington University, Associate Dean for Career Services in the School of Law, and Chief of Staff of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan. She holds a J.D. from Washington University and a B.A. in Communications from Purdue University. Rebecca has also served as a litigation associate with an international law firm and as in-house counsel for a subsidiary of a Global Fortune 500 company.

Vanessa Cooksey leads the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, the largest public funder of the arts in St. Louis awarding more than 8,000 grants totaling over $150million since its inception in 1985 (racstl.org). Over the last three decades, Vanessa has held marketing, communications and philanthropy leadership positions with a variety of companies including Mary Kay Cosmetics, The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office, Cartoon Network, Anheuser Busch, Wells Fargo and Washington University in St. Louis.

She is known for her ability to build results-driven partnerships, facilitate dynamic collaborations, create high-performing teams and effectively convene diverse stakeholders. She has received over 50 awards during her career, earned degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Webster University and is an Eisenhower Fellow.

Ruth Durrell holds a B.A. in Ed Studies & Sociology from Washington University where they received several leadership awards, gave a TED talk, and did performance poetry. Currently, they are a CRM Coach and fellowship partner liaison at Less Annoying CRM, a small tech company in downtown St. Louis.

Previously, Ruth taught high school English at Milwaukee Academy of Science and served as an AmeriCorps Member with City Year, earning the “Spirit of City Year” award. Ruth has previously worked with Breakthrough Collaborative, the National Post Secondary Institute, and Washington University in St. Louis.

Yinka Faleti is a Nigerian-born American immigrant who has built a remarkable career of public service and leadership. A West Point graduate and U.S. Army Captain who served two tours in Kuwait, Faleti transitioned from military service to law, working as an attorney at a global law firm and state prosecutor in St. Louis. His professional journey includes leading fundraising at United Way, raising $300MM to support the Greater St. Louis region, and servicing as Executive Director for Forward Through Ferguson. In 2020, he ran for Missouri Secretary of State, becoming the first African American man to inspire over one million votes in the state’s200-year history.

Currently a venture partner with Ascend Venture Capital, Faleti is also the founding board chair of Veterans for All Voters, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on electoral reform.

Barry Falke joined American Red Cross as a Regional CEO in October of 2022. In this role, he leads a team of 90 employees and 2,500 volunteers to advance all Red Cross mission in a 199-county area that covers the states of Missouri, Arkansas, and portions of Illinois and Kansas.

As a native of Fresno, California, Barry graduated from California State University Fresno with a B.A. in Organizational Communication. He also completed an M.A. in Theology from Fresno Pacific University and followed up with an MBA in Global Leadership and HR Management from Warwick Business School in Coventry England. When he’s not busy at the American Red Cross, Barry enjoys travel, spending time with friends and family, meeting new people and expanding his personal network.

Reggie Hill is the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Enrollment and Career Advancement at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL), bringing over 18 years of experience in enrollment management. He is responsible for overseeing enrollment, registration, recruitment, student support services, athletics, financial aid, workforce integration, and marketing strategies. Previously, Hill held leadership roles at the University of the Ozarks, Saint Leo University, and Florida Polytechnic University. His research interests focus on organizational change in higher education and college access. Hill is originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, where he continues to mentor young individuals on the importance of higher education. His hobbies include reading, writing, and collecting books.

Kathy O’Neill serves as President, St. Louis Market leading CommunityAmerica Credit Union’s ongoing expansion in the market, including oversight of retail banking operation, as well as civic, community engagement and philanthropy in the St. Louis region. As an active leader in the community, Kathy serves on the Chairmans Executive Council of Greater St. Louis as well as on the Board of Trustees for Webster University. Recently she was named by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of St. Loui’s Most Influential Business Women.

Prior to joining CommunityAmerica, Kathy spent more than 35 years developing her career in various leadership roles with Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the national Fed System. Kathy earned a B.A. in Communication and Media Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and attended the Northwestern University-Kellogg School of Management Women’s Senior Leadership Program.

Born and raised in Saint Louis, Asmaa Mohamood Osman is deeply committed to uplifting and serving the community that has shaped who she is. She is entering her senior year at Rockwood Summit High School. In addition to her involvement with the St. Louis Internship Program and Youth Leadership St. Louis, she has done many extracurriculars such as E.M.M (Every Mind Matters), Speech and Debate, LifeWise Teen Program and more. These roles have strengthened her ability to lead with empathy, communicate effectively, and contribute to a supportive learning environment.

Reed Thomas Shah is a committed and thoughtful student leader from St. Louis University High School who has found deep purpose through his involvement in Youth Leadership St. Louis. His global mindset has been shaped by a U.S. State Department program in Amman, Jordan, where he studied Arabic, participated in service projects, and immersed himself in local culture. He continues to engage with global and local issues through his leadership roles as President of the Arabic Language and Culture Club, a leadership team member of the One World Club—focused on immigrant and refugee advocacy—and as a President’s Ambassador at SLUH, where he represents his school at events throughout the city.