FOCUS St. Louis® has selected 33 talented young professionals for the Spring 2020 cohort of Emerging Leaders. This competitive program provides participants (ages 22-35) with an increased sense of engagement in the region, as well as the tools to take an active role as the next generation of St. Louis regional leaders.
Since its launch in 2012, the FOCUS Emerging Leaders program has trained more than 450 young professionals from across the public, private and nonprofit sectors. The three-month program includes a two-day opening retreat, group Civic Action Project and seminar days around the region, for a total of 40 hours of civic leadership development.
“Emerging Leaders is unique in its ability to bring together young professionals across sectors and industries,” says Program Director Shalia Ford. “It also continues to be a great springboard for participants, as they go on to pursue leadership positions in their careers and in the community.”
During the program, participants meet with area leaders to gain a better understanding of the inner workings of St. Louis, explore their personal, professional and civic leadership styles and gain a diverse network of peers. Upon graduation, participants become part of the FOCUS network of more than 10,000 leadership program alumni.
Applications are now open for our fall 2020 cohort of Emerging Leaders!
Spring 2020 Emerging Leaders Class
Jamal Bailey
CEO
J.E. Bailey Non-profit Consulting Firm
Malerie Brenston
Executive Realtor Assistant
Coldwell Banker-Gundaker Real Estate
Nick Catanzaro
Consultant
Buck
Jana Clemens
Ops Support Sr. Supervisor
Citi
Lisa Cohn
Program Manager, Transformative Workforce Academy
Saint Louis University
Rachel Condra
Internal Communication Specialist
Commerce Bank
Ashlee Cooksey
Construction Project Engineer/Architectural Designer
Kwame Building Group
Josh Cornier
Development Associate
ACLU of Missouri
Mike Degnan
Continuous Improvement Adviser
SSM Health
Jessica Duneman
Director of Retail Operations
National Council of Jewish Women – The Resale Shop
Kiana Fleming
Communications Manager
City of Olivette
Miranda Gibson
MacArthur Safety + Justice Challenge Grant Manager
St. Louis County Department of Justice Services
Erin Godwin
Zoning Plan Examiner
City of St. Louis
Ronnice Hamm
Dispatch Supervisor
Spire
Jayson Hill
Senior Staff Accountant
Enterprise Accounting
Kelsey Johnston
Training Team Lead and Principal Trainer, Epic1 Project
Washington University School of Medicine
Ana Kent
Policy Analyst
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Shaari King
Project Manager
Aegis Home Protection/NVPS
Kaleigh Lawrence
Senior Program Manager
St. Louis Public Schools Foundation
Anna Lin-Schweitzer
Communications Director
Missouri Coalition for the Environment
KiMonyca McCoggle
Staff Accountant, CPA
RubinBrown
Triná Owens
Director of Accounting
Eden Theological Seminary
Ellen Prinster
Transmission Line Engineer
Ameren
Kathryn Redmond
Associate Attorney
Armstrong Teasdale
Stacy Sedlack
Performance Excellence Consultant
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Andrew Serkes
Vice President
J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Sarah Small
Senior Product Engineer
Emerson
Sarah Elizabeth Stoeckl
Clinical Research Coordinator
Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University
Cheryl Tao
Senior Counsel
Emerson
Michael Thompson
Business Developer & Marketing
Kwame Building Group
Amber Walker
Bail Disrupter/Client Advocacy Coordinator
The Bail Project
Jessica Weissert
GIS Analyst II
Spire
Carrington B. Wentz
Corporate Development Analyst
Centene Corporation