FOCUS St. Louis® has selected 39 talented young professionals for the Fall 2021 cohort of Emerging Leaders. This competitive program provides participants 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 550 young professionals from across the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Utilizing the interactive FOCUS Virtual Campus and a hybrid model of programming, the fall cohort will include a two-day opening retreat, group Civic Action Project and seminar days covering a variety of leadership and regional issues, for a total of 40 hours of civic leadership development.
“Emerging Leaders is the perfect opportunity for any young professional who wants to take on a greater leadership role in our region,” says Program Director Matthew R. Kerns. “Participants leave the program with a better understanding of themselves and our community and a clearer vision for their future.”
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.
Fall 2021 Emerging Leaders Class
Caleb Bobo
Senior Analyst, Supervision Policy, Research and Analysis (SPRA) & Consumer Affairs
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Zack Boger
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Washington University St. Louis School of Medicine
M. Gabriel Davis
Market Coordinator
City Greens Market
Grace DeClue
Prevention Educator
PreventEd
Chris Draper
Risk Management Team Lead, Cash App
Square, Inc.
Suzy Feakes
Senior Continuous Improvement Manager
SSM Health
Allen Fennewald
Thinker & Writer
Gorilla 76
Anjali Fernandes
Product Manager
Schmidt Futures
Callista Fink
Patient Care Operations Coordinator
Barnes Jewish Hospital
Logan Fuson
Sales Representative
Guardian Relocation
Helena Gould
Principal, Client Services & Growth
Human Agency
Aerial Green
Senior HR Analyst
Mercy
Steven Hays
Assurance and Tax Manager
RubinBrown LLP
Sarah Hines
Community Engagement Manager
Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis
Sam Johanson
Sr. Project Manager
Citi
Evyn Johnson
Digital Marketing Coordinator & B2B Trainer
VetBiz
Nikkita Joseph
Business Operation Manager
Neocova
Nathaniel King
Data Scientist 1
Edward Jones
Angela Knight
Sr. Clinical Program Manager
Siteman Cancer Center
Laura Lamb
Program Officer
Light a Single Candle Foundation
Whitney Lawson
Interior Designer
HOK
Cristin Levine
Associate Research Director
Gallagher
Danielle Lowery
Executive Assistant
VetBiz
James Maher
Law Student
University of Missouri School of Law
Alexandra Marifian
Department Leader – Firm-wide Intranet
Edward Jones
Daniel McFarlane
Assistant Project Manager
Trileaf Environmental
Brian McKinley
Executive Assistant
The St. Louis Black Rep
Ashlin Mosby
Senior Counsel
Wells Fargo
Sarah Mosley
Learning & Development Specialist
Neighbors Credit Union
Libby Pedersen
Executive Director
Ignite Theatre Company
Andrew Ragsdale
Diversity & Inclusion Specialist
Missouri Department of Transportation
Darion D. Robinson
Talent Recruitment and Retention Specialist
St. Louis Community College
Clark Roman
Candidate Engagement Manager
LaunchCode
Ryan Ryterski
Strategy Development Consultant
Ameren
Reid Schmidling
Relationship Manager
Buckingham Strategic Partners
Corbin Shelton
Early Elementary Educator
Premier Charter School
Ally Siegler
Health Policy Strategist
Missouri Foundation for Health
Kristen Wann
Human Resources Generalist
Mills Properties
Nygel Williams
Manager, Education Administration and Finance
Washington University School of Medicine