Shaping Tomorrow: Lessons for an Inclusive Future

Date/Time
Date(s) - February 19, 2025
8:00 am - 9:30 am

Location
Missouri Botanical Garden – Farr Auditorium in the Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center
4344 Shaw Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63110

In honor of Black History Month, join us for an inspiring conversation with some of St. Louis’s most impactful Black leaders. Our panel will come together to share their journeys, explore the challenges they’ve faced, and reveal leadership lessons that resonate far beyond their own experiences.

Our panel will feature:

Moderator: Michelle Martin Bonner, Director of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, Missouri Botanical Garden (Diversity Leadership Fellowship 2016)
Sean Armstrong, Ed.D., Dean, School of Continuing & Professional Studies, Washington University in St. Louis (Leadership St. Louis 2025)
Andwele Jolly, DPT, MBA, MHA, CEO, St. Louis Integrated Health Network (Leadership St. Louis 2022)
Cheryl Jones, President & CEO, Girls Inc. of St. Louis (Leadership St. Louis 2002 & Women In Leadership 2004)
Dr. Cheryl Watkins, MBA, President & CEO, YWCA Metro St. Louis

Together with our other esteemed panelists, we hope to:

Inspire attendees through stories of perseverance and triumph.
Share practical strategies for navigating challenges and leading with purpose.
Explore how Black leaders are shaping a brighter, more inclusive future for St. Louis and beyond.
Foster meaningful dialogue that highlights shared challenges and the importance of collective action.

This forum is not just a celebration of Black leadership but an opportunity to honor the past, learn from the present, and boldly envision a future built on shared purpose and mutual respect.

This event is free and open to all, but advance registration is required and space is limited.

St. Louis American

About Our Panelists

Michelle Martin Bonner is a passionate and dynamic leader in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, dedicated to creating spaces where everyone can thrive. With a wealth of experience in human resources, recruiting, leadership development, facilitation, and coaching, she has made a lasting impact in science and conservation, healthcare, academia, and legal sectors. She combines her deep knowledge with an approachable style that inspires others to grow. She holds a BS in Business Administration and a JD from St. Louis University, where she also earned a Certificate in Employment Law, and a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry with an emphasis in Professional Education from Missouri Baptist University. She brings energy, expertise, and empathy to every role she takes on, making her a sought-after voice in her field.

Asquith “Sean” Armstrong, Dean of Washington University’s Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS), will complete the transformation of the university’s professional and continuing education division, a school with a greater focus on accessible pathways for economic mobility and career advancement for residents of the St. Louis region. In 2023, Dean Armstrong set a new vision and mission for the school with a Strategic Plan that focuses on the empowerment of modern learners —those balancing personal and professional responsibilities with their education goals. As a native New Yorker and former Florida resident, Armstrong’s own non-traditional student experience is the cornerstone of his ability to create agility and flexibility in higher education. The transformation of CAPS will ensure student success of diverse and underrepresented communities.

As president and CEO of the St. Louis Integrated Health Network, Andwele Jolly builds regional capacity across sectors to advance health equity and improve wellbeing, with an emphasis on historically excluded communities. IHN is comprised of Federally Qualified Health Centers, the largest health care systems, medical schools, public health departments, and community partners in the St. Louis region. During his tenure, IHN’s been awarded over $26 million dollars to strengthen the safety net by providing support for new primary care access points, pandemic relief, Medicaid enrollment navigation, justice reentry services, workforce training, and access to specialty care services. As a result, IHN was invited to be a part of the National Academy of Medicine’s Culture Inclusion & Equity Network, which places IHN among leading institutions in the country that inform health policy. In addition, the MacArthur Foundation selected IHN for their national justice reform campaign. Jolly serves as immediate-past president of the National Association of Health Services Executives St. Louis, chair of Build Missouri Health, and on the board of Forest Park Forever and Missouri Public Health Institute. He also serves on the National Council for the Institute of Public Health at WashU. Jolly earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a clinical doctorate in physical therapy from Washington University in St. Louis and master’s degrees in business administration and health administration from Georgia State University. He was also selected to be the first Executive Management Fellow at Washington University School of Medicine.

Cheryl Jones is the President & CEO of Girls Incorporated of St. Louis, the top performing affiliate of Girls Inc nationally, serving over 8,000 girls annually. In fulfilling the mission of Girls Inc. – to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold – Cheryl has been the driving force as CEO since 2013, increasing the number of girls served by 57%, building community support yielding an increase in community funding of $2.3 Million, and increasing the number of young women entering into college by 220%). Cheryl has provided strategic guidance and oversight for several public, private, and not-for-profit boards. Most recently she served on the board of Reliance Bancshares, Inc as a member of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), Compliance and Audit Committees. Reliance Bancshares was acquired by Simmons Bank in 2019 and Cheryl now serves on the Simmons Bank Advisory Committee. Additionally, Cheryl serves on the boards of the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College and on the St. Louis Sports Commission Board. Currently, serving on the Strategic Planning Committee for the Goldfarb Nursing Board. Prior to her current role, Cheryl served for 17 years as President of Jones & Associates, Inc., focused on providing individuals and organizations with strategies and solutions to bring out their best performance and effect positive change, and serving clients such as Frito-Lay, Ralston Purina, Citigroup, Sara Lee, Edward Jones, Nestle Purina, Pepsi Americas, Tyco Healthcare, Barnes Jewish Hospital, AT&T, Anheuser-Busch, and NASA. Cheryl received a Bachelor of Science from Howard University. She participated in the Executive Development Program at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Dr. Cheryl Watkins, MBA, is a champion for women, an innovator, serial entrepreneur, and strategic leader with a proven track record of creating, managing and growing businesses in corporate, non-profit, and start-up environments. Under her leadership, YWCA has earned accreditation as an Outstanding Provider by Social Current/Council on Accreditation, the National Program of Excellence Accreditation from the National Head Start Association, YWCA USA 2023 Association Excellence Award for Mission Impact, and a 2024 FOCUS What’s Right with the Region Award. A physician by training with an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University), Dr. Watkins left medicine for business after developing an expertise in strategy, seeking opportunities to improve organizations’ market positioning, profitability, operational efficiency and excellence. Dr. Watkins joined BioSTL in 2013 as an entrepreneur-in-residence and Director, STEM Entrepreneurial Inclusion Initiative. She served as Executive on Loan to Harris Stowe State University to help senior leadership develop HSSU as an Entrepreneurial Center of Excellence. Dr. Watkins brought her innovative spirit and entrepreneurial expertise to YWCA Metropolitan St. Louis in 2021. She has been recognized among the 100 People Shaping St. Louis and Women Who Make St. Louis Great by St. Louis Magazine, and Most Influential Business Women by the St. Louis Business Journal. She received the Colonel Clifton W. Gates Award from the National African American Insurance Association St. Louis Chapter and was honored at the Urban League Salute to Women in Leadership. Dr. Watkins has lent her expertise to numerous organizations in our region, including: Academy of Science St. Louis, Goldfarb School of Nursing, CORTEX, Innovative Technology Education Fund, The Magic House, St. Louis Civic Pride Foundation, WEPOWER Elevate/Elevar Accelerator, Society of Physician Entrepreneurs, Harris-Stowe State University, and BALSA Foundation.