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.
