Erin Brooks, Chair
Erin Brooks is a partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP specializing in environmental law with a focus in redevelopment and sustainable land use. She counsels companies in a number of industries, including real estate developers, agribusiness, food and beverage, renewable energy, finance and manufacturing. Erin earned a J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law and B.A. from Truman State University.
Erin lives in the Central West End with her husband, Josh Udelhofen, and enjoys long walks in Forest Park, hiking and skiing.
Laura Bryant, Vice Chair
Mirowitz Center at Covenant Place
Laura Bryant serves as Educational Programs & Special Events Manager at the Mirowitz Center, which is an affiliate of the Covenant Place Foundation. She previously served as the Assistant Vice President of Government & Public Affairs Communications for Enterprise Holdings, Inc. Laura began her career with Southwestern Bell/AT&T before moving to The May Department Stores Company and Enterprise, and subsequently to the Mirowitz Center.
She attended the University of Missouri-Columbia and graduated with a B.A. in Journalism (magazine) as well as a B.A. in Russian Area Studies. Her career also includes 14 years of public service in the City of Creve Coeur, Missouri. She served as a Planning & Zoning Commissioner for four years, then was elected to City Council, eventually serving five two-year terms before being termed-out. In 2006, the Creve Coeur-Olivette Chamber of Commerce awarded Laura its “Legislator of the Year” Award in recognition of her efforts to champion the rights of residential and commercial property owners against Eminent Domain abuse.
Amy Altholz, Treasurer
Amy Altholz is the Partner-in-Charge of RubinBrown’s Not-for-Profit Services Group, leading a team to provide audit, tax and other professional services to not-for-profit organizations across the country. Amy has been with RubinBrown since 2003, specializing in both not-for-profit organizations as well as assurance services.
Amy graduated Magma Cum Laude with a B.S.B.A. and M.S.B.A. from Washington University. In addition to proudly serving as Board Treasurer of Operation Food Search, Amy also serves as the Board Treasurer of Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts as well as current Finance Committee and former Board member of the Women’s Foundation of Greater Saint Louis. Amy is also an Adjunct Lecturer at Washington University. In her free time, Amy enjoys volunteering, supporting the vibrant St. Louis arts community and traveling the globe.
Dara Webb, Secretary
Dara Webb is a results-driven healthcare executive with over 15 years of experience in various settings including community health, consulting and large integrated health systems. She is currently the Executive Director of Population Health for Mercy Clinic. Most recently, she was able to put her personal passion for community health into action by leading the COVID vaccine clinics for Mercy Health.
Active in the community, Dara holds seats on the boards of Urban League and CareSTL Health and is a Cabinet Member of the Charmaine Chapman Leadership Society. She provides her expertise to future professionals as adjunct faculty at Webster University, Harris-Stowe State University and Washington University.
With her civic leadership experience at The St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative and Focus Impact Fellows, Dara was selected for the 2021-22 cohort of Leadership St. Louis. She is grateful for the opportunity to integrate key learnings from the program into her daily work.
In her free time, Dara enjoys traveling and taking walks with her 100-pound rescue dog, Mr. Bosley.
Althea Albert-Santiago, MPH, CCNP, CPM
Since 1995, Althea Albert-Santiago has led nutrition initiatives in education, managing services, overseeing projects, and developing new initiatives. She founded United Partners of Zion, a nonprofit providing specialized services to local organizations and universities between 1997 and 2001.
Currently, she’s the Director of Food and Nutrition for Saint Louis Public Schools, overseeing operations and adhering to governmental guidelines. Previously, she was the District’s Health and Wellness Coordinator.
An alumna of Norfolk State University and American Military University, she became a certified CACFP Child Nutrition and Management professional in 2021. She also serves as the East Region Regional Director of the Missouri School Nutrition Board Association.
Althea lives in Belleville, IL with her husband Jose and their German shepherd, Alex.
Stacy Brandt
Stacy Brandt is the Vice President of Operations for Schnuck Markets, Inc., where she oversees the company’s 114 stores across eight divisions and four states. She is also a member of the Schnucks Strategy Team, which includes the company’s most senior executives.
Stacy began her career at Schnucks in 1997, joining the company as a checker while attending college. She gained experience across a wide range of operations roles, including Customer Service Manager, Co-Manager and Store Manager, and served in a variety of markets and stores. In addition to her extensive operations experience, Stacy also has a background in merchandising, having helped to develop the role of Liquor Procurement Manager and also service as a Center Store Merchandiser. Stacy previously served as a Division Manager, where she led store teams in three different divisions prior to being promoted to the Vice President of Operations in May of 2020.
Stacy is passionate about mentorship, and over the course of her two decades in the grocery industry, she has helped a number of Schnucks teammates to grow their careers with the company. In the community, she is an active supporter of the United Way, and supports many of our store efforts in community involvement and volunteerism.
Stacy holds an Associates of Science from Parkland College where she graduated with honors and was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. She also attended the University of Illinois and has completed the Cornell Food Executive Program.
She and her husband, Kevin, are the proud parents of two children and enjoy spoiling their three grandchildren. They also enjoy spending time together hiking.
Nik Brym
Nik Brym is the Chief Financial Officer at Wee Ones. At Wee Ones, Nik oversees several different aspects of the business, including finance, accounting, Human Resources, and operations. Prior to Wee Ones, Nik served as the Director of Finance with GardaWorld. And, ahead of GradaWorld, Nik served as a public accountant, where he was able to counsel many different businesses throughout several industries.
Before joining the Board of Directors in 2019, Nik spent seven years serving on the young professionals’ board for Operation Food Search, with his last four years serving as president. Nik has also served as President for Strange Cares, a nonprofit geared towards helping underprivileged kids by offering scholarships in hopes of helping them realize their dreams and potential.
Nik is a proud business graduate of the University of Missouri – St Louis, holding a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. He continues to mentor students from UMSL and is of service to the University at different levels.
Nik and his wife, Gina, are the proud parents of two children.
Maxine Clark
Maxine Clark is the Founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop®, and today, there are over 350 Build-A-Bear Workshop stores worldwide. Maxine stepped down from her CEB (Chief Executive Bear) position in 2013 to start her next act — to help unleash the potential of women and minority entrepreneurs and to use her entrepreneurial skills to create platforms and places that give access to more St. Louis families.
Maxine is a Founding Managing Director of Prosper Women’s Capital; additionally, she is on the Board of Advisors of Lewis and Clark Ventures and is an advisor to the TxO Fund. Maxine is a member of the Build-A-Bear Workshop Board of Directors and was a recent member of Footlocker, Inc. Board of Directors. Maxine is also an Emeritus member of the Washington University Board of Trustees and a board member of Barnes Jewish Hospital, Goldfarb School of Nursing, New America and PBS national Nine PBS boards. In 2017 Maxine was named to the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame and in 2015 was named Women of the Year by the Greater Missouri Leadership Foundation.
Maxine is a graduate of the University of Georgia and holds an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from St. Louis University, an Honorary Doctor in Human Letters from the University of Missouri St. Louis and an Honorary Associates degree from St. Louis Community College
She lives in Clayton, Missouri with her husband Bob Fox.
Pepe Finn
Pepe Prince Finn is the Chairperson of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Stern Brothers, a Woman Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) Investment Banking Firm. Stern Brothers is WBE certified nationally by over twenty states and public agencies.
Ms. Finn is a seasoned executive with a broad range of experience and civic commitment. A former securities broker for Merrill Lynch and municipal investment banker for Boatman’s Bank (now Bank of America), she has been a member of the Missouri Bar since 1987.
Ms. Finn is actively engaged in the St. Louis community. She served as both a trustee and Chairperson of the Board of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District where she was actively involved in their successful campaign to amend their decades old charter. Ms. Finn participates on a number of Boards including the Nine Network of Public Media (Channel 9, PBS), Temple Emanuel and the National Council of Jewish Women – St. Louis section. She serves on the national board of the Institute for Southern Jewish Life.
In 2011, Ms. Finn was recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the 25 most influential women. Ms. Finn received her BA in political Philosophy from Louisiana State University (LSU) in 1980 and her JD from St. Louis University School of Law in 1987.
Hilary Harris
BJC Christian Hospital and Northwest Healthcare
Hilary Harris, MSPT, is the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for BJC Christian Hospital and Northwest Healthcare. In this role, she is responsible for the daily operations, system integration, fiscal management, quality transformation and strategic deployment across the hospital service organization. Hilary began her career at Barnes-Jewish Hospital 23 years ago as a physical therapist. She served Barnes-Jewish in a variety of different roles, most recently as the Executive Director of Patient Care Operations, as well as Incident Commander for Barnes Jewish Hospital COVID-19 Pandemic Response.
Hilary is committed to serving Christian Hospital as a transformational leader with a focus on consistent processes and high reliability. She has a strong passion for authentic and transformational leadership.
Hilary is a guest lecturer at Washington University Physical Therapy Schools and has presented at the American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting. She has served as a member of the APTA Health Systems Council Steering Committee. She also serves on the steering committee for the John Burroughs School Community & Equity Partnership.
Hilary received her Master of Science in Physical Therapy from Washington University School of Medicine and her Bachelor of Arts in African and African American Studies from Washington University.
Julie Hoff
Julie Hoff is Founder and Principal Consultant at CultivateHR. She brings 20 years of progressive HR experience in a variety of industries including healthcare, renewable energy and critical infrastructure. Over the course of her career, Julie has established, developed and led several key areas of human resources including communications and strategy, talent engagement and management, compliance, and mergers and acquisitions. She is a well-respected thought leader who inspires <em>followership</em> through her hands-on approach to leading teams through periods of rapid growth while implementing new programs and establishing scalable infrastructure.
She graduated with an M.B.A. from University of Missouri, St. Louis and earned a B.A. from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville.
Bruce Madison
Bruce Madison is a manufacturing professional and manager of Centennial Christian Church’s food pantry. He oversees the donation of food from Operation Food Search and manages its distribution to the community. In addition, Bruce has worked in retail and as an Emergency Medical Transporter.
A Saint Louis native, Bruce holds a CNC certification from the Metropolitan Education and Training Center. He is OSHA certified and is experienced in the set up and operation of integrated circuit testers, forklift operation, equipment maintenance, manufacturing practices and quality control. In addition, Bruce holds a Class C driver’s license.
Bruce’s grandparents always modeled kindness and giving, and he has followed in their footsteps. He began helping at the pantry in 2010 and has only missed one pickup in all those years (due to a car accident).
Maria O’Brien
Edward Jones Principal Maria O’Brien serves as a Market Leader for Market 21. In this role, her responsibilities include growing the market share in the Seattle market through both client and talent acquisition, in partnership with local Regional Leaders. Prior to this role, Maria was on the BTMO Central team.
After completing an Edward Jones internship in Banking Services in 2002, Maria joined the firm the following year as a member. Working regularly with financial advisors led Maria to realize that she, too, wanted to work directly with individual investors and help make a difference in their lives by helping them achieve their financial goals. She became a financial advisor in November 2007 and opened an office in St. Louis.
In October 2018, Maria returned to the St. Louis headquarters to assume responsibility for Client Transition Marketing and Education for the east division. She was named an Edward Jones principal in January 2019 and in August 2020, assumed responsibility for all of Client Transition Marketing and Education.
Maria earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo. She also holds the CFP® professional designation. Maria contributes to her community by serving on the PBS board in St. Louis.
She and her husband, Tom, have two children, Claire and Owen.
Josh Redd
Josh Redd is the Vice President & Head of North America Technical Community Procurement at Bayer, responsible for overseeing Bayer’s Capital Investments, Infrastructure, Energy & Utility requirements across its Consumer Health, Crop Science, Pharmaceutical, and Corporate locations. Josh has 20+ years of experience in the Life Sciences Industry and he has been a part of Bayer for the last 11 years. During this time, Josh has held multiple roles within the Procurement organization with a focus on developing sourcing strategies that deliver maximum value to the company, enabling best-in-class operational support, championing supplier diversity and inclusion, and ensuring the International movement(s) of goods and services are in compliance with current laws and regulations. As a scientist, and a product of rural America, Josh is passionate about delivering on Bayer’s commitment to “Health for All, Hunger for None”.
Prior to joining Bayer, Josh held various roles within Procurement, Sales and Manufacturing for Biotech and Pharmaceutical companies in St. Louis and Chicago. Josh holds an undergraduate degree in Biology and a Master’s in Business Administration.
Josh lives in Lake St. Louis, MO with his wife, Julie, and their three daughters, Isabelle, Emma, and Olivia.
Gordon Reel
Gordon Reel is the Vice President of Government and Public Affairs for Enterprise Mobility, parent company of Alamo, National Car Rental, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. He oversees state legislative activities for all brands, focusing on the transportation mobility industry. He supports local operating groups in the US and Canada in developing comprehensive advocacy strategies.
He leads federal legislative initiatives, building relationships with Congress members and managing lobbying consultants. He identifies policy issues crucial to the company and develops strategic engagement plans. He also manages Enterprise’s Political Action Committee, overseeing the solicitation and communication process, approval of requests, and disbursement of checks.
He also serves on the board of the American Car Rental Association (ACRA), chairing the Legal and Legislative Committee. He previously worked for the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association and in the state legislature.
Gordon is a St. Louis native and a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia’s School of Journalism. He lives in St. Louis with his wife, Elizabeth, and three daughters.
Lucas Signorelli
Lucas Signorelli is a native St. Louisan dedicated to making our region a healthy, vibrant, and prosperous community for all people. After graduating from Truman State University with a BA in Economics, Lucas has worked in a diverse array of industries ranging from financial services, nonprofit management, and entrepreneurship, to organic agriculture and grassroots sustainability.
Lucas was the founding Executive Director of the St. Louis MetroMarket, a nonprofit mobile grocery store with a mission of increasing healthy food access in the St. Louis region. Currently, he runs a commercial insurance practice at The Daniel & Henry Co., hosts the “Speak Up St. Louis” podcast and also serves as a board member for People’s Community Action Corporation.
Ultimately, what Lucas values most is family, community, stewardship, and working with others to elevate St. Louis.
Steve Spratt
Steve Spratt is the Vice President of Marketing Operations at Ascension. In this role, he is responsible for operations, human resources and finance for the function as well as media buying, brand implementation and the Ascension Charity Classic. Steve earned a B.A. in Accounting from Buena Vista University and an M.B.A. from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.
Steve currently serves on the Board of Norwood Hills Country Club. Previous board experience includes the First Tee of Greater St. Louis and the Board of Education for the Ladue School District. Steve lives in Creve Coeur and is the married father of two children.
Jessica Stephan
Jessica Stephan is Logistics Director for Bunge, a global leader in agribusiness, food ingredients, fuel and fertilizer. She leads a team of individuals charged with managing multi-port vessel logistics for the company’s North American agribusiness division. In this role, Jessica represents North America on the Global Logistics team to manage and align bulk commodity flows and vessel freight for multiple value chains. Since joining the company in 2008, Jessica held several merchandising and trading positions prior to switching career paths to supply chain and logistics.
Jessica graduated from Illinois State University with a B.S. in Agriculture Education and an M.S. in Agribusiness. She developed a passion for agriculture from growing up on a small farm in South Central Illinois. This experience led her to organizations like 4-H and Future Farmers of America, where she enjoyed serving members and the community in various leadership roles through college and into her professional career. Currently, Jessica is the President of Bunge’s FFA Alumni and Supporters Chapter, co-lead of the Women of Bunge Employee Resource Group and serves on industry committees with National Grain and Feed Association and North American Export Grain Association. Additionally, she volunteers locally with Junior Achievement and Ronald McDonald House.
Jessica lives in Wildwood with her husband, Patrick, daughters, Dylan and Alex, and dog, cat, and turtle. She enjoys the outdoors, traveling and snow skiing with family and friends.
