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Meet the MentorsKate EwingMueller ProstDirector of Marketing and Practice GrowthEwing joined Mueller Prost in 2016 as the Director of Marketing and Practice Growth andbrought with her over 15 years of marketing experience in a variety of different industries.Ewing’s primary focus is to drive business results through developing and implementing marketing, communications, and business development strategies for the firm. She also directsmedia relations, branding, advertising, social media, and web development and overseessponsorships and contributions. Ewing is an adjunct marketing professor for Lindenwood University and Webster University. In addition, she is very active in community and professionalorganizations, serving on several boards and acting as a mentor to other professionals.Fun fact: I own a yoga studio!Loretta GrahamGirl Scouts of Southern IllinoisCEOLoretta Graham goes above and beyond what is required in service to others. THE BEST leader,she serves as the CEO for Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois with a caring and steady servant’shand. She is the youngest of 14 kids from a single parent sharecropping mother. She is aninspiration to all who meet her. Graham first joined Girl Scouts in 1991. Her achievementsin the nonprofit sector include working with communities to be a voice and face for girls anddeveloping volunteer programs and council activities. She has done and continues to do anincredible amount of service meeting the girls where they are at. “In Girl Scouting, we reachout to our communities for support and in turn, we are challenged to be a service to thosecommunities,”Lindsey GravesSunset TransportationCOOGraves is a 2nd generation owner and Chief Operating Officer at Sunset Transportation, a localthird-party logistics company. In her 13 years with Sunset, she has grown through hands-onexperience in every department. She now oversees operations at Sunset’s corporate headquarters and five branch offices. Prior to joining the family business full time Graves receivedher B.A. in Communication from of The College of Charleston in South Carolina. She currentlyserves as a Board member for Enterprise Bank & Trust’s Business Leadership Forum and theBoy Scouts of America, Greater St. Louis Area Council.Fun fact: I rode horses competitively all through college.Sheena HamiltonDowd Bennett LLPAssociateHamilton concentrates on employment litigation and corporate internal investigations. Shedefends employers in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies. She triescases alleging employment discrimination and retaliation as well as wage and hour disputes. Hamilton presents to attorneys and human resources professionals on topics such asmaintaining a respectful workplace and conducting workplace investigations. She has beenquoted as an authority on employment law by The New York Times, Law360, SHRM and theABA Journal. Hamilton serves on the American Bar Association Board of Governors, UnitedWay of Greater St. Louis Board of Directors, and Regional Business Council Young ProfessionalNetwork Steering Committee.Fun fact: I enjoy little more than cooking and hosting parties.Rhonda Hamm-NiebreuggeSt. Louis Lambert International AirportDirector of AirportsHamm-Niebruegge has been the Director of St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) sinceJanuary 2010. The Airport serves more than 14.7 million passengers annually. Hamm- Niebruegge manages 500 employees with revenues averaging 165 million dollars annually. Sheis also Chairwoman of the 17-member St. Louis Airport Commission. Prior to STL, Hamm-Niebruegge logged over 25 years in aviation management positions with American Airlines,Trans World Airlines (TWA) and Ozark Air Lines. She retired in 2009 as the Managing Directorof American Airlines’ St. Louis operation. Before the American and TWA merger, she heldthe position of Vice President of TWA’s North American Operations, responsible for an 800million budget encompassing 100 airports and 8,000 TWA employees. Hamm-Niebruegge isa board member for the St. Louis Regional Chamber, Christian Hospital (BJC HealthCare), theInternational Women’s Forum, Ranken Technical College Board and the St. Louis Civic PrideFoundation.Fun fact: I had the pleasure of overseeing two of Pope John Pauls’ charters to the US on TWA andpersonally had the chance to meet him on both.

Meet the MentorsTracy HartTarlton Corp.President & CEOTracy Hart of St. Louis-based Tarlton Corporation is one of a few women nationally to serveas president of a major general contracting/construction management firm. Highly regardedfor her steadfast commitment to the region, she serves on boards for the St. Louis RegionalChamber, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Midwest Bank Centre and Invest STL, among others.Hart was elected the first woman chairman of the Associated General Contractors of St. Louis(now the AGC of Missouri) and is a life director for the AGC of America. A past winner of the St.Louis Business Journal’s “40 under 40” Award, she earned her B.A. in English and Communication from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.Fun fact: I’m famous among friends for my pesto made with home-grown basil – especially delicious with pasta from The Hill.Shannon HaufBayerCrop Technology Lead, SoybeansShannon Hauf serves as a member of the Research & Development Leadership Team and asthe Crop Technology Lead for Soybeans for the Crop Science division of Bayer. She’s responsible for the development of integrated soybean technology strategy, leading a global teamto launch new technologies to improve soybean farming practices worldwide. Hauf joinedthe Bayer Crop Science team in 2018, after a 15-year career at Monsanto. She holds a Ph.D.in Weed Science and Master of Science in Plant Sciences from North Dakota State University,along with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Agronomy from Iowa State University. Most recently, she was Global Technology Lead, Cotton, Wheat, and Specialty Crops atMonsanto Company from 2014 to 2018, prior to her current role at Bayer Crop Science.Fun fact: I was crowned “Little Miss Fashion” for sewing my own wardrobe at age 11.Alyce HerndonGrace Hill Women’s Business CenterDirectorAlyce Herndon dedicates her time and efforts to women entrepreneurs starting and expanding their business. She joined GHWBC in December 2014 and since then has been a connectorand advocate for small businesses throughout the region. From Webster University, she holdsa Bachelors in Psychology, Masters in Management and Leadership, a Certificate in Not forProfit Management, and is currently completing a Doctorate in Business. While enrolled asa student at Webster, Herndon served as the assistant director and managed the doctoral,graduate and undergraduate programs for student advisory. Outside of GHWBC, Herndonis an adjunct professor at Lindenwood University where she provides students the insight ofbusiness services, clarity on business strategy and competitiveness within the entrepreneurialjourney. Herndon has volunteered with Professional Organization of Women, YWCA, Sabayet,Onyx Business Solutions, and is a board member with Sherwood Forest Camp.Fun fact: I own and ride a Yamaha Classic 650.J. Nicole Lewer-HolstHospital Sisters Heath SystemVice President, Legal Affairs, Southern Illinois Division & HSHS Associate General CounselJ. Nicole Lewer-Holst helped build the in-house legal team at Hospital Sisters Health System(HSHS), the 2.1 billion Springfield, Illinois-based health-care system. She joined HSHS in 2009as a contract attorney on a nine-month project before she was brought on full-time. Holst nowleads a five-person team based out of the HSHS Southern Illinois Division office in Bellevillethat provides legal, risk and contract management support for five hospitals. She overseeslegal issues, including gaining regulatory approvals for two replacement hospitals. Holstserves on the John Cook School of Business Engagement Board at Saint Louis University and ispresident of the board at Memory Care Home Solutions. Holst holds a B.S.B.A. in InternationalBusiness, minors in Spanish and Theater, and Juris Doctor with Health Law Certificate, SaintLouis University.Fun fact: I have run 9 marathons and my favorite movie of all time is Labyrinth with David Bowieand Jennifer Connelly.

Meet the MentorsTrina Dyan Clark JamesNPower St. LouisRegional DirectorPrior to NPower, she worked in urban public education as the Founder/CEO of Jamaa LearningCenter, the Executive Director of St. Louisans United To Attract KIPP (SUTAK), and as a BroadResident at St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS). She began her career in the San Francisco Bay Areaas an engineer at Solectron then at Pinnacle Systems. Clark James spent the majority of herengineering career in a variety of roles at Apple Computer, Inc. She earned a BS in MechanicalEngineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, a MS in Mechanical Engineering at StanfordUniversity, and an MBA at University of California, Davis.Fun fact: I’m a HUGE Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan and even attended the series finale in LosAngeles hosted by the show creator.Amanda JoinerThe Ritz-Carlton, St. LouisGeneral ManagerA 25-year employee of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Joiner began her hotel career inHousekeeping and worked her way up to her current role as General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. She has led multiple Ritz-Carlton hotels and also has directed corporate salesplanning for The Ritz-Carlton brand, winning national awards and demonstrating the abilityto combine human-focused leadership with serious business acumen. Joiner recently led TheRitz-Carlton, St. Louis through two extensive renovations, all while keeping the property operational and within budget. Under her leadership, revenues and profits have exceeded plan,and hotel ratings have jumped. The reason? She consistently believes in putting people first,be it her team or hotel guests.Fun fact: I’m a mother of twin boys.Kristie JonesSales Acceleration GroupPrincipalJones is the go-to expert in the Midwest to help SaaS Start-ups build and scale their Sales andCustomer Success teams. Her 19 years as a Sales Executive in the SaaS space fuels her passion for helping boot-strapped or VE/PE funded founders increase revenue and retain customers. Her willingness to get her hands dirty and her “take no prisoners” approach when helpingcompanies is what makes her so valuable to her clients. Jones’ areas of expertise include salestraining and call coaching, hiring and onboarding SDRs, account executives and customersuccess managers, goal setting and compensation plans tied to those goals and sales processselection and implementation of sales enablement tools.Fun fact: I watch 200 hours of college basketball a season. HUGE Jayhawk fan.Erin JoyBlack Dress PartnersPrincipal & CEOA strategic consultant, straightforward confidant, and sought-after speaker, Joy foundedthe consulting and executive coaching company, Black Dress Partners, in 2011 to help guidebusinesses facing a variety of challenges. She and her team conceived Black Dress Circle ,facilitated, member-driven roundtables exclusively for female business owners, and theaward-winning Midwest Women Business Owners’ Conference. She has helped transforma variety of organizations across industries and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in businesspsychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.Fun fact: I’m a lover of thrift stores and once owned a small antiques business.Pamela KellyDot Foods, Inc.Director of Talent and InclusionPam Kelly serves as the Director of Talent & Inclusion at Dot Foods. She leads all inclusion anddiversity initiatives and develops the talent acquisition strategy corporate-wide for this 7billion-dollar company. Kelly is an alum of FOCUS St. Louis CORO Women in Leadership and theDiversity Leadership Fellowship programs. She serves on the Boards of the Urban League ofSt. Louis and Empower Missouri. Awards include: Who’s Who in Diversity in Color, the St. LouisBusiness Journal 2017 Diverse Leaders Awards, and the St. Louis American Excellence in Business Performance Award. She holds degrees in business administration, an MBA, and a degreein Jurisprudence in Health Law from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.Fun fact: I am an avid trout fisher and love making my own lures!

Meet the MentorsAbigail KeppleEnterprise Bank & TrustPresident, Tax Credit Specialties & Premium FinanceAbby Kepple is the President of Tax Credit Specialties and Life Insurance Finance for EnterpriseBank & Trust. She leads the bank’s strategy to create and manage opportunities related to anational premium finance business, and tax credit programs at both the state and federal levels,including Historic Tax Credits, Low Income Housing Tax Credits and New Markets Tax Credits.Kepple has been with Enterprise Bank & Trust since September 2000 and has excelled in a varietyof roles. Her passion is to support and develop women leaders in business. She was honored to bea “40 Under 40” recipient from the St. Louis Business Journal in 2018.Fun fact: I love to tap dance.Vicki LaRose, PECivil Design, Inc.PresidentWith more than 29 years’ experience, LaRose founded Civil Design, Inc. (CDI) in 1996 to provideresponsive, quality-driven civil engineering services. Her career began with St. Louis-based Sverdrup Corporation (Jacobs Engineering). Under LaRose’s direction, CDI has experienced continuoussuccess and is building stronger communities using CDI’s exceptional sixty-five team members andtheir knowledge of infrastructure. LaRose earned her B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and her M.S. degree in Engineering Management from MissouriScience and Technology. Originally from Wisconsin, she now considers St. Louis her home.Fun fact: I’ve run a dozen half-marathons.Stephanie MeadowsWells Fargo AdvisorsSenior Vice President, Relationship Management GroupStephanie Meadows joined WFA in 2010, after serving as a Limited Partner at Edward Jones for 9years. In her current role, Meadows leads the Relationship Management Group as they interfacewith hundreds of asset management firms representing multiple lines including Mutual Funds,Separately Managed Accounts, UITs, Offshore Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds. She isalso responsible for developing strategies with key stakeholders across Products & Advice, Innovation & Strategy and other WFA Teams. Meadows serves on the cabinet of the Charmaine ChapmanSociety and the African American Leadership Giving Initiative for United Way. She’s also openedher own business, acquired a local competitor, and ran the 5th largest competitive cheerleadingcompany in the U.S. She received her bachelor’s degree from University of Missouri-Columbia andholds her Series 7, 9, 10, 24 and 66 licenses.Fun fact: I was a University of Missouri Cheerleader from 1998-2002.Aryka N. Moore, Esq.Weathers Law LLCOwnerAryka N. Moore, Esq., an East St. Louis native, is a practicing attorney in the St. Louis area. Her firmWeathers Law focuses primarily on criminal law, personal injury, bankruptcy and contracts. Sheis of counsel at the Williams Bloc. Attorney Moore published the book Lost: A Collection of Poemsa few years ago and is currently working on her second book. Additionally, she is a member of theMan Listen podcast show. Attorney Moore is also a graduate of Focus St. Louis Emerging Leadersprogram.Fun fact: I enjoy playing hide-n-go seek in the dark with my husband and kids.Stacey MorseThe Morse GroupStrategic Philanthropy and Nonprofit ConsultingMorse has over 20 years of experience driving growth for businesses, nonprofit organizations andcommunities utilizing a strategic approach, stakeholder engagement and successful alignmentmethodologies. She began her career as a commercial photographer where she honed her skillsto visually meet client needs. The systems she developed became part of her consulting work fora variety of clients taking a strategic approach mixed with her creative viewpoint and a structuredprocess. As co-owner of The Morse Group, she has developed innovative programming, creativeemployee and community engagement projects, and strategic service opportunities with a focuson the nonprofit/philanthropic sector. Clients include: nonprofit organizations, communities,philanthropists, arts/cultural institutions, corporations, governmental agencies, developers, architecture/design firms, and educators.Fun fact: I love photography, travel, roadtrips and backpacking. In 2018 I explored France, Italyand Switzerland via backpack with my daughter.

Meet the MentorsKara Turner NewmarkSweetologyFounderNewmark is the founder of Sweetology, the first entertainment retail concept around thedecoration of cakes, cookies and cupcakes. Kara received her undergraduate degree at theUniversity of Michigan and her law degree from Washington University. Early on in her career,she discovered that she liked to build things rather than litigate. She began her entrepreneurial career in life science and technology start-ups. When she had an opportunity to exit her laststart-up as COO, she decided that she wanted to sweeten her life with a new challenge. Newmark decided that she wanted to build a national brand that was novel and fun. At the time,she didn’t know what it would be she only knew that she wanted to “love it and make peoplehappy!” Sweetology was conceived a place Where Fun Takes The Cake!Fun fact: I lived in Japan for 3 months when I was 18 years old and developed a love of eel andoctopus.Marissa Q. Paine, MSWPainefree Coaching & ConsultingPrincipal & CEOPaine is a Life, Love & Leadhership Coach, a Master Facilitator, an Engaging Speaker and Trainer and an Insightful Consultant specializing in all things personal and organizational growth,development and change. Her firm provides board and leadership development, managementtraining, team building, change management consulting that helps mission-centered organizations prevent painful people problems from plummeting their profits and performance.Marissa brings heart and more than twenty-five years of diverse experience in corporate,nonprofit, education and faith-based settings to her work. She is a passionate leader, a lifetimelearner and a champion for helping women get out of their own way to achieve the successthey truly desire.Fun fact: I am empty nest-ish, with two children in college and on

WGU Missouri Chancellor Dr. Angie Besendorfer is the chancellor of WGU Missouri, the state's online, competency-based university. She champions college attainment for working Missourians who wish to pursue a bachelor's or master's degree. Besendorfer leads the efforts to connect students and