Woman Watch

Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life Spring 2015

21st Century Leadership Academy

Keynote Dinner

“What Does Leadership Look

Like?”

Jean Peters-Baker Jackson County

Prosecutor

Thursday, May 21 2015 Reception at 6:00 p.m.

Saint Louis Woman’s Club Tickets: $90 individual $45 for students For more information or to reserve tickets, please call 314.516.4727.

Jackson county’s top prosecutor to keynote Leadership Academy dinner

Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney Jean Peters Baker has been a friend of the Sue Shear Institute for many years. More than a decade ago, she led the Institute’s UMKC operation while taking a break from her work in the Jackson County’s Prosecutor’s office. At the time, she had a young child and found her work on child abuse cases especially stressful. Jean was a very effec-tive member of the Institute fami-ly as she broadened her experi-ence with “Women in Public Life.” In 2010, Jean took on a new public life challenge when she ran for an open seat in the Mis-souri House of Representatives. She was unopposed in her first political campaign and began her House service in 2011, when she was elected Leader of the Freshman Democrats. Jean also spearheaded the Kansas City Caucus and co-chaired their effort to increase economic develop-ment in the region. She also advocated for increased funding for the prosecutor’s office. After about three months in legislative office, Jean had a difficult choice to make. The Jackson County Prosecutor at the time had accepted a judicial appointment which meant that Jackson County Executive Michael Sanders would appoint a successor. He asked Jean to re-turn as Jackson County’s top law enforcement officer: the County Prosecutor, and she accept-ed. Jean was subsequently elected to the office in 2012. Jean Peters Baker has instituted many new strategies for reducing crime and recidivism in

Jackson County. The effectiveness of her innovative approaches is reflected in the reduction of

homicides to a 23-year low. She will share some of her innovative approaches to being a leader

on crime fighting and prevention as the Keynote Speaker for the 21st Century Leadership Acad-

emy Dinner on May 21, 2015. For information about attending the dinner and meeting the 18th

class of Leadership Academy Fellows, please call 314.516-4727 or email Landersm@umsl.edu.

INSIDE:

January Pipe;ine pro-gram prepares candi-dates for municipal elections

Institute partners with UMSL Student Life for “Women at the Top” series

Missouri History Muse-um event features 2008 Amethyst Award win-ner

Election success for Sue Shear program graduates and affiliates

Funding Available for Former Fellows Each year since 2010, the Institute awards one or more grants to graduates of the

21st Century Leadership Academy pursuing unpaid or nominally paid internships

or other opportunities with a focus on the public sector. Thanks to a generous con-

tribution from Nancy Siteman, the application for this year’s Siteman Fellows

Fund will be available in May 2015. Check our website often for updates:

www.umsl.edu/sueshear

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters-Baker will keynote the 2015 Leadership Academy dinner, and share her ideas about women’s lead-ership with those in attendance.

2 Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life

Woman Watch is a publication of the Sue

Shear Institute for Women in Public Life

One University Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63121 Phone: 314.516.4727

Fax: 314.516.6621

www.umsl.edu/sueshear

Established in 1998 by the Missouri Legislature and the Board of Curators

for the University of Missouri, the Sue Shear Institute for Women

in Public Life is a non-partisan, education entity. Programs of the Institute are open to participants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age disability, and status

as a military veteran.

Vivian Eveloff, Director veveloff@umsl.edu

Jennifer Drake Fantroy,

Asst. Director

fantroyj@umsl.edu

Michelle Landers-Ochsner

Administrative Staff landersm@umsl.edu

FINANCIAL

SUPPORTERS

Contributor Linda Riekes

Advisor

Hon. Michelle Harris Natalie Lorenz Nina Neeleman Kelly Newsome

Partner

Karissa Anderson Mary Bickel & James Gates

Liana Boone Hon. Joanne Boulton

Suanne Broadfield Nina Bryans

Hon. Paula Bryant Marcia Chatelain, Ph.D.

Nicole Colbert-Botchway Hon. Kathianne Crane Hon. Linda Goldstein

Hon. Monica Huddleston

(Continued on page 3)

NAMES IN THE NEWS

Trifecta in the District For the first time in the history of the nation’s capital, three women are serving as mayor, schools chancellor, and police chief at the same time. Muriel Bowser was sworn in as mayor of the District of Columbia in January 2015, Kaya

Henderson has been leading the schools since 2011, and Cathy Lanier assumed her role as po-lice chief in 2009.

Judicial Hat Trick

The judicial commission for the 16th Circuit in Jackson County, MO, selected a panel of three

female nominees for a vacancy on the circuit court. Judges in Jackson County are nominated and selected through the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan. After the commission chose the panel of three women, Governor Jay Nixon appointed one of them to the bench. Jennifer Phillips was appointed to the position on February 10, 2015.

For Women’s History Month, the Sue Shear Institute partnered with the UMSL Office of Student Life for the “Women at the Top” series. The Office is tasked with enhancing students’ aca-demic experiences with programs that help them develop as leaders – a per-fect match for the Institute! On March 5, the two groups part-nered to shine a light on women in pol-itics. The panelists included St. Louis County Councilwoman Hazel Erby (District 1); Chief of Staff to St. Louis City Mayor Slay, Mary Ellen Ponder; and Town and Country Alderman Lin-

da Rallo (Ward 4). These women lead-ers shared openly about the responsibil-ity that comes with their power, the things they think about that most men in their positions wouldn’t, and how they balance it all and manage to make time for themselves and their families. Students in attendance were encouraged by these women’s stories, and one lucky attendee re-ceived a copy of Brenée Brown’s book, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. The Institute looks forward to partnering with the Office of Student Life again to feature prominent women in public life!

The Institute and UMSL Student Life team up for Women at the Top

Left to right: Panelists Mary Ellen Ponder, Councilwoman Hazel Erby, Institute Assistant Director Jennifer Drake Fantroy, Institute Advisory and Alderman Linda Rallo, and Student Life Coordinator Jenna Bartak

Public Servant, Distinguished Alumna & Friend

of the Institute Debra H. Moore, Ph.D., was appointed interim Director of Administration in St. Clair County., Illinois. She is the first woman and the first Afri-can-American to hold this high-level position in the county’s history. Dr. Moore is responsible for implementing policies passed by the county board, oversight of the budget, and more.

The World’s Largest Law Office Loretta Lynch was confirmed by the United States Senate (56-34) as the 83rd Attorney Gen-eral of the United States. Lynch is the first Afri-can-American woman to hold the post. Her ap-pointment brings the number of women in the Cabinet to seven total. Lynch’s nomination made headlines because it was the third longest confirmation of any appointee to the office: 166 days.

Are you a woman in public life with news to share? Email fantroyj@umsl.edu with updates.

Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life 3

Elaniea Jinks Kathy McKemy Lauren Palmer Lauren Ryan

Margaret Sherraden, Ph.D. Sarah Welch

Allison Zupon, M.D.

Supporter

Jennifer D. Fantroy Rachel Harris Emily Kelchen

Jane Langa Marcia Mellitz

Carol Rosenbaum Carol Portman

Laura Shaw Murra Vivian Schmidt

We would especially like to

extend our gratitude to members of the Fellows’

Legacy Circle. Find a list of members and learn more

about the Circle on page 4.

Your gift helps assure that

Institute programs are available to all interested

women, regardless of ability to pay. Make your gift on-line by visiting our website: www.umsl.edu/sueshear

Thank you for your support!

FACULTY AFFILIATES

Thanks, also, to our newest faculty affiliates:

Susan Jones

Saint Louis Public Schools Mary Stadter

Crestwood Board of Aldermen

Shelly Welsch University City Mayor

In Missouri, elections for local office appear every spring, like daffo-dils and dandelions. This year, the results in Ferguson and other very competitive elections received special attention. Many graduates of the Institute’s annual Pipeline to Local Office workshops were successful in their contests! Ella M. Jones tri-umphed over three opponents in gar-nering over 50% of the votes in Ward 1. She is the first African American woman to serve on this City Council. In Ward 3, Wesley Bell, a 2014 Pipe-line attendee, bested Lee Smith, who attended this year. These victories were an important step to making the City Council more representative of the population it serves—a value

shared by the Institute. Courtney M. Graves, another ’15 Pipeline attendee, came in first among five candidates for the Ferguson-Florissant School Board. She will join ’14 class graduate Donna Pau-

lette-Thurman who was elected last year.

Other successful candidates among Institute program graduates include Amy Rubin and Jo-

anne Soudah, who won seats on the Clayton School Board and the University City School Board, re-spectively. Both women received the most votes among their group of three candidates seeking the office. Angela V. McCormickgarnered 61% of the votes in her three-way contest for the Maryland Heights City Council. Barbara Stocker was elected to the Jefferson County College District Board. Sally Faith’s success in her reelection campaign for Mayor of St. Charles, Missouri is a real tribute to the value of campaign savvy. Mayor Faith first attended a Pipeline program before she ran for the Missouri Legislature in 2004. Her 2015 victory begins her second decade as an elected official.

Running for office re-quires courage, time com-mitment, hard work and the support of family and friends. The Institute en-courages women and men to step forward and make a constructive difference in the many elected decision making bodies in Missouri. While winners are congratu-lated by many, candidates who fall short of victory also play an important role by serving as models of civic engagement and providing voters with more diverse options to consider for their government leadership.

While the Pipeline Work-shop doesn’t provide a se-cret formula for success, most candidates reported that it did provide very useful direction. Continued on page 5

Municipal Elections Break Barriers

2015 Pipeline program graduates pose at the Institute’s post-election wrap-up party.

Congratulations to Pipeline Program alumni who successfully ran in the April 2015 elections!

Wesley Bell—City of Ferguson Council Member, Ward 3

Joanne Boulton – City of Clayton Alderperson, Ward 1 Michele DeShay – City of Moline Acres, Mayor Sally Faith – City of St. Charles, Mayor Courtney M. Graves – Ferguson-Florissant School Board Member Nancy Greenwood – City of Chesterfield Council Member, Ward 2 Ella Jones – City of Ferguson Council Member, Ward 1 Angela McCormick – City of Maryland Heights Council Member,

Ward 3 Amy Rubin – Clayton School Board Member Joanne Soudah – University City School Board Member Barbara Stocker—Jefferson College Board, Jefferson County Maggie Strong – City of Northwoods Alderperson, Ward 1 Doris Trojack – City of Greendale, Alderperson at Large Terri Violet – City of St. Peters Alderman, Ward 3

Appointments

Serving on a public board or com-mission is an excellent way to put your talents to use in public service without running for office.

If you are interested in serving on a board or commission, contact the Insti-tute at (314) 516-4727 and visit our web-site at www.umsl.edu/sueshear to com-plete a “Public Service Personal Profile” on-line.

For a list of boards and commissions in Missouri, visit the Governor’s website at http://governor.mo.gov/boards/

The following lists include women who have been appointed to boards and commissions since December 2014:

4 Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life

St. Louis County

Cheryl Kunzler Board of Equalization Cynthia Williams Retirement Board of Trustees

The Fellows’ Legacy Circle is a society of Shear Fellows who are investing

in future leaders by contributing financially to support the participation of Shear Fellows at the Academy each year. This year, Fellows raised nearly $2,000 to support the 2015 Academy!

2015 CO-CHAIRS:

Liana Boone (‘02) Kelly Newsome (‘04)

CABINET:

Karissa Anderson (‘12) Liana Boone (‘02)

Suzanne Broadfield (‘98) Chynna Byrd (‘13)

Marcia Chatelain, Ph.D. (‘99) Jennifer Drake Fantroy (‘05)

Rachel Harris (‘08) Elaniea Jinks (‘14)

Emily Kelchen (‘06) Michelle Landers-Ochsner (‘08)

Natalie Lorenz (‘08) Kelly Newsome (‘04) Lauren Palmer (‘99) Lauren Ryan (‘07) Sarah Welch (‘00)

Dr. Allison Zupon, M.D. (‘04)

There is still time to add your name to

the list! Contact Michelle Landers-Ochsner at: 314.516.4727 or

landersm@umsl.edu to contribute.

Fellows’ Legacy Circle

Jo Wanda Bozeman St. Louis County Board of Election Commis-sioners Vernal Brown Bi-State Development Agency of the Mis-souri—Illinois Metropolitan District Sue Ann Childers Christian County, Eastern District Commis-sioner Nicole J. Colbert-Botchway Administrative Hearing Commission Vanessa F. Cooksey Harris-Stowe State University Board of Re-gents Kelly F. Farrell Bi-State Development Agency of the Mis-souri—Illinois Metropolitan District Trudi M. Foushee St. Louis County Board of Election Comission-ers Kathy Galbraith Webster County, County Assessor Nicole Galloway Missouri State Auditor Lisa Goodwin Carter County, Collector of Revenue Kayla Henry Camden County, County Assessor Sherry Hershey Chariton County, Public Administrator

State of Missouri

Wendy Wexler Horn 24th Judicial Circuit, Circuit Judge Marie Nau Hunter Missouri State Council on the Arts Audrey Hanson McIntosh Administrative Hearing Commission Pat Danner Meyer Missouri Credit Union Commission Mary E. Nelson University of Missouri Board of Curators Jennifer M. Philips 16th Judicial Circuit, Circuit Judge Linda Brown Reed Missouri State Council on the Arts Janet Rosenauer Andrew County, Public Administrator R. Christine Stallings Grundy County, Prosecuting Attorney Margaret M. Vandeven, Ph.D. Missouri’s Commissioner of Education

On Thursday, March 12, the Institute

was happy to partner with the Missouri

History Museum to feature Dr. Marcia

Chatelain, 1999 Mizzou Shear Fellow and

2008 Amethyst Award winner as a speak-

er. Dr. Chatelain recently released a book,

South Side Girls: Growing Up in the Great

Migration, which tells the stories of fami-

lies who migrated to Chicago from the

South in the early 20th century through the

lens of girls and young women. Her talk in

March was entitled “She Was Fighting for

her Father’s Freedom: How Girls and

Young Women Have Changed the

World…And Still Are.”

Dr. Chatelain highlighted her re-

search for the book, which among other

things casts women and girls as on the

front line of civil rights issues – integrat-

ing schools and sleepaway camps, for ex-

ample. According to the speaker, the voic-

es of girls were underrepresented in the

literature, and she is proud to have given

people access to this point of view with

this book. She signed copies of South Side

Girls at the event.

We are grateful for Dr. Chatelain’s

commitment to Missouri, the Institute, and

the success of women and girls. And we

extend a special thanks to all the Fellows,

Institute Advisory Board members, and

supporters who attended the event!

Amethyst Award winner’s advice: Listen to Girls

Dr. Marcia Chatelain speaks at the Missouri History Museum in March 2015.

Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life 5

Many thanks to 2014 Institute Contributors! External support is essential to the continued success of the Sue Shear Institute. It provides funding for Institute programs,

including the UMSL LEAD program and the 21st Century Leadership Academy, and assures that programs are open to all who are interested, regardless of ability to pay. To add your name to this list, visit www.umsl.edu/sueshear/donor/donors.html

Benefactor ($1000+) Elizabeth Huxley

Julia Muller, Ph.D. Nancy Siteman

National Association of Women Judges

UMSL Women’s Leadership Initiative

Contributor ($500+) Natalie Lorenz

Mathis, Marifian, & Richter, LTD

Advisor ($250+) Shari Bax

Sara Epstein Susan Feigenbaum & Jay Pepose Susan Kendig, LLB RNC, MSN, WHCNP

Hon. Richard “Skip” Mange Nina Needleman

Dayna Stock, Ph.D. Terrance Taylor, Ph.D.

Hon. Anne Tolan Hon. Betty Van Uum

Partner ($100+) Brandy (Barker) Geers

Shari Bax, Ph.D. Edie Binder

Robert Bliss, Ph. D. Hon. Susan Block

Liana Boone Shirley Breeze

Hon. Mikki Brewster Suzanne Broadfield

Nina Bryans Hon. Paula Bryant Virginia Campbell

Chyanne Cardarella Anne Case-Halferty

Marcia Chatelain, Ph.D. Stephanie Clark

Laura Cohen Nicole Colbert-Botchway

Marjorie Cole Monica Combest

Hon. Kathianne Crane Doreen Dodson

Cynthia Fox Agnes Garino

Daniel Goldman & Bettina Slusar Hon. Linda Goldstein

Hon. Camille Greenwald Hon. Nancy Greenwood Hon. Monica Huddleston

Loretto Kleykamp Erica Marks

Cynthia McCafferty Kathy McKemy Marcia Mellitz

Kelly Newsome Lauren Palmer

Jessica Post Doris Pree

Hon. Linda Rallo Emily Rapp

Melanie Redler Pat Rich

Linda Riekes Linda & Jim Riles

Lauren Ryan Hon. Betty Sims

Julia Triplett Hon. Vicky R. Wilson

Patricia Winchell Lisa Zarin

Supporter Makita Abraham Leslie Broadnax

Chynna Byrd Annetta Canady

Nora Cox Susan Glassman

Gillen Goughenour Rachel Harris

LaShonda Harvey Cynthia Holman

Malaika Horne-Wells, Ph.D. Farida Jalalzai, Ph.D.

Darian Johnson Margean Kastner

Emily Kelchen Hon. Jeanne Kirkton

Juliana Klein Jane Langa

Heather Lasher-Todd Melinda Love Renee Marver

Loretta Murray Maria Roan-Gin Peters

Carol Portman Linda Brown Reed Carol Rosenbaum

Rung Ltd. Hon. Mary R. Russell

Laura Shaw Murra Patricia Shores, Ph.D.

Hon. Kathy Surratt-States Hon. Lisa Taylor

Ruth Turner Hon. Lisa Van Amburg

Hon. Lois Vander Waerdt Hon. Gail Vasterling

Dongying Wei Ebonee Woods Vivian Zwick

Thank you for your support!

At the Institute’s post-election

debriefing party, Ella Jones report-

ed that she faced many hard deci-

sions in the course of her success-

ful campaign for Ferguson Alder-

man. She reported that, “when in

doubt, I looked to the Pipeline

syllabus for guidance.”

The Institute is offering its Pipe-

line to Public Office workshop in

Fall 2015. For more information

about resources for candidates or

to register for program, visit the

Insitute’s website:

www.umsl.edu/sueshear.

Local elections, continued from page 3

Below: Participants Adonis Reddick and Bob Hudgins, candidate for Ferguson City Council’s open seat in the second ward, chat about local issues during a break in the workshop.

Above: Local campaign staffer Louise Charboneau and successful Clayton School Board candidate Amy Rubin practice making the fundraising ask.

6 Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life

It is always exciting to receive “progress reports” from graduates of our leadership programs. In addition to updates from Leadership Academy alums, we’re now including news from graduates of the UMSL LEAD program. We are proud to share their accomplishments with you! (Note: The number in parenthesis represents year of participation in the Leadership Academy.)

Stephanie Bell Martin University of Missouri—St. Louis (‘03) Stephanie married and moved to Ches-ter, Illinois. She works for the Randolph County Health Department as the Public Information Officer and Health Educator. Also, Stephanie chairs the Southern Illi-nois Public Information Officer Workgroup for Local Health Depart-ments.

Rhoda Bryan Lincoln University (‘10) Rhoda moved to Rapid City, SD in 2013 where she is working for the South Dako-ta Department of Social Services. She was accepted to South Dakota State Universi-ty's Educational Administration graduate program Fall 2014 and has begun work-ing on her Master's degree.

Joy Bulen Truman State University (‘11) Joy is working for a Chicago-based non-profit and will be attending the Universi-ty of Chicago in the fall to begin her MA in International Relations.

Marcia Chatelain, Ph.D. University of Missouri—Columbia (’99) Dr. Marcia Chatelain was so moved by the book event the Sue Shear Institute hosted for her at the St. Louis History Museum in March. Her book South Side Girls: Growing Up in the Great Migra-tion has received positive reviews. In Spring 2015, she was promoted to Associ-ate Professor of History at Georgetown University.

Margaret Cleveland University of Missouri—Columbia (‘14)

Alumni News

Margaret has been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Student Award to serve as an English Teaching Assistantship in South Korea. For one year, Margaret will be teaching in South Korea as an Elementary English Teacher.

Allison Coffelt Truman State University (‘10) Allison will be graduating with her Mas-ter's in Creative Nonfiction from the Uni-versity of Missouri in May 2015. Her writ-ing is forthcoming or has appeared in the Los Angeles Review, the Crab Orchard Re-view, and several other literary journals.

Shante Duncan University of Missouri—St. Louis (‘05) Shante is the Executive Director of Sisters Helping Each other Reach A Higher Height (S.H.E.R.A.H.). It is a community women's organization with the mission of empowering women to assist in the re-building of our communities. Shante hopes to help and guide thousands of women on their journey of healing and self-discovery as a tool for community building. She currently resides in St. Louis with her husband and three children.

Renessa Foronda Truman State University (‘04) Renessa moved back to Charlotte, NC as a Technology Recruiter at Red Ventures. She is looking to get re-established and make Charlotte home for a long while.

Brandy (Barker) Geers Truman State University (‘02) Brandy is a vice president in the public affairs practice at FleishmanHillard. She works with many clients in the health care sector, including the Missouri Foundation for Health on the Cover Missouri initia-tive . Cover Missouri is an honoree in the “What’s Right With the Region” awards presented by Focus St. Louis for fostering regional cooperation and is a finalist in the 2015 Public Relations Society of Amer-ica’s Silver Anvil Awards.

Nikki Gomez Missouri University of Science and Tech-nology (‘13) Nikki graduated from Missouri Universi-

ty of Science & Technology in December with her BS in Biological Science and mi-nors in Chemistry, Multiculturalism & Diversity, and History of Science, Tech-nology, and Humanity. After graduation, Nikki began working as an AmeriCorps VISTA in conjunction with the Waynes-ville R-VI School District to help fight poverty.

Amy Harris University of Central Missouri (‘06) After working for several years in a medi-um firm in Kansas City as a litigator, in October 2014, Amy left the firm to become Corporate Counsel for UMB Financial Corporation in Kansas City. At UMB Fi-nancial Corporation, Amy manages their litigation. Amy lives in a little urban farm in Kansas City with her husband, two dogs and four chickens.

Paula Hodges Truman State University (‘05) Paula moved to New Hampshire during the 2014 election cycle to become the State Director for America Votes NH. She also joined the NARAL board and looks for-ward to a busy 2016 election cycle ahead.

Chloe Jackson Truman State University (‘14) Chloe has been teaching a course this se-mester, Grassroots Environmentalism. While teaching over the semester, a Com-munication student at Truman is making a documentary about the class. Chloe will be traveling to Europe for three months this summer to work on farms in France, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Germany.

Sarah Jackson University of Missouri—Columbia (‘03) Sarah Jackson is currently the Director of Public Affairs for the Dallas Citizens Council and has recently been named by the Dallas Business Journal as one of the top 40 Under 40 men and women in busi-ness.

Lina Khan Truman State University (‘06) Lina Khan recently became a Senior Ana-lyst in the International Affairs & Trade Group with the U.S. Government Ac-

Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life 7

countability Office (GAO). Aside from tons of research and report-writing, she got to travel to Pakistan and Sudan for work, which was pretty fun.

Elise Kittrell Missouri University of Science and Tech-nology (‘12) Elise is a Peace Corps volunteer in La Liber-tad, Peru. She is a part of the water, sanita-tion and hygiene (WASH) program. Elise helps provide people with bathrooms and clean water.

Tahura Lodhi University of Missouri—Columbia (‘14) In May 2015, Tahura will be graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia with Bachelor's degrees in both Biology and Psychology. She will be attending the Uni-versity of Chicago Law School in the Fall 2015.

Eve Lofthus University of Missouri—Kansas City (‘10) Eve will be graduating dental school (DDS) in May 2015. She has accepted a po-sition in San Francisco, where she will be continuing her education by specializing in dental implants and cosmetic dentistry.

Natalie Lorenz Southeast Missouri State University (‘08) Natalie is an associate attorney at Mathis, Marifian & Richter, Ltd. in Belleville, IL. She is concentrating her practice in civil litigation matters in both Illinois and Mis-souri.

Meghan Lowery, Ph.D. Missouri State University (‘06) Meghan has accepted a position with Eli Lilly in Indianapolis as Consultant, Global Assessment/Workforce Research, and bid goodbye to the St. Louis region after almost 4 years with Psychological Associates.

Nabihah Maqbool University of Missouri—Columbia (‘08) Nabihah earned her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Missouri – Columbia in the Spring of 2014. In Fall 2014, she moved to DC to work as the equi-ty researcher at the public health organiza-tion CommonHealth ACTION. In Spring 2015, Nabihah served as the health re-searcher for the National Housing Confer-ence's Center for Housing Policy. Her health and housing literature review will be

released this April 2015.

Amanda Marchegiani Southeast Missouri State University (‘08) Since January 2015, Amanda is the com-munity relations coordinator at the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute in Scranton, PA. Previously, Amanda was the public relations coordinator at the Abington Community Library. On Sun-day, April 12th, 2015, she completed the Scranton Half Marathon with a time of 2:13:11.

Mackenzie Martin University of Central Missouri (‘13) In March 2015, Mackenzie traveled to Sweden to work with different schools teaching them about American culture and customs. While abroad, she worked with different political offices to learn about the different political structures in Sweden. Mackenzie was able to utilize her knowledge from the 21st Century Leadership Academy while in Sweden.

Heather Mueller Missouri State University (‘14) Heather works at The Big 550 KTRS AM Radio Station in St. Louis, MO.

Victoria Okoye University of Missouri—Columbia (‘05) In March 2015, Victoria joined the inter-national NGO Women in Informal Em-ployment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) as Urban Advocacy Special-ist. In her new role, she advocates for inclusive policy, urban planning and urban design to support the livelihoods of informal workers in developing coun-try cities. Sharon Pruitt University of Missouri—St. Louis (‘13); UMSL LEAD (‘10) Sharon has been accepted into the Phillip Merrill College of Journalism Master's of Journalism program at the University of Maryland.

Heidi Soderstrom Missouri University of Science and Technology (‘12)

Heidi is working as a junior front-end developer at Moat in Manhattan.

Ericka Thomas University of Missouri—St. Louis (‘13); UMSL LEAD (‘14)

Ericka was selected as one of five UMSL graduate students to partici-pate in the University of Missouri Graduate Student Leadership Devel-opment Program. This year long program provides leadership devel-opment, skill building, and network-ing for graduate students of the UM system. S. Ashley Warren, D.O. University of Missouri—Columbia (‘06) Ashley is on her 3rd year of family medicine residency at the Capital Re-gion Medical Center in Mid-Missouri. Recently, Ashley was appointed chief resident. She is serving on the Board of Trustees of the Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physician and Surgeons (MAOPS) as a resident representative and a Wetzel Scholar. She is an active member of her church, including sing-ing as a first soprano in the choir. For more fellows’ updates, visit www.umsl.edu/sueshear.

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8 Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life

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The

Sue

Shear

Institute

for

Women in Public Life Upcoming Events

and Important Dates:

21st Century Leadership Academy Dinner

May 21, 2015

Visit our website for more details: www.umsl.edu/sueshear

346 Woods Hall (MC206) One University Boulevard St. Louis, Missouri 63121

Please make checks payable to the

Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life University of Missouri–St. Louis

346 Woods Hall One University Boulevard St. Louis, MO 63121-4400