The Greater Missouri Leadership Foundation has selected 38 women professionals to participate in its 2022 Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge program.
Entering it’s 33rd year, the Challenge is designed to provide a unique Missouri-statewide traveling symposium for emerging and established motivated women leaders to have insightful symposium sessions, tours, and discussions about each community and its issues, and trained to accept future leadership roles where they are motivated to take action.
Class members attend twelve full-day sessions beginning in March and graduate in November. They meet local women leaders and allies and study aspects of each community including city, county and state government, history, economic development, not-for-profit partnerships, education, politics and current issues impacting the local community, region and state.
Individuals selected for the 2022 Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge Cohort are:
• Maricela (Mari) Alvarado; Washington University, Associate Director; Learning Skill & Capacity Building Academy for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Ballwin, MO.
• Karli Auble; Boeing; Radar Core Capability Senior Manager; St. Louis, MO.
• Dana Ausburn; Commerce Bank; Vice President; Springfield, MO.
• Jennifer Bojdak; Bayer Crop Science; VP Distribution and Warehousing; O’Fallon, MO.
• Michelle Capp; US Forest Service; District Ranger; Rolla, MO.
• Kristy Carter; Least of These Food Pantry, Inc.; Executive Director; Rogersville, MO.
• Carrie Crompton, J.D.; St. Louis Area Diaper Bank; Operations and Finance Manager; St. Louis, MO.
• Dr. Shannon Cuff; Drury University; Associate Provost of Adult, Online, and Graduate Education; Battlefield, MO.
• Michele Curry; Commerce Bank; Treasury Management Officer for CommercePayments; Columbia, MO.
• Leah Dettmers; Ameren Stakeholder Relations & Training Manager; Glen Carbon, IL.
• Gwendolyn Doss; Boeing; Program Management Specialist; Black Jack, MO.
• Kim Gasper; Harvesters; Director of Fund Development; Kansas City, MO.
• Dr. Megan Gillespie; Bayer; Head of Phenomics; Wildwood, MO.
• Lacy Haden-Peaches; Commerce Bank; Senior DEI Program Manager; Kansas City, MO.
• Dr. Lisa C. Hall; Missouri State University; Associate Professor, Coordinator of Gerontology Program; Springfield, MO.
• Dr. Karen Hall; St. Louis University; Assistant Professor; St. Louis, MO.
• Phyllis Hardwick; Community Capital Fund; Executive Director; Kansas City, MO.
• Rachael Holloway; United WE; Director of Operations; Village of Lloch Lloyd, MO.
• Brenda Horstman; MO Department of Commerce & Insurance; Regulatory Services Manager; Mokane, MO.
• Caitlin Johnson-Malone; Ameren; Manager, Digital Strategy; St. Louis, MO.
• Bonnie Leong; Boeing; F-15 Mission Systems Senior Manager; Chesterfield, MO.
• Amby Lewis; A Girl Like Me Network; Founder/President; Springfield, MO.
• Kimberly Martin; Missouri Development Finance Board; Finance Programs Manager; Previous Acting Executive Director; California, MO.
• Stephanie McGrew; A.T. Still University; Asst Director for the Department of Diversity & Inclusion; Kirksville, MO.
• Connie Morley; Shelter Insurance; Managing Litigation Attorney; Kansas City, MO.
• Ashley Pyle; GadellNet; Chief Experience Officer (CXO); St. Louis, MO.
• Stacy Regnier; Commerce Bank; Senior VP – Retail Strategic Programs & Business Transformation; Saint Charles, MO.
• Brittney Smith; Novus Initium Insurance; Founder; Ozark, MO.
• Martha Smith; Bayer; Head of Industry Affairs; St. Louis, MO.
• Gina Stone; Bayer; Human Resource Business Partner; St. Louis, MO.
• Kate Sweeten; Clarkson Construction Company; Senior Communications Associate-BUILD KCI; Kansas City, MO.
• Sherri Tichenor; Bayer; Head of NA Accounting and Global Seeds, CropScience Business; Chesterfield, MO.
• Jackie Turek; Veterans United Insurance; Training and Development Manager; Columbia, MO.
• Jamie Watring; Ameren Senior Manager; MO Strategy & Customer Affordability; St. Louis, MO.
• Kanikca (Nikki) Williams; US Bank-Sikeston; Client Relationship Consultant; Charleston, MO.
• Larissa Wollard; Veterans United Home Loans; Director of Human Resources; Columbia, MO.
Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge is an annual traveling symposium established in 1989. Each year, in a highly competitive selection process, a limited number of emerging and established women leaders are accepted into program membership. The participants meet for four, three-day enriching sessions combining continuing education in leadership development, information and major discussion of state policy issues, and exposure to the philosophies and thoughts of the state’s business, cultural, educational and political leaders.
Challenge participants are from throughout Missouri and/or surrounding states who may work primarily in Missouri– they are passionate about life and are committed to their careers, families, and communities. They are energetic and engaged, friendly, successful, willing to step out of their comfort zones at times, and approachable.