HABITAT FOR HUMANITY - Key Persons
Abby leads a division of Enterprise Bank & Trust that is dedicated to providing flexible, creative, and tailored solutions for businesses requiring specialized lending and deposit solutions. Abby is privileged to work with a dynamic team of national experts in the fields of Life Insurance, Premium Finance, Sponsor Finance, Aircraft Finance, Professional Practice Finance, Tax Credit-lending and investing, and Specialized Deposits with Property Management, HOA, and Third Party Escrow verticals.
A Waukesha, Wisconsin native, Amy Berg grew up working in the construction industry for her father. She attended the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration. Berg worked for J. H. Findorff, a Madison, Wisconsin contracting firm before coming to St. Louis to manage the sales and marketing efforts for S. M. Wilson & Co., a St. Louis-based general contracting and construction management firm. In 2012, Berg was named President of the firm.
Job Titles:
- Marketing and Community Outreach Manager
Job Titles:
- Architect
- Senior Project Manager
Angie graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2002. She is a licensed architect in Missouri and Illinois. She is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) St. Louis and is Co-Chair of the ULI Women's Leadership Initiative. She also coordinates the annual Red Cross blood drive at Lawrence Group.
Job Titles:
- Director of Family Services
Job Titles:
- Office Manager
- Operations and ReStore Departments
Manages daily maintenance of Habitat Saint Louis office, scheduling/logistics of committee meetings, and responding to inquiries from the community at large.
Bob West is an attorney specializing in commercial real estate law with the firm of Capes Sokol in St. Louis, MO. He has been a member of the Missouri Bar since 1976. Mr. West attended the University of Illinois and the University of Missouri where he majored in accounting and received his bachelor's degree cum laude in 1972. He passed the Missouri Certified Public Accountant's Exam in 1973. He graduated cum laude from St. Louis University Law School in 1976.
Mr. West has been involved with Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis for over 20 years and has served as General Counsel, President-Elect, President, and Past President. Mr. West is also Past President of the Board of Directors of Horizons St. Louis in Kirkwood., a not-for-profit organization which operates a summer program for underprivileged youths in the Kirkwood area.
Job Titles:
- Construction Administrator
Oversees construction's In-Kind donation program, manages construction grant/ loan payment requests, acquires construction bids/contracts, permits and construction materials, preparation of budgets and other financial reports.
Chris Roetheli works in the areas of community and economic development for US Bancorp Community Development Corporation. As a Business Development Officer in the New Business Initiatives Group, Chris focuses his time on exploring innovative ways that USBCDC can leverage its platform of tax credit finance expertise to drive incremental community impact and economic value. Prior to his work in the New Business Initiatives Group, he served for 7 years in various Finance roles including Sr. Analyst, Assistant Controller and Director of Finance. Chris has served on the Finance Committee of Habitat For Humanity Saint Louis for the past two years. Chris received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance from Southeast Missouri State University and an MBA in finance from St. Louis University.
Job Titles:
- Cisco Strategic Partner Manager
- Strategic Partner Manager
Dan is a graduate of Niagara University where he completed his bachelor's degree in Sports Management with an emphasis in sales and revenue management, and received a scholarship to play for the schools D1 ice hockey program. After college, Dan played minor professional hockey before retiring in 2014.
Job Titles:
- Development Operations Manager
Job Titles:
- Director of Community Relations
David is the former President of the Equifax Foundation & CSR Leader and current Director of Community Relations for Edward Jones. He has worked at the intersection of the financial service sector and community and economic development for the past 16 + years establishing high-impact partnerships and cross-sector collaborations to achieve sustainable and measurable results.
He focuses on solutions that benefit at-risk consumers and communities on their journey to stronger financial health and inclusion. He is an adjunct professor at Washington University in St. Louis where he teaches the development of corporate social impact strategy, economic development and effective grant-making. Most importantly, he is the husband to Jing Stiffler, a far superior human-being and professional, and the very proud father of Lincoln and Langston.
Job Titles:
- Volunteer Services Manager
Directs all aspects of the volunteer program including recruitment, orientation, scheduling, retaining, and recognition for all Habitat Saint Louis volunteers (i.e. ReStore, construction, and non-construction). Serves as the site manager and administrator for the AmeriCorps, internship, and community service programs.
Job Titles:
- Building Group President
- Founder and President of Simms Building Group
Job Titles:
- Director of Resource Development
Job Titles:
- Chief Administrative Officer at Lewis Rice LLC
Jami Boyles is the Chief Administrative Officer at Lewis Rice LLC, a leading regional law firm. Jami works closely with Lewis Rice's Management Committee, attorneys, and department supervisors, overseeing all aspects of the law firm's employment/human resources and operational functions. By background, Jami is an experienced labor and employment lawyer, having practiced with Lewis Rice as an attorney for almost 10 years. Prior to re-joining Lewis Rice as the Chief Administrative Officer, Jami worked as the Director, Employment Practices & Policy at Graybar, a Fortune 500 company, where she assisted business leaders and HR personnel in finding solutions to various employment issues.
Jami received her BS from Kansas State University in 1998 and graduated Order of the Coif with a J.D. from the University of Missouri - Columbia in 2001. Jami is licensed to practice law in both Missouri and Illinois.
Jami is active in the community and charitable activities in the area and uses her legal and employment background to assist local boards and organizations. Jami and her husband, Brad Elkin, are raising two small children, Alex and Harper, in Des Peres, MO.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Staff and Counsel for the City of St
Jared Boyd currently serves as the Chief of Staff and Counsel for the City of St. Louis Treasurer's Office. There, he directly oversees both the St. Louis Treasury Department and Parking Division which includes 150 employees and an $18 million annual budget. In his responsibilities for the Treasury Department, he manages over $400 million under management, payroll, and accounting functions for the City of St. Louis. He is responsible for the legal affairs of the Treasurer's Office as well, which includes real estate development, HR issues, and municipal law. He has previously worked with Bryan Cave as an Associate Attorney and with Coro Pittsburgh as a Fellow in Public Affairs. Jared has also served on the boards of local humanitarian organizations for the past 10 years, including such organization as St. Louis ArtWorks, the United Way of Greater St. Louis, and the Mound City Bar Association.
Jim Del Carmen provides his clients a focus on both the people and organizational aspects of change. He has been leading strategic planning efforts since 1997 across multiple industries including professional services, distribution, financial services, manufacturing, technology, and not-for-profit. To complement strategy development, he has a proven track record in assisting clients with implementation plans that achieve profitable and sustainable growth. He also leverages expertise in organizational design, succession planning, and leadership development for the realization of exceptional outcomes from planning endeavors. Prior to Collaborative Strategies, Inc, Jim was a member of two of the largest multinational management consulting firms, Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) and Ernst & Young (now EY), serving the Fortune 500 clients of each for over five years. He also was a lecturer for various management forums (such as Enterprise University and AAIM), presenting workshops on strategic thinking, execution for results, and leadership development for over 15 years.I
Most recently, Del Carmen served on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for St. Patrick Center, the largest provider of services to the homeless in Missouri before joining Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis' Board of Directors.
VP Human Resources with Huttig Building Products, Inc. Prior to this assignment, John served in several global, divisional and corporate Human Resources leadership roles for Millipore Sigma (formerly Sigma-Aldrich), the biosciences division of Merck KGaA. Previous professional experience includes mid-size employers, such as Kellwood Company, Hussmann International and Cooper Tire & Rubber Company.
John has a Masters of Organization Development from Bowling Green State University and a Masters in Education from the University of Missouri, St. Louis. He earned his Bachelors in Geography from the Warwick University in Coventry, England.
John and his wife Lynne are officially empty nesters with three grown children and have lived in the St. Louis area for over 20 years.
Job Titles:
- Construction Department
- Director of Construction
Job Titles:
- Credit Union Production Manager
Judy's banking career, consisting primarily of mortgage banking, spans twenty-seven years. Judy has held executive leadership roles on teams engaged in either mortgage or business banking, and economic development. She has held leadership roles with highly successful teams responsible for leading and supporting mortgage and business banking teams, including compliance, sales, and operations team functions. Her scope of personnel responsibility has included teams of up to 78 operations support staff spread over two states, and forty-five sales staff spread over three states. Judy has had a substantial history of improving the outcome of existing teams and the build out of new highly successful teams. Prior to her mortgage banking career, Judy served five years active duty in the USAF, in a civil engineering and construction management capacity. Judy enjoys gardening, running, skiing and travel in her free time. Judy and her partner Chris, live with their two dogs, in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Keith Brooks has nearly 30 years of service to the community in which he lives, spending the first half of his career in community and program development, and the second in sports-related community outreach and philanthropy. Having a passion for the health and education of youth and families is the driving force behind the efforts that have defined his life's work.
After graduating with a degree in Psychology, with a minor in Education, Keith set out to work at improving the lives if the children growing up in his hometown of St. Louis, developing and managing youth support programs in faith-based and school-based settings. After over a decade of work in community service, he made the transition to the majors, spending 17 years with the St. Louis Cardinals Foundation, Cardinals Care, before accepting his current role with Big League Impact, the foundation started by Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright.
Big League Impact is a culmination of a career in service, allowing Keith to work with MLB players across to league to meet their goals of giving both domestically and abroad.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of the Small Business Empowerment Center
Kevin Wilson is the Executive Director of the Small Business Empowerment Center. The Small Business Empowerment Center is a Missouri 501c3 Nonprofit Organization sponsored by the Greater St. Louis Empowerment Zone to serve as is a one-stop shop to help urban entrepreneurs start and grow their own business enterprises.
For 20 years, Kevin has also been an SBA technical assistance provider; specializing in issues dealing with the urban core. There he provides technical assistance to small businesses owners and helps prospective borrowers in developing viable loan packages, applying for Empowerment Zone tax credits, and business growth strategies. Before coming to the SBEC he worked for the St. Louis Development Corporation underwriting SBA 504 loans, microloans, and prescreening bonds deals. Kevin received his undergraduate and Masters's Degree from the University of Missouri. Kevin is a certified Economic Development Finance Professional from the National Development Council, certified SBA 504 Loan Packager from the NADCO. Currently, Kevin Wilson is an active member of the US Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, NFTE (Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship), and America's Small Business Development Centers.
Kimberley Batteast-Moore is a proud Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis homeowner since 2007. She is currently a student at Saint Louis University where she is studying social work. Kimberly has worked at SLU Hospital for seven years as a medical care coordinator and a registered medical assistant. She is currently working at BJC as a communications specialist for the COVID-10 hotline.
Kimberly is responsible for the overall operation of Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis. Kimberly's primary duties include board recruitment and development, strategic planning, fundraising, community relations, and advocacy.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Principal of Cobalt Construction Consulting
- Construction Consulting Co - Founder and Principal
Lauren is the co-founder and principal of Cobalt Construction Consulting with over 18 years of construction management and general contracting experience in the St. Louis market and surrounding area. Cobalt provides construction project management, development management and overall construction project consulting. Her project work includes Commercial Office, High-Rise Office, Retail, Industrial, Manufacturing, Laboratory, Medical Office, Historic Renovation, Senior living/Multi-family and Residential Construction. She excels at client relationships, tracking project cost and schedules to ensure projected project delivery. She serves a wide varied of clients ranging from fortune 50 companies, REIT's, Developers, Private Clients and family-owned businesses.
Job Titles:
- Principal of Lawrence Group
As a founding principal of Lawrence Group, Linda Loewenstein worked to grow the architecture and design firm from a 4-person firm to a team of over 180 with offices in St. Louis, Austin, Charlotte and New York. Her role in the firm was to lead their nationally recognized interiors group and she also served as the principal-in-charge of branding and marketing for Lawrence Group's national practice. After 31 years, Loewenstein retired and is currently serving as an executive advisor with Lawrence Group. In her next chapter, Loewenstein is working as a business consultant at Loew Group, working to help grow small businesses in our community.
Malaika Horne is founding director (retired) of the Executive Leadership Consortium - College of Business Administration at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Previously she served as a professor at Webster University - School of Communications and Journalism. Before that, she was managing director of Narcotics Service Council. She is also a journalist and academic writer.
She has a bachelor's degree in Sociology from UMSL, a master's degree in Urban Affairs from St. Louis University; a doctorate in public policy studies from St. Louis University and a post-doctorate in psychiatric epidemiology and bio-statistics from Washington University School of Medicine - Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Horne is Curator Emeritus of the University of Missouri System, serving as president in 1997. She has served in many other board capacities, including founding vice chair of ARCHS, co-chair of its Sustainable Neighborhoods, the Urban League Guild, and Friends of KWMU Board, the Scholarship Foundation and Coro Leadership Center of St. Louis. She currently serves on the board of Better Family Life, STL Village and Saint Louis Art Museum and a member of Ready Readers, a program that promotes reading to underserved children.
She is married and lives in the Central West End with her husband, Prince A. Wells, III, music professor at SIUE. Her hobbies are volunteerism, reading, art, music, fashion, interior design, health and fitness and international travel. She's also working to gain a proficiency in Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Financial Partners General Counsel and Director
- Twain Financial
Job Titles:
- Donations Acquisition Manager
Job Titles:
- Real Estate Development Manager
Nat Walsh founded St. Louis Title in 2005 as St. Louis' first boutique commercial title company. Since that time, Nat has opened several other title companies in both Missouri and southern Illinois that represent buyers/sellers, lenders, developers, and attorneys in both residential and commercial real estate transactions.
Nat previously co-founded McGowan & Walsh, LLC in 2004 as a historic renovation company focused on the revitalization of downtown St. Louis and Kansas City. Since that time, his company completed the acquisition, financing, renovation, sale, and leasing of more than 800 elegant residential loft units with congruent retail and office space. The ten building, $100 million portfolio totaled more than one million square feet in Missouri's largest population centers.
Nat's service to the community includes involvement with: Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis, where he has been the Co-Chair of the Development Council since 2007 and a member of the Board of Directors since 2009; Mental Health America - Eastern Missouri, where he has served on the Board since 1992 and is currently the Board Chair; Missouri Athletic Club where he serves as the Chair of The Charitable Society for Children; and Rohan Woods School, where he served on the Board from 2005 to 2012 and as the President of the Board of Trustees 2010-2012.
Nat is licensed to practice law in MO, IL, and FLA. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and St. Louis University School of Law. Nat is married to the former Stacy Prosser and they have two children, Connor and Madison. His favorite past time is watching his son play hockey and his daughter play field hockey.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Community Development for St
Paul Woodruff serves as the Vice President of Community Development for St. Louis Community Credit Union (SLCCU). In this capacity, he is responsible for managing strategic initiatives which fund, support, and advance interventions designed to decrease racial and economic inequity throughout the St. Louis region. Paul began his career in 2009 as a teller at SLCCU and has subsequently worked in a variety of roles advancing community development finance objectives for the institution. In 2013, he moved into his current role as the Vice President of Community Development and as the Executive Director of SLCCU's sister nonprofit, Prosperity Connection. Prior to joining SLCCU, Paul received his Master's in Public Administration from St. Louis University, where his research focused on credit union alternatives to payday loans.
As an active member of the community development sector, Paul shares his expertise through a variety of advisory and board positions. Since 2014 he has served on the board of Inclusiv, the leading national Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) advocacy association for credit unions, where he is currently the Vice-Chair. Additionally, he is a member of advisory councils for US Bank and Washington University's Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement. Outside of work, Paul loves to read, cook, entertain, and enjoy the cultural offerings of his beloved hometown, St. Louis, Missouri.
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Manager of Field Operations Customer Services at Spire
Priscilla Bennett is the Manager of Field Operations Customer Services at Spire-Missouri East, the natural gas utility with operations in Missouri (St. Louis and Kansas City metro areas) as well as Alabama, Mississippi and Wyoming. Priscilla hired into the former Laclede Gas Company in 2007 as a Project Engineer. Through a Continuous Improvement project, Priscilla led the creation of a unique technical support team needed for Field Operations personnel and was quickly named manager of the new department, which she managed for 10 years. From there, Priscilla's career has been focused on Field Operations as Regional Manager of Distribution, Regional Manager of Area Operations and Manager of Customer Services for all of Missouri-East. Prior to Spire, Priscilla was an Industrial Engineer for General Motors and Lean Manufacturing Engineer at Crane Merchandising.
Priscilla received her Bachelor and Master of Industrial Engineering (with a focus on Logistics) from New Mexico State University in 2002/2003, graduating with Honors while serving as President of Alpha Pi Mu (Industrial Engineering Honor Society). Priscilla has also maintained her Project Management Professional certification since 2011.
Priscilla has always been active in her community, serving on the Board and as President of her hometown Little League Baseball organization (while living in New Mexico) to Board Member of The Whole Enchilada Fiesta (an annual 3-day Guinness World Book of Records event) to her role as Regional Board Member for FIRST Robotics (serving the greater StL areas) for almost 15 years. Priscilla is also a lifetime member of SHPE (Society of Professional Engineers) and an active professional advisor/mentor for Engineer Girl.
Job Titles:
- Member of the MICDS Alumni Board
Job Titles:
- Advertising Professional
- New Honor Society Account Supervisor
Samantha Arvin is an advertising professional who has been in the industry for a decade and is currently an Account Supervisor at New Honor Society, a boutique agency of FCB, (Foote, Cone & Belding). She has spent her career in various agencies, including FleishmanHillard and We Are Alexander. She is a motivated creative thinker and leader who is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Homogeneity is boring: being different together is the only way to make progress - AND the only way to make meaningful, representative work. Samantha believes the ads she creates for the world, should look like the world.
Samantha is a proud Maplewood resident and life-long champion for the St. Louis region. She advocates for St. Louis businesses by pitching pro-bono work with her agency - resulting in projects completed for Tiny Superheroes, Epworth Children & Family Services, UCP Heartland, Rides N' School Supplies, and more. When she isn't creating advertising magic, she is an avid Harry Potter fan who spends time with her fiancé Cody and her 80-pound first love, rescue dog Belle.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of IFF 's Southern
Stephen Westbrooks currently serves as Executive Director of IFF's Southern Region. As Executive Director, Stephen is responsible for providing strategic leadership and management of operations, lending and consulting activities in Southern Illinois, Missouri and Kansas. Over the last four years at IFF, Stephen has led the IFF's lending practice, where he has worked on projects including early childhood centers, fresh food access and general human services sectors. Prior to joining IFF in January 2016 Stephen served as an Underwriter/Developer for Affordable Equity Partners where he underwrote Low Income Housing Tax Credit transactions and led the development of Affordable Equity Partners' New Markets Tax Credit Program.
Stephen is an active community volunteer serving as President Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis's Board, as well as a member of Tower Grove Park Foundation's Board, and a member of Tower Grove Park's Board's Building and Grounds Committee.
Stephen received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and a Masters of Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis. Stephen has also earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest advancement rank from Boy Scouts of America. His hobbies include leisure reading, weightlifting, and supporting the St. Louis Cardinals.
Job Titles:
- President of SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital
Steven M. Scott, MPH, FACHE is the President of SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital where he is responsible for improving the quality, safety, and growth of the clinical services at SSM Health's single flagship adult academic medical center. He brings along impressive multi-dimensional career in healthcare administration and academic leadership to his role. Since joining in 2019 he helped to solidify the strong relationship between SSM Health, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, and the SLUCare physician group. Furthermore, he led the completion and opening of the Grand New Saint Louis University Hospital; a 356 bed $550M full replacement hospital in September 2020.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a member of the Healthcare Executive Study Society (HESS), the National Association of Healthcare Services Executives (NAHSE). He also serves on the Board of Directors of Doorways and Habitat for Humanity, both in Saint Louis, Missouri. A member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Mr. Scott received his B.S. in psychology from Morehouse College and an MPH in Health Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. His hobbies include traveling, leisure reading, beaches, and hiking, to which he successfully ascended Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2016.
Job Titles:
- CEO at Missouri Partners
- Partnership CEO
Subash Alias is CEO at Missouri Partnership and has been with the organization since April 2011. He is actively engaged in marketing the state to companies that are considering relocating or investing new operations in Missouri. His expertise crosses all sectors including aerospace and defense, automotive, advanced manufacturing, and financial and professional services. Some of his recent wins are LMV Automotive Systems (Magna International), Janesville Acoustics/Jason Incorporated, Hartman US, Fargo Assembly of PA, Menards, Inc. and Square, Inc.
Before joining Missouri Partnership, Subash worked for the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA), an affiliate of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. At the PRA he was engaged in business attraction, expansion and retention efforts for the greater Pittsburgh region as well as leading the PRA's Pittsburgh Impact Initiative - an existing business outreach program.
Prior to working and living in Pittsburgh, Subash spent nine years in a similar role with the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association. In addition to attraction/expansion/retention activities, he was involved with the region's development and enhancement of the advanced manufacturing and transportation/distribution industry clusters.
In 1994 he earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa and received his MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in 2002. Subash was born in Kerala, India but was raised in Missouri. He and his wife, Kathy, have been married since 1998 and live in suburban St. Louis.
Job Titles:
- Central Division Chair for PBNA Women Inclusion Network
- PepsiCo 's Business Development Manager
As PepsiCo's Business Development Manager, Tiffany is responsible for generating new business acquisitions within Pepsi Beverages North America Central Division with direct ownership across all beverage lines of business to drive incremental volume, share and profit growth. She is a proud Lindenwood University Alumni with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
Tiffany serves as the Central Division Chair for PBNA Women Inclusion Network (WIN). She is a member of PBNA Diversity and Engagement platform who served as Chair for Pepsi St. Louis while sitting on PepsiCo's Diversity Advisory Board with an emphasis on impacting the community initiatives and mentor programs for high potential individuals. She also sits on the St. Louis Diversity & Inclusion Consortium supporting D&I resource initiatives.
Tiffany has been married to Robert of 15 years and he works for Spire Energy. They are avid travel enthusiasts who enjoy exploring countries and cultures and have two wonderful Akita dogs, Chloe (9) and Kobe (8).