Meet Our New Members
- NADINE ALAMEH, Executive Director, Taylor Geospatial Institute
- ANGELA CLARK, President, Goldfarb School of Nursing
- AKBERET BOYKIN FARR, Vice President, Diversity and Social Responsibly, Emerson
- DAWN KOTVA, Chief Operating, MTM, Inc.
- NALINI MAHADEVAN, JD, MBA, MLO Law, LLC
- CARA STARKE, Executive Director, Pulitzer Arts Foundation
- DR. DORIAN TRAUBE, Dean, Brown School of Social Work, Washington University
- KRISTEN WILD, President and CEO Operation Food Search
EMILY PULITZER curates exhibition to celebrate the Pulitzer Arts Foundation’s 25th Anniversary. “Dialogues & Conversations,” features works of art that were assembled with her late husband, Joseph Pulitzer Jr., as well as independently. Emmy says that the exhibit is fundamentally about “how artists speak to one another across time.” Alongside pieces from the 2011 National Medal of Arts recipient’s own collection as well as works previously shown at the Foundation, the milestone project brings together artists from the collections of the Saint Louis Art Museum, Harvard Art Museums, and The Museum of Modern Art, all institutions at which Pulitzer previously served as curator. To learn more, visit the Foundation’s website LINKED HERE.
KRISTEN SORTH, CEO of the Louis County Library, reserves seats for her fellow MWF members at the Library’s Speaker Series. Last year, the Library hosted over 160 authors and 37,000 readers at these events and is ranked #1 in the country!
In March, members enjoyed an Evening with Actress and Bestselling Author Valerie Bertinelli, Author of “Getting Naked: The Quiet Work of Becoming Perfectly Imperfect”
With her signature warmth and disarming humor, beloved actress Valerie Bertinelli stripped away the polished façade and shared what it’s really like to grow older, love harder, and start over.
Wonderful event! Thanks to Kristen!
TAMARA KEEFE, Founder and CEO of Clementine’s Ice Cream, has completed a $6 million funding round to drive national franchising and new company-owned stores. Next Phase Capital, a Nashville, Tennessee-based growth investment firm, was the lead investor in the round, according to a recent news release.
Judge Russell accepts Sandra Day O'Connor Award
When Missouri Supreme Court Judge MARY RHODES RUSSELL stepped onto the stage in Minnesota to accept the Sandra Day O’Connor Award, the National Judicial College’s highest honor, she carried with her more than a distinguished résumé. She carried decades of relationships, road miles, handwritten columns, and quiet moments spent listening in courthouse hallways. The award, named for one of America’s great champions of civic education, seemed almost destined for her. Judge Russell has twice served as Chief Justice of Missouri’s highest court, guiding the judiciary through years of change with a signature mix of curiosity, innovation, and warmth. But if you ask her what truly drives her, she won’t point to her opinions or administrative decisions. Instead, she talks about people, how they connect, how they disagree, how they find common ground.
“I cannot think of anyone else, not just in Missouri but anywhere, who more closely manifests the spirit of civic education than Judge Russell,” wrote Judge Kelly C. Broniec when nominating her. “It permeates almost everything she does.”
Symphony President Marie-Helene Bernard Named one of the Top Music Professionals in the Nation
MARIE-HELENE BERNARD was one of 30 professionals receiving the honor by Musical America Worldwide. In the past few years, she also raised over $150 million and spearheaded the remodeling of Powell Hall, home of the Saint Louis Symphony. After extensive renovation and additions, Powell Hall was reopened in September 2025. Marie-Helen says: “Along with other cultural institutions, we actively advance St. Louis as a global destination for music and culture, engaging audiences far beyond the concert hall through robust community partnerships. Unparalleled for its beauty and acoustics—and now equipped with amenities for the 21st century—Powell Hall at the Jack C. Taylor Music Center is one of the finest concert halls in the country and is redefining true access to music for all.” READ MORE
IWF Cornerstone Conference in Cape Town, South Africa
GAYLE JACKSON and BETTIE SCHWARTZ has a fabulous time at the Cornerstone Conference in Cape Town! The South Africa Chapter of the IWF wasted no time before strutting their stuff. In the Opening Session, they knocked the ball out of the park by presenting South Africa’s President, Cyril Remaphosa, in person as the keynote speaker. made a deep favorable impression on the 500 Conference Attendees from 30 countries with his articulate and nuanced remarks about the resources, opportunities and challenges facing the African Continent and the notable contributions of women leaders tackling those challenges.