Click on each individual’s name to learn more!
Paula Boggs is the founder of Boggs Media, LLC, a business that manages her music, speaking, and other creative business activities. She is a Tedx©Speaker, Writer, Lawyer, Army Veteran, and Musician. She is also a Board Member of numerous organizations.
Paula Boggs served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Starbucks Corporation from 2002 to 2012. In 2009, NASDAQ©️ named her its top general counsel. Her prior professional experience includes serving as Vice President Legal at Dell Computer Corporation, and as a partner at the law firm of Preston Gates & Ellis, LLP. She also had a 14-year career in public service, including as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and in various capacities as an attorney for the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense and the White House Office of Legal Counsel. She served eight years as a Regular Officer in the United States Army, earned Army Airborne wings and a Congressional appointment to the US Naval Academy – among America’s first women to do so.
Paula Boggs is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley School of Law and earned a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University. She was also an adjunct professor at the University of Washington School of Law.
Since leaving Starbucks, Paula Boggs gives speeches across the United States and beyond, writes essays and music, co-produces albums for, and tours extensively with, Paula Boggs Band. In 2013, President Obama appointed her to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, in 2018 she received the Seattle Mayor’s Arts Award and in 2021 Southwestern University (Georgetown, TX) conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws.
Paula Boggs owns several U.S. Copyrights and is a Voting Member and Board Governor of The Recording Academy, Pacific Northwest Chapter.
Her current civic and professional activities include:
Current Boards: Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ, 2015-Present); Seattle Symphony (2017-Present); American Bar Foundation; member, Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University National Advisory Board; YMCA of Greater Seattle, Life Board; Recording Academy, Governor to the Pacific Northwest Chapter Board.
Donor and Creator, The Boggs Fellowship, 1998-Present (given to HBCU graduates or underrepresented persons of color who pursue graduate studies in the physical, biological or engineering sciences at Johns Hopkins University)
Dr. Kia Lilly Caldwell is the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Diversity, Professor of African and African American Studies, and Dean’s Distinguished Professorial Scholar in Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. As vice provost, Kia fosters the development of equitable faculty policies and supports the professional development, thriving, and success of all Danforth Campus faculty. Trained as a socio-cultural anthropologist, her research has focused on race, gender, black feminism, health policy, and HIV/AIDS in Brazil and the U.S.
Dr. Caldwell is the author of Negras in Brazil: Re-envisioning Black Women, Citizenship, and the Politics of Identity and Health Equity in Brazil: Intersections of Gender, Race, and Policy. Dr. Caldwell’s articles and essays have been published in numerous U.S. and Brazilian publications. Her interviews and publications on the coronavirus pandemic have been featured on the Real News Network, as well as in the Conversation, the Black Perspectives blog, and published in Brazil. She is currently co-editing an anthology titled, Black Feminisms beyond Borders: Cultivating Knowledge, Solidarity, and Liberation. She has received grants and fellowships from the National Science Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation and the American Psychological Association.
Website: https://kiacaldwell.com
Twitter: @kialcaldwell
Merriah Croston is a doctoral student in the Public Health Sciences program. Merriah was born and raised in Ohio and is a graduate of Georgetown University and Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. She has theoretical and applied research interests in health information and health behavior diffusion with an emphasis on social media contexts. Her current research uses social network analysis to explore the ways in which COVID-19 misinformation spreads on Twitter and how this differs from other information types. In addition to her scholarly interests, Croston is devoted to promoting gender and racial diversity in science.
College of Arts & Sciences, Washington University
Dr. Michelle DeLair is the Director of Curricular Innovation in the College of Arts & Sciences at Washington University. With expertise in faculty development, career development, and pedagogy, she directs the implementation of the new Literacies for Life and Career strategic initiative. She previously worked on campus WashU as Assistant Director of Academic Services in the Teaching Center, supporting faculty and graduate students in developing engaging and inclusive teaching practices. Most recently, Dr. DeLair served as Assistant Director of Graduate Career Development in the Career Center, working closely with students, departments, and faculty to guide graduate students in connecting their academic training to post-graduate careers. Dr. DeLair also teaches courses for the American Culture Studies program, including the Ampersand: Exploring America series and a range of courses on the history of American consumer culture and the built environment. Dr. DeLair earned her PhD. in History and American Culture Studies from Washington University and is a proud alumna of the Olin Fellowship Program and the first Olin Fellow to be awarded the Robert R. Anschuetz Memorial Olin Fellowship in American Cultural Studies.
Dr. Amy Eyler conducts research to advance the study of policies related to physical activity and obesity, as well as broader policy issues in public health. In addition to serving as deputy director of the Prevention Research Center in St. Louis, she is the lead evaluator for a multi-disciplinary project to increase enrollment in evidence-based disease prevention programs for low-income populations in St. Louis.
Dr. Eyler’s work has been featured in the American Journal of Public Health, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, and the Journal of Public Health Practice and Management. She is the lead editor of the 2016 book, “Prevention, Policy, and Public Health.” Her leadership extends from academia to the community. Dr. Eyler is a past-president of the Association for Women Faculty, a Provost-sponsored Faculty Fellow for Gender Equity, and Chair of the Faculty Senate Council. She is also a Board Member for Girls on the Run St. Louis.
Ali Hogan is the visionary behind Rung for Women, a new organization that will empower women to achieve sustained independence through co-located and coordinated educational, professional, and financial resources. Rung’s goal is to empower women to go beyond surviving to thriving, creating a more robust middle-class for women and their families.
The granddaughter of the late Enterprise Holdings founder Jack Taylor, Ali applies the same spirit of entrepreneurship he exemplified, as well as the same civic commitment.
After running the successful nonprofit resale store, Rung Boutique, for seven years, Ali was inspired by the women she met from organizations like Lydia’s House and St. Louis
Internship Program to create space where women could get all of the resources they need in one place to achieve their vision for their career and for their life.
In 2017, Ali and her team closed the store to focus on the next chapter of their story. Now located in the Historic Fox Park neighborhood in St. Louis, Rung for Women welcomed its first cohort of members in March of 2021.
At the new iteration of Rung, members gain access to coaching, career services, financial education, childcare, mental health services, and health and wellness opportunities, along with a community of like-minded women who are determined to succeed. Rung has brought together several organizations in one location, in a collocated and coordinated model, including Family Care Health Center, Prosperity Connection, Provident Behavioral Health, Safe Connections, Urban Harvest STL, Dragonfly Fitness and The Collective STL.
Beyond her work for women, Ali is a long-time volunteer and Board Member for The Humane Society of St. Louis. She has assisted the organization in its development, animal rescue, public relations, and education efforts and is a member of the Friends Council. She also serves as a Board Member for the school attended by her two daughters, Kylie and Kenzie.
Brittany Hogan is an award winning public educator, national equity speaker, and a St. Louis City Board of Education Member. Currently, she is the Manager for the Center of Human Service Leadership at the Delmar Divine. In this role Brittany helps to create a vibrant, innovative, and collaborative community that enhances the value of co-location for tenants and the larger community at the Delmar Divine. Prior to her current role, Brittany was the Director of Educational Equity & Diversity for the Rockwood School District where she led the Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation program, social workers, and created the district’s equity plan. Brittanyearned her Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis, and a Bachelor of Art in Psychology from Hampton University.
As Chief Transformation Officer since 2020, Kristin Johnson leads Edward Jones’ change journey that puts its purpose in action and creates value for clients, colleagues and communities today and in the future. As member of the Edward Jones Enterprise Leadership Team, Johnson also provides critical thought leadership and drives initiatives that enable the firm to progress toward that vision.
Johnson joined Edward Jones in 1995 as a member of the Internal Audit department and two years later was named the department’s internal audit manager. In 2000, she relocated to the Operations division, where she held leadership roles in several account and trade processing departments.
Johnson was named a principal in 2006 and worked in the firm’s Retirement Services and Client Reporting areas over the next six years. In March 2012, she relocated to the firm’s Service division to lead the Service Optimization business unit until assuming responsibility for BOA Talent Acquisition and Performance in 2013. During her tenure with the BOA area, the role of BOAs evolved to provide even more pro-active contributions to the client experience and became a more integral member of the branch team. Johnson was named the interim co-leader of Human Resources in April 2019 and later served as firm’s chief human resources officer until September 2022.
A native of Belleville, Ill., Johnson graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in accountancy. She earned a master’s in information management from Webster University and completed Washington University’s executive MBA program.
Johnson is active in several organizations and serves on the boards of the Center of Creative Arts (COCA), Webster University and the St. Louis Fashion Fund.
Kendra Key, originally from St. Louis, is an MFA candidate in the Department of Dance. She received her BS in dance from Missouri State University in 2019, as well as a minor in Diversity Studies. Key has used her journey in movement education to explore the need and accessibility of arts programs in disadvantaged communities. This process led her to develop creative movement curricula for children grades K–12. These teachings are now used throughout the Springfield community in spaces like the Boys and Girls Club and Springfield Public Schools. Key used both her programs (Dance and Diversity) to research how they can be used to apply an intersectional perspective to art making—using dance as a vehicle for social change. She has gleaned several nationally recognized accolades for her versatile work in choreography and movement film making. Key hopes to continue to meld together different dance aesthetics to create work that is both meaningful and innovative.
Stephanie Kirk is Director of the Center for the Humanities and Professor of Hispanic Studies. A specialist in gender and religion in colonial Latin America she is the author of two books, two edited volumes and numerous articles and essays. She was a Gender Equity Fellow in the Office of the Provost from 2018-22 and is currently the co-chair of the Modern Language Association’s National Committee on the Status of Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the Profession.
Bio to come!
Professor, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University
Dr. Smith is the vice provost for educational initiatives and professor of earth and planetary sciences. Her administrative duties include enhancing equity in undergraduates’ academic opportunities, experiences and outcomes; deepening student research experiences; assessing educational programs; and fostering innovation in educational programs and practices. As a faculty member, Dr. Smith’s research focuses on understanding the role the environment has played in human societies in the archaeological past, particularly where water resource availability was a critical issue.