Board President

Sara Foster is the Executive Vice President for Talent & Corporate Administration for Commerce Bancshares Inc. A graduate of Normandy High School, Mrs. Foster earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and an executive master’s degree in business administration from Washington University. In addition to her service on the JEGB, Mrs. Foster is also the board chairperson for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, a member of the University of Missouri-St. Louis Chancellor’s Council, and member of the YMCA Childcare Committee. Mrs. Foster joined the JEGB in July 2017.

Board Vice President

A resident of the Normandy Schools Collaborative community, Anthony Neal is the president/CEO and senior partner of St. Louis-based Educational Equity Consultants (EEC). He has been an active member of multiple organizations and community boards in the St. Louis area including the St. Louis Royal Vagabonds, 100 Black Men of St. Louis, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Neal also works as an adjunct professor at Webster University and earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. He also holds a master’s degree in minority mental health from Washington University in St. Louis, and co-authored the book, Becoming a Social Justice Leader: Using Head, Heart and Hands to Dismantle Oppression. Neal is a 2000 graduate of the FOCUS St. Louis Leadership program, a 2003 graduate of the Harvard University Urban Principals’ Institute, a 2006 graduate of the Vanderbilt University/Peabody College Summer Fellows program, and a 2007 graduate of the National School Leaders Network Facilitator’s training at Wellesley College. Mr. Neal was appointed to the JEGB in July 2019.

Secretary/Treasurer

Retired U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Karen Pierre is the newest member of Normandy Schools Collaborative Joint Executive Governing Board. After retiring from the U.S. Army, Pierre went on to the University of Missouri-St. Louis for 20 years where she served as the manager of community relations and coordinator of the university’s Chancellor’s Council, which consists of 48 local and national business leaders committed to advancing the mission of the university. While in the U.S. Army, Pierre’s assignments included tours in Italy, Germany and South Korea. She has since served as a board member of the United Services Organizations (USO) of Missouri and Beyond Housing’s Community Land Trust. She is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Normandy/24:1. Pierre earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Columbia College while serving in the army and raising a family. Pierre joined the board in 2019, and her term will run through June 30, 2020.

Director

Ms. Williams spent more than 30 years as a teacher, reading and math specialist, and program administrator with St. Louis Public Schools. She also served as Executive Director of School Programs and board member for the Normandy School District. Her experience also includes serving as Training Academy Director for the Efficacy Institute of Waltham, Mass., where Ms. Williams was responsible for assisting schools, school districts and community agencies in implementing efficacy initiatives in eight states and the District of Columbia. Ms. Williams was elected to the Normandy School District Board of Education in 2009. In 2014, she was appointed to the Joint Executive Governing Board for the Normandy Schools Collaborative and currently serves as its Secretary/Treasurer. She is also Assistant Secretary for the Kiwanis Club of Normandy/24:1, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Friends of Normandy School District Scholarship Foundation. Ms. Williams is also member of the Midwest Bank Centre Community Council.

Director

Ronald L. Roberts of Pasadena Hills is a managing principal with Ridge Graves, LLC, a real estate development and investment enterprise in St. Louis. During his 20-year career in real estate development and finance, Roberts has been involved in the underwriting, financing, planning, developing and constructing of thousands of homes across the United States and in Kenya, Africa. 

Prior to creating Ridge Graves, LLC, Roberts was a development manager with a tax credit equity syndication firm and a senior project developer with a national real estate development firm. In 1995, he received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He joined the JEGB in July 2020.