2022 Women’s History Month Discussion

Becky Rasmussen

2022 Women’s History Month Discussion

Date/Time
Date(s) - March 09, 2022
8:00 am - 10:00 am

Registration for this event is now closed! If registered, you should have received your unique log-in link from the FOCUS Virtual Campus (noreply@notify.focus-leaders.org). Be sure to check your junk/spam/promotions folder! If you do not see it, please contact Kayla Dix at kaylad@focus-stl.org or (314) 657-4020.

In honor of Women’s History Month and our 40th anniversary of Women In Leadership, join us for an engaging panel discussion with prominent and influential St. Louis leaders. We’ll explore how they got to where they are in their careers, their tips for navigating power structures and achieving change, and how they lead in community and civic spaces. Learn strategies to improve your leadership effectiveness in any situation and how you can help pave the way for future women leaders. This thought-provoking conversation is sure to leave you feeling inspired and ready to tackle the next challenge in your leadership journey!

This event will also include time for networking.

Panelists
  • Yaphett El-Amin, President & CEO, Efficacy Consulting & Development
  • Opal Jones, President & CEO, DOORWAYS
  • Min Jung Kim, Barbara B. Taylor Director, Saint Louis Art Museum
  • Shelley Seifert, Chairman & CEO, First Bank
Cost

FREE for FOCUS members (log-in to receive your complimentary registration)
$20 for nonmembers (join or renew your membership to save)

What Past Attendees Had to Say

“It was a great way to start the day and connect with amazing women!”

“Keep doing what you’re doing. FOCUS events are some of the most diverse I attend, and I really appreciate this.”

“The format was fantastic — a blend of pearls of wisdom, audience Q & A, and networking. It was outstanding!”

Accessing This Event

The 2022 Women’s History Month Discussion will be held on the FOCUS Virtual Campus. Your unique log-in details will be sent a few days prior from noreply@notify.focus-leaders.org – be sure to check your junk/spam/promotions folder if you don’t see it. If you have any questions regarding your registration, please contact Kayla Dix at kaylad@focus-stl.org or (314) 657-4020.

About the Panelists

Yaphett El-AminYaphett El-Amin, President and CEO, established Efficacy Consulting and Development in 2007, a minority- and female-owned company with a focus on building working relationships with area stakeholders that enhance and increase the overall vitality of the community. Yaphett has more than 20 years of experience providing diversity and inclusion services in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. She has led collaborations with these stakeholders to create and provide training and business development services to assist in strengthening the professional business acumen and foster the sustainability and growth of minority and women enterprises and workers.

Yaphett brings decades of local community understanding and knowledge accumulated from her past tenure in the Missouri Legislature as well as her active guidance and leadership in providing training and increased business and workforce opportunities for minority businesses and workers. After working with the Missouri Housing and Development Commission Administration in 2011 to establish stronger diversity and inclusion initiatives, Yaphett expanded Efficacy’s focus to further stabilize communities through the expansion of affordable housing development, with the creation of an Emerging Business Initiative program designed to increase the number of minority developers and businesses within the State of Missouri.

Yaphett has worked with various civic and community organizations, advocating for issues impacting seniors, children, and the working poor. She is the past recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the St. Louis Teachers and School Related Personnel Union Local 420, A Heart for Children Award from Support-A-Child International the Martin Luther King Drum Major of Service Award, and  President Obama’s Volunteer Service Award. Her diversity recognitions reflect the NAACP Gamechanger Award, Diversity Champion Award, City of St. Louis, PACE Nation Diversity and Inclusion Award.  Yaphett earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.  She is a devoted mother to two children Hasan (20) and Ruqaiyah (16).


Opal JonesOpal M. Jones is President and Chief Executive Officer of DOORWAYS, an interfaith nonprofit organization in that provides housing and related supportive services to people living with HIV/AIDS. DOORWAYS assists over 3,200 individuals annually in 132 counties in Missouri and Illinois. As the lead executive, Opal oversees this $16 million organization that includes five housing programs and a licensed 24-hour residential care facility. In summer 2022, Opal will open the doors of the new DOORWAYS Client Service Center on North Jefferson.

Opal is the immediate past President of the National AIDS Housing Coalition in Washington D.C., where she met with other national leaders, legislators and government officials about HIV/AIDS policies. She also sits on or has served on several advisory committees including the Missouri Housing Trust Fund and St. Louis Regional Health Commission. Opal holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in Management and Organizational Behavior from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Her tenure as president and CEO at DOORWAYS has been marked by numerous recognitions including the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ Distinguished Alumni award in 2013 – the University’s highest honor bestowed on alumni, and the St. Louis Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 award in 2014. She was named one of the 2018 Diverse Business Leaders by the St. Louis Business Journal and received the Spirit of Justice Award from the St. Louis Bar Association in 2019. Opal was honored with a C-Suite Award by the St. Louis Business Journal in 2021.


Min Jung KimMin Jung Kim was appointed as Barbara T. Taylor Director of the Saint Louis Art Museum in June 2021. She is the museum’s 11th director and the first woman to lead the 142-year-old institution. She brings nearly 30 years of experience, including more than a decade at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, where she was director of content alliances, managing the collaboration among the Guggenheim; the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia; and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

As deputy director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, she was in charge of implementing the completion of the new Broad MSU, designed by Zaha Hadid, which opened in 2014.

As director and CEO of the New Britain Museum of American Art—one of the oldest museums of American Art in the country—Kim enhanced the museum profile through exhibitions and collection development designed to expand the definition of American Art and reflect greater diversity while strengthening community engagement and collaborative partnerships.

Kim graduated from Wheaton College and holds a master’s degree in art history from the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London.


Shelley SeifertShelley Seifert was named Chairman and CEO of First Bank in May of 2019. She joined First Bank, a $6.8B bank, in the fall of 2014 as the Chief Administrative Officer and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2015. With locations throughout the greater St. Louis region and California, First Bank focuses on serving family and other privately held businesses holistically, including the owners and their families through their wealth management group, their employees with a full array of consumer products and education and the businesses with superior lending and treasury capabilities.

Prior to joining First Bank, she held multiple senior leadership roles with PNC Financial Services and its predecessor company, National City. Notably, she led the integration of PNC/RBC USA effectively positioning PNC for growth in the Southeast. She also served as co-leader of the National City/PNC integration, one of the largest and most successful in banking history.

Shelley holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Consumer Economics from the University of Missouri and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Louisville. She serves on the boards for the St. Louis Community Foundation and St. Louis Zoo Association, on Greater St. Louis Inc.’s Chair’s Council and on the Executive Leadership Team for the American Heart Association, Go Red for Women. She sits on advisory boards for Venture for America and Webster University School of Business and is a member of Women Corporate Directors and St. Louis Forum.