Ally Kell – President

Ally works in wealth management helping individuals and families with their banking and investment needs. By aligning clients’ goals and values to their portfolios, Ally can help ensure families feel financially confident that their investments are having a positive impact in the world. Outside of her professional responsibilities, she serves as a community volunteer at various organizations and is a junior member of the St. Louis Women’s Club. Ally loves traveling, hiking, and taking her dog Callie on evening walks.

Pat Crowe - President Elect

Pat is retired from a more than 40-year career in advertising, marketing, public relations and communications for both corporate and non-profit organizations including the Saint Louis Art Museum. She is an alumnus of Leadership St. Louis and Leadership Belleville. When not volunteering, Pat enjoys traveling, gardening, reading, and fitness. Being a part of a collective giving organization fulfills her desire to give back to those organizations who are working to better the St. Louis region.

Liz Reeves - Board Secretary

As a fundraising professional, Liz has devoted her career to improving civic and cultural life in St. Louis. Liz joined the St. Louis Public Library Foundation in 2008 to run the community phase of a $20 million capital campaign for the restoration and renovation of the iconic Central Library in downtown St. Louis. As director of the St. Louis Public Library Foundation, Liz is responsible for the management of the foundation’s endowment, capital campaigns, and fundraising efforts to support children, teen, and adult programming throughout the library system. A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Liz came to St. Louis to attend Webster University. There she met her husband and the two eventually settled in Clayton where they raised their three grown daughters.

Becky Courtney – Board Treasurer

After retiring from a two-part career in the banking and travel industries, Becky spends her time traveling with friends and family, golfing, reading, and volunteering in various pursuits. Her favorite volunteer activity is cuddling the babies in the NICU at Mercy Hospital. This is her second term serving as SOS board treasurer. 

Vicki Sheehan - Nominating Committee, Chair

Vicki joined SOS in 2006 as one of its founding members. She is also a founding member of Philanos, a national collective of women’s giving organizations. Vicki has served SOS in many leadership roles, including president, treasurer, and as the lead of LOI and site visit teams.

Nina Needleman – Education Committee, Chair

Since joining SOS in 2011, Nina has served in many roles including chair of the Education and Impact committees and on LOI and site visit teams. Nina’s professional focus is on capacity building for nonprofits and educating individuals on financial literacy. She is an author and instructor of classes on personal financial literacy as well as philanthropy, and she writes a bi-monthly philanthropy column for the Jewish Light. Nina is a Foundation Board member for the Sheldon Concert Hall and Galleries, an Advisory Board Member and Development Committee member for Lift for Life Gym, and served on the board of the HEAL Center for the Arts as President, and on Circus Harmony board as Marketing Chair. Nina also has been a Judge for Focus St. Louis’s What’s Right with the Region contest for the past five years.

Dr. Rose Carnes-Bruce – Education Committee, Vice Chair

Dr. Rose Bruce is an award-winning educator who has devoted time and energy to serving urban children in educational settings, providing effective and positive outcomes for children. For many years, Rose has also worked with her public service sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Saint Louis Alumnae Chapter, by holding leadership positions and actively participating in programming and activities. Throughout the years, Rose has participated with and held leadership positions in other community-based organizations in order to positively impact those in need. She looks forward to broadening the ability to invest further in our community and meet the needs of individuals and families.

Barbara “Barb” A. DuBois - Grants Committee, Chair

After working for 36 years in public accounting, Barb retired as a certified public accountant and principal from Clifton Larson Allen LLP (CLA). While working at CLA she also served on the company’s foundation grants committee as a volunteer grant reviewer. Since joining as a member of Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund in 2020, she has served on the Grants and Finance Committees.  She also has had the privilege of volunteering at past SOS grantees including Earthdance Organic Farm, Eye Thrive, The Collective Thread and Springboard to Learning.  Barb is a recent volunteer at Seton Regional Catholic School, Sweet Celebrations, Cardinal Ritter Senior Services and St. Louis Area Foodbank. She is a married and has two adult children. She loves dogs, pickleball and fitness. 

Nancy Hamilton –  Impact Committee, Chair

Nancy is a retired attorney who specialized in corporate governance, securities law and mergers and acquisitions at two major public companies in St. Louis. She is a member of a number of professional associations and most recently served on the board of Grace Hill Settlement House before its merger with the Urban League. She loves gardening, reading, traveling, and – of course – her activities with SOS.

Emily Rapp – Membership Committee, Chair

With an MBA in strategic planning and project consulting, Emily has used her professional experience to serve as a Finance Committee liaison on SOS grant evaluation teams for the past five years. She has served as a volunteer for schools and nonprofits around St Louis, including serving on the boards of Junior League of St. Louis, Nurses for Newborns, General Protestant Children's Home, and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Kansas and Missouri chapter (now known as Breakthrough T1D). Six years ago, Emily became a yoga instructor and she now operates an online yoga studio.

Barb Meyer - Marketing and Communications Committee, Chair

Barb worked professionally in health care communications and marketing for more than 40 years, retiring in 2019 from Mercy where she held the position of Vice President, Communications. She joined SOS in 2021 and has been active in the grant review/site visit process as well as many grantee volunteer activities. In retirement, Barb is enjoying new travel adventures, hospital volunteering, Pickleball, reading, and spoiling her granddaughter. She and her husband have two adult daughters.

Cindy Pilling – Technology Committee, Chair

Cindy is retired from Mastercard where she was a Principal Engineer leading teams building digital wallet solutions. For 13 years, she has participated as a classroom teacher in Mastercard’s Junior Achievement In a Day program. She also volunteers at the St. Louis Area Foodbank with co-workers from Mastercard. She is an avid cyclist and has traveled on two wheels in many parts of the U.S. and Europe. She and her husband enjoy traveling, golf, and tennis together.

Maribeth Concannon – Technology Committee, Vice Chair

Maribeth joined SOS in 2022. A lifelong St. Louisan, she has volunteered at Visitation Academy for over a decade serving alongside the Sisters in support of quality education for young Catholic women. After having worked in IT for more than twenty years, Maribeth launched a company of her own that helps individuals learn to use their technology with more confidence and ease.

Berta James - Board Member At-Large (Governance)

Berta retired as a business consultant to Make-A-Wish America, where she advised chapters throughout the United States. She has been an active member of SOS since 2014, serving as chair and vice chair of the Grants Committee. She also served on the Impact Committee, and she currently serves on the SOS Advisory Committee. Berta has a breadth of knowledge and experience in the nonprofit sector including nonprofit board governance and strategic planning. She currently serves on the board of Home Sweet Home and volunteers for the Ronald McDonald family room at Mercy Hospital.

Megan Nangle Riley - Board Member At-Large

Megan has served as a senior retirement plan advisor for Moneta for the last 28 years. In addition to her valuable experience and knowledge in employee retirement benefits, investments, and fiduciary responsibility, Megan is well-versed in working with nonprofits. She served as a board member with Ready Readers for six years and is currently a member of the Ready Readers Advisory Board.  She is also involved with a variety of other charities throughout St. Louis.  Since joining Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund in 2020, she has been an active member, attending nearly every event. In her downtime, Megan enjoys traveling and cheering for St. Louis City SC with her husband and three children.

Ellen Schapiro – Board Member At-Large (Book Club)

Ellen retired from early childhood education, serving first as a teacher and later as director of the Ethical Society Nursery School. Ellen’s community experience includes serving on the board of the St. Louis Jewish Community Center, where she also chairs the salon committee on the Nishmah Board, a program which inspires, engages, and supports Jewish women. She also chairs the early childhood education committee and serves as a member of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility committee. She serves on the program committee of the Scholarship Foundation Board.

Marianne Baer – Board Member At-Large (Volunteer Outreach)

Marianne joined SOS in 2011 to meet new people, learn more about St. Louis area non-profits, and be a part of SOS’s unique collecting giving organization. She has served on the Membership and Education committees and currently is helping connect our members with grantee volunteer opportunities. Marianne is a well-known teacher and artist in the St. Louis area in ceramics and up-cycled fiber work. Some of her many interests are cooking, yoga, travel, and time spent with family.

Shelby Schagrin - Advisory Council Chair/Founder & Initial SOS Co-Chair

Shelby is a managing director of investment banking for Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. She founded SOS and co-chaired it with Susan Block for its first three years, 2006-2009.  Her goal was to bring together a group of women and pool their collective resources of time, talent, and money to improve our community.

Susan Block, Founder & Initial SOS Co-Chair/Member At-Large

Susan Block owns The Designing Block, a home décor and designing business.  She volunteers with and sits on the boards of various nonprofit organizations. With Shelby Schagrin, she co-chaired the Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund for its first three years, 2006-2009.