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Our Community

While KIPPsters are our focus, the KIPP St. Louis community extends far beyond the classroom. Parents and directors are essential champions as students climb the mountain to college.

Parents

Parent involvement is key to every KIPPster's success.

Parents are an active and vital part of our community. KIPP St. Louis has specific practices and programming to support families and community members helping students to achieve success. Parent University meets during Saturday School to provide families with essential skills and practical instruction for supporting students now and throughout their education, such as:

  • Financial Literacy classes sponsored by area financial institutions;
  • Parent support groups where parents collaboratively discuss issues related to effectively raising teenagers; and
  • Parent-Student fun, interactive classes focused on healthy-living skills and experiences such as exercise, dance and cooking classes.

To view the school calendar, click here.

To view the Family and Student handbook, click here.

To view the fiscal year 2010-2011 Financial Audit click here.

Board of Directors

Our directors are an essential part of our team and family. They believe that KIPP St. Louis can and will transform the educational landscape in St. Louis. Directors come from a variety of professional backgrounds and each volunteers their expertise to help lead KIPP St. Louis to continued excellence both within the schools and throughout the community.

Maxine Clark, Chair

Maxine is the Founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop, a teddy bear themed entertainment retailer based in St.Louis, MO with 400+ stores world-wide. The first in her family to graduate from college, Maxine is a strong supporter of public education. In addition to her support as a founding donor of KIPP St. Louis she is on the national and local board of Teach For America, the national Board of donorschoose.org and an active member in many local organizations that support economic growth for the St. Louis community and its citizens.

Kerry Casey, Vice-Chair

Kerry Casey is the Vice President of Customer Advocacy at Exegy. Kerry is active in AAIM Management Association, Regional BusinessCouncil, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Junior Achievement.

John W. Kemper, Secretary

John is the Director of Strategic Planning, Acquisitions, and Card Products at Commerce Bancshares. John received his BA from Stanford University, his M.S. from the London School of Economics, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He is a director of Tower Properties Company and a member of the Leadership Council of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. John is a board member of the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association and a member of YPO in St. Louis. Prior to joining Commerce, John was an Engagement Manager in the New York and Chicago offices of McKinsey & Company, where he focused on corporate strategy and operations projects.

Flora P. Tersigni, Treasurer

Flora P. Tersigni is the owner of Royalty Imports a food and beverage business focused on Italian wine, olive oils, food products and artwork. Flora was born in Abruzzo, Italy. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1954. She and her husband, Anthony, moved to St. Louis in 2005.

Gabriel E. Gore

Gabriel Gore is a partner in Dowd Bennet LLP. He practices in the areas of complex civil litigation and white-collar defense. He has represented and counseled clients in a wide range of complex civil litigation matters involving breach of contract claims, antitrust claims, First Amendment claims, Securities and Exchange Commission defense, and products liability defense. Clients have included Fortune 500 companies and high-ranking members of the executive and legislative branches of federal government. Gabriel received his B.A. from Missouri State University in 1991 and J.D. from The University of Chicago in 1994.

Robert J. Wasserman

Rob is a Senior Vice President at U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation. Rob focuses his work on making investments into low-income communities. Prior to his involvement with KIPP St. Louis, Rob was a founding board member of a charter school in Los Angeles. Rob joined KIPP because of his desire to ensure that low-income children have the proper education opportunities to get jobs and to create sustainable communities. Rob moved from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 2009 with his wife, Renee, and their three children. He resides in University City and loves being in such a diverse and dynamic part of town.

Gregory W. Wendt, KIPP: St. Louis, Founding Chair

Greg Wendt is the Senior Vice President of Capital Research and Management Company, a division of Capital Group Companies. At the suggestion of the KIPP Foundation, Greg agreed to lead the effort to bring KIPP to St. Louis. He helped to establish SUTAK (St. Louisans United to Attract KIPP) and enlisted a broad range of community leaders to join in the effort. The SUTAK coalition worked to lease a building, attract a KIPP school leader, and line up start-up funding for KIPP Inspire Academy. Greg received his A.B. from The University of Chicago, where he currently serves on the Board of Trustees, and his M.B.A. from Harvard University. He and his wife, Lisa Roets Wendt, have two children.

Keith Williamson

Keith H. Williamson is a corporate attorney and business executive. He currently serves as General Counsel of Centene Corporation, a leading multi-line healthcare enterprise that works with state governments to make sure people are getting quality care through Medicaid and government-funded healthcare programs.

A native of St. Louis, Keith received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University, his J.D. and M.B.A. from Harvard University, and an L.L.M. degree from New York University. Keith lived in Washington D.C., New York City and Stamford, Conn. before returning to St. Louis in November 2006. He has one daughter, Nicole. Keith serves on the boards of the St. Louis Art Museum, the Urban League of St. Louis, the Mathew Dickeys Boys’ and Girls’ Club, the Clayton Chamber of Commerce and KIPP St. Louis.

The KIPP St. Louis Board of Directors will meet on the following dates:

Please note, times and locations may change to accommodate all attendees. If you plan to attend, please call 314-865-2624 to confirm the time and location. To view the agenda for an upcoming meeting or the minutes from a recent board meeting, please click on any date above. The agenda for an upcoming meeting will be posted at least 24 hours in advance.

Alumni

Our seventh graders will become alumni in May of 2013. They are in the process of preparing applications to the college preparatory high schools as they continue to climb the mountain to and through college. To find out more about KIPP alumni, click here.