Brickline Greenway MCV Meet Our Panelist Partners
Honoring Mill Creek Valley
Honoring Mill Creek Valley:
A Conversation About Art, History & Community Along the Brickline Greenway
MEET OUR PANELISTS/PROJECT PARTNERS:
TISHAURA O. JONES
Mayor, City of St. Louis
A history-maker on a mission, Mayor Jones served two terms in the Missouri House of Representatives, was the first African American woman to serve as both Mayor and her former position, Treasurer of St. Louis, where she launched the Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE) to help St. Louisans make better financial choices. Mayor Jones has a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Hampton University and a Master’s degree in Health Administration from the Saint Louis University School of Public Health. A graduate of the Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, she has served as Vice President of Public Finance for Blaylock Robert Van, LLC, an investment banking firm, as well as adjunct faculty at the Anheuser-Busch School of Business at Harris-Stowe State University.
DAMON DAVIS
Post-disciplinary Artist, Heartache and Paint
Damon Davis is a post-disciplinary artist based in St. Louis, Missouri. His work spans across a spectrum of creative mediums to tell stories exploring how identity is informed by power and mythology. He is well known for his body of work, Darker Gods, which explores Afro-surrealist manifestations of Black culture. Davis is a Firelight Media, Sundance Labs, TED, and Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow. He is founder and creative director of St. Louis-based music label/ artist collective FarFetched and his work is featured in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
VIVIAN GIBSON
Author of The Last Children of Mill Creek
Vivian Gibson was raised on Bernard Street in Mill Creek Valley. She started writing stories about her childhood memories after retiring at age sixty-six. Her debut memoir, The Last Children of Mill Creek was published in 2020.
SUSAN TRAUTMAN
CEO, Great Rivers Greenway
Susan K. Trautman, CPRP, is the Chief Executive Officer of the regional public agency Great Rivers Greenway. Since 2010, she has led the charge to bring to life a network of greenways across three counties with hundreds of partners. She was an instrumental partner in the passage of Proposition P and the ensuring CityArchRiver transformation and is now spearheading the next public-private partnership project – Brickline Greenway. Her background includes both public sector parks directorships in the St. Louis region and as a principal at a private sector planning firm.
KHALIA COLLIER
VP of Community Relations for St. Louis CITY SC and Owner of the St. Louis Surge
A St. Louis native, Khalia Collier has taken on the task of unifying communities through the power of sport. From her high school and then collegiate career as a Division I recruit, she has always loved sports and the business of the game. Collier built the first sustainable women’s basketball franchise in St. Louis over the last decade. The Surge won two national championships playing in the Global Women’s Basketball Association (GWBA). Collier sees civic leadership as all about being connected through personal community service, serving on several boards and giving back to the next generation and providing a platform for women’s leadership. It was a natural transition to accept the opportunity to make history once again leading community relations for the St. Louis City SC.
TERENCE FINLEY
Vice President & CFO, Harris-Stowe State University
Dr. Terence Finley serves Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) as the VP of Business and Financial Affairs, and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Prior to embarking on his career in academia, Dr. Finley spent 15+ years as a Finance, Sales, Marketing, and Development Executive for two Fortune 500 companies. Dr. Finley leads with a commitment to a shared vision of excellence wherein he inspires the belief that all students can and will excel.
DE NICHOLS – Moderator
Principal of Design & Social Practice, Civic Creatives
De Nichols is an arts-based organizer and design strategist who mobilizes change-makers to develop creative approaches to social, civic, and racial justice issues. Currently, De is a Senior User Experience Researcher of Product Inclusion at YouTube. She additionally serves as a Core Organizer of the global Design as Protest collective and is formerly the Principal of Design & Social Practice at Civic Creatives, a design strategy agency she co-founded in St. Louis, MO.
