Neidra C. Butler, Ed.D

Board Member
Neidra C. Butler, Ed.D., was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Since a young age, she has always had a passion for helping others. Neidra matriculated through the Saint Louis Public School system, where she was involved in several extracurricular activities and community service. In May 2009, she received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Harris-Stowe State University. She completed a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from Webster University in May 2012. She earned her Doctorate of Higher Education Leadership from Maryville University in May 2022. Neidra is currently employed with HarrisStowe State University and serves as the Director of Title III & Finance Compliance Officer. Some of her functions are to oversee the preparation of Title III operations and budgets in alignment with the university’s strategic plan and the president’s initiatives and provide project leadership and supervision to ensure project objectives are completed. Neidra believes she must assist students with matriculating, persisting, and graduating. She works alongside students and staff to help them obtain the necessary resources to succeed at all levels and always looks for opportunities for professional development for herself and those around her so that they continue diversifying their skill sets to advance the population they serve. She consistently builds relationships centered on trust and transparency and challenges those around her to think outside the box and foster an innovative environment.

Kathy McCadden MA

Board Member
Kathy McCadden is a seasoned nonprofit professional with over 11 years of experience working in a variety of different roles and industries. She graduated from University of Dayton in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and a minor in Marketing. She furthered her education and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2015 with a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management. Kathy is currently the Donor Relations Manager at LaunchCode, a workforce development nonprofit opening doors to tech careers, and enjoys helping other nonprofits succeed in their mission. When she’s not trying to empower our community and make our world a better place for all, Kathy enjoys spending time with her partner, Blake, and their dog Nala.

Stephon Jackson

Board Member
Stephon Jackson is a Product Owner/Systems & Data Analyst for Boeing Finance Systems Information Technology who has over 13 years of industry experience, including project leadership for Cost Management, Enterprise Planning and for Systems Environment and Infrastructure charged with managing the architecture for a number of critical Finance Systems IT applications in Business Supply Chain Systems. Stephon has also worked as a project manager for a number of Finance Systems IT initiatives. He holds degrees of Bachelors of Science in Information Science and Computer Technology, a Masters of Art in Information Technology Management, and a Masters of Business Administration from Webster University. His hobbies include traveling with his family and playing basketball. He also volunteers with a men’s mentoring organization and enjoys coaching tee ball and basketball in the community.

TyLisha Summers

Board Member
TyLisha Summers, a Kansas City native, resides in Houston, TX with her husband and daughter.  As a Chemical Engineer from the University of Missouri-Rolla, TyLisha has rooted her career in the oil and gas industry for 12+ years.  Her work experience includes process engineering, energy optimization, technical sales and supervision of third party operations. For the past 9 years that TyLisha has resided in Houston, she has served as director of a non-profit organization which mentors underrepresented teenage girls, a Junior Achievement volunteer tutoring students in the Greater Houston community and a chartering member of the Houston chapter of Black Girl Ventures, an organization that provides access to social and financial capital to black and brown women founders, as well as a host of other service activities.  TyLisha is also the co-founder of SpenDebt, a fintech company created by her and her husband, which helps consumers pay off debt or everyday bills every time they swipe their debit card or make a banking transaction.  SpenDebt is on track to help one million families avoid financial fatalities!

Jennifer Gibson

Board Member
Jennifer Gibson is Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives at St. Louis County Library. In this role, she oversees the development of the strategic plan while prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. She is also the sole grant writer for the Library and the Library Foundation. Jennifer is dedicated to supporting library employees and the community they serve, creating opportunities for everyone to achieve growth and enhance their lives. She is a 2022 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, a 2011 ALA Spectrum Scholar and ARL Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce (now Kaleidoscope) Scholar, and she holds an MLIS from San Jose State University, a JD from Pepperdine University, and a BA from the University of Southern California. As a first generation college graduate she understand the challenges facing high schoolers both in transitioning to college life as well as managing financial obligations.

Kiara Weber

Board Member
Kiara Webber, a St. Louis native has her hands in many things. Ms. Webber was selected as the President-Elect of Saint Louis University’s Black Alumni Association. She formerly served as the Vice President of the Urban League Young Professionals of Metropolitan St. Louis. She serves as a mentor with The Sophia Project. Ms. Webber has a Master’s of Sports Management from Missouri Baptist University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Saint Louis University. She has paid off her student loan debt and is an advocate for living a debt free life and hopes to encourage others to do the same. Ms. Webber loves to travel, bake, go on adventures, and read in her free time. She is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.