As we continue our blog series, “Meet the YPN Leadership 100,” we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy Stewart, Senior Business Analyst for Centene Corporation. Jeremy received his Masters in Project Management and Masters in Information Management from Washington University.  In addition to working with the RBC’s YPN, he is also a member of FOCUS St. Louis.

• What do you enjoy about belonging to organizations like YPN?
  • The YPN gives me a chance to interact with people from different fields as well as people I don’t see on a regular basis.

• Describe a favorite project that you’re currently working on.
  • Web development/digital agency site for myself.

• Why should someone base their business in St. Louis?
  • I think STL is in the beginning stages of a wave of entrepreneurs starting their business here. Anyone willing to do so will be able to take advantage of the incentives that come along with that (especially science and technology based companies), as well as a lower cost of operation not found in bigger cities.

• What are your first three stops when an out-of-town friend visits?
  • Forest Park
  • The Arch
  • CWE

• What’s one St. Louis tradition that everyone must experience?
  • Cardinals baseball

• Anything else you want to share with YPN?
  • During my time with the YPN I have met some very wonderful people. I look forward to making more connections through the YPN.

Some of the St. Louis region’s most creative minds are part of the RBC’s Young Professionals Network Leadership 100. But who are they and how are they helping to shape a stronger St. Louis?

That’s what we’re addressing in our blog series, “Meet the YPN Leadership 100,” where we introduce you to members of our YPN community who are providing exceptional leadership, service, culture and innovation to our area.

Today’s featured YPN Leadership 100 member is Stacia Graham, Reliability and Mobility Engineer for the Boeing Company. Graham obtained a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee State University (Nashville, TN). Graham is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and the Tennessee State University – St. Louis Alumni Chapter. Among other things, Graham currently supports the YPN’s Imagination Library project.

• How would you introduce yourself to a new YPN member?

• I grew up in Marietta, GA and have lived in St. Louis for the past 7 years. I came to St. Louis to work as an engineer for The Boeing Company. Outside of work, I enjoy working with kids, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

• What do you enjoy about belonging to organizations like YPN?
  • Organizations such as the YPN give me the opportunity to interact with other young professionals that I might not come into contact with otherwise. It’s always exciting to meet people from various backgrounds and different places who share common interests.

• Describe a favorite project that you’re currently working on.
  • I am a Systems Engineer for The Boeing Company. In my current role, I provide reliability and maintainability engineering support primarily for the F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft platforms. My favorite part of this role is that it allows me to work on a variety of new technology projects that benefit the men and women in uniform who use Boeing products.

• Why should someone base their business in St. Louis?
  • I think that St. Louis has many talented people who are eager to see St. Louis emerge to the forefront as a booming city. This also means that there are a lot of opportunities to come to St. Louis and be a frontrunner in terms of what you have to offer. There are a lot of businesses that have not been introduced to the St. Louis market that would be largely supported by the community and in turn be profitable to the owner.

• What are your first three stops when an out-of-town friend visits?
  • When I have out of town visitors, I always make sure to take them to see The Arch. Seeing it in books or online is nothing in comparison to being able to see its true size up close. Next, I take them to Forest Park. I think I see something new every time I go there. Lastly, I have to take them to sample some of St. Louis’ most popular restaurants. Pappy’s and Sweetie Pies are two of my favorites.

• What’s one St. Louis tradition that everyone must experience?
  • I’m not sure it’s considered a tradition, but I think everyone should get the chance to experience a Cardinals game. St. Louis is admittedly a BIG baseball town, so even non-baseball (I know, I know…) fans will have a great time seeing everyone in their Cardinal red cheering the team on.

• Anything else you want to share with YPN?
  • Whether you are new to the area or a St. Louis native, there are a lot of opportunities here to do whatever you’re interested in. The bigger piece to that is if the opportunity doesn’t exist, there are people in the area who will help you create it. I have had the chance to participate in and see so many new things just by networking and letting people know some of my goals.  

The RBC donated a sunflower sculpture to the St. Charles County Arts Council. The Council supports arts education and public art in St. Charles County.

Small Change, Big Impact Grant Program                                                                                                                     

The RBC’s overall mission is to make St. Louis a better place to live and work.  The It’s Our Region Fund is a strategy to do just that by contributing to capital improvement projects that enhance the quality of daily life, leave a lasting legacy by spreading tangible acts of good will throughout the region, and demonstrate the value of corporate collective action. 

The goal of the Small Change-Big Impact grants is to support one-time capital improvement projects that may seem small but have a big impact because they are in places used and appreciated by so many people every day.  Grants are given to non-profits and community agencies for projects under $10,000, as these are often the most difficult for smaller agencies to fund.             

Last year, we received applications from 160 worthy organizations.  We selected twenty awardees that represented a wide range of diverse and meaningful projects throughout the region, each of which received a share of $111,000 in grants.  Most of these organizations had no other source of funds to implement critically needed capital improvements to serve their respective populations.

We are genuinely thrilled that so many organizations applied for funding in the first year.  The winning projects had an immediate impact on the lives of many people, and it’s been gratifying and inspiring to see these projects come to fruition.

Projects selected ranged from the Affton Christian Food Pantry, receiving $4,000 for new refrigerators as they were turning away donations of food due to lack of adequate storage, to the KIPP Charter Middle School, receiving $10,000 to provide mats for gym walls and other safety improvements, and Friends of Luca Park, receiving $8,000 for irrigation and landscaping in the downtown St. Louis park. Below is the complete list of 2012 It’s Our Region Fund recipients.

Because of the success of the funding, as well as growing corporate spirit to collectively work together for the betterment of our community, we are pleased to offer this funding opportunity again. The 2013 winners will be announced no later than November 1.