GenNext steering committee welcomes six new members, says goodbye to one
This December, the GenNext steering committee voted to add six new committee members to the team. The 18-member steering committee plans GenNext events, leads monthly service projects and promotes the mission of United Way and GenNext to the community.
Joining for 2009 are:
- Deborah Albrecht, Scottrade
- Paul Eisenstein, Center for Citizen Leadership
- Chris LeBeau, BJC Health Care
- Michael Lofton, Brown Shoe Company
- Kameron Murphy, Carmody MacDonald
- Matt Schneider, Emerson
These six new leaders are excited to take on a more active role with GenNext. Their past experience with United Way makes them excellent ambassadors for the organization.
Deborah Albrecht works at Scottrade as an application support engineer. She has been with the company for almost seven years. In addition to volunteering with GenNext, Deborah has also volunteered with the Salvation Army and the Red Cross, both United Way agenices. You can read more about Deborah in this month’s 10 Questions interview.
Paul Eisenstein is a graduate of Saint Louis University and has spent much of his life focused on improving the community. Paul was a member of AmeriCorps in San Francisco. In St. Louis Paul has been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters (a United Way agency), Metropolis and FOCUS St. Louis. Paul is the director of operations at the Center for Citizen Leadership.
Chris LeBeau has been volunteering with GenNext since 2006. He has done many projects with the group and says the Delta Gamma tree lot is one of his favorites. Chris currently works at BJC. In addition to being involved in GenNext, Chris is president of Metropolis. Read more about Chris in his 10 Questions interview.
Michael Lofton is a talent manager and total rewards specialist at Brown Shoe. He also has a long history of being involved in the community. In college at the University of Dayton, Michael served as chair of the United Way student campaign. Michael has also been involved with Habitat for Humanity and founded and chaired the NAACP-University of Dayton Chapter.
Kameron Murphy is a litigation associate at Carmody MacDonald. Kameron received his bachelor’s and J.D. at Mizzou. In college, Kameron served as a mentor for two years at a local elementary school. After college Kameron continued to be active with children, volunteering with Read Across America and Junior Achievement. Read more about Kameron in his 10 Questions interview from June .
Matt Schneider is well traveled man. He received his bachelor’s at the University of Idaho, his master’s at UC San Diego and his MBA at Carnegie Mellon. In every city Matt has lived, he has made community service a priority. As an RA, Matt worked with United Way on several student-oriented drives. He has worked with United Way partner Pittsburgh Cares, the San Diego Soup Kitchen, and Betel International, a rehab center in New York.
Saying goodbye in 2009 to Christy Oldani
After three and a half years on the GenNext steering committee, founding member Christy Oldani is stepping down from her role on the team to allow some “new blood” into the group.
It’s a bittersweet decision for the steering committee. Chances are, if you’ve been to a GenNext event you have met Christy. She has been (and will continue to be) the group’s best PR person. While she is not officially on the committee any longer, you’ll of course still see her volunteering at projects. Christy will also continue to be involved with United Way through Women’s Leadership Giving and the WINGs cabinet.
Christy has helped to grow GenNext from a handful of people to one of the most well-organized young professional groups in St. Louis. Since helping to form GenNext in May of 2005 the group has done over 3,000 volunteer hours at more than 50 non profit organizations. The group’s e-mail list has grown from 50 to 1,800. Over 20 top leaders in St. Louis, such as David Steward, Hugh Grant and Maxine Clark, have hosted GenNext executive luncheons. The group has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through United Way employee drives and GenNext events.
The list of accomplishments goes on and on. Most of this would not have been possible without Christy’s vision and leadership. In the beginning when the group was mostly unheard of and struggling to reach area young professionals, Christy never stopped pushing the mission or reaching out to get people involved.
GenNext gives a huge thank you to Christy for her time on the steering committee. Her dedication and heart have created something special in the community.