Stella Sheehan, deputy director of the Clayton-based World Trade Center St. Louis, has built a career rooted in international business. A native of Ireland, she studied and worked across Belgium, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom before moving to St. Louis with her husband. Once here, Sheehan says she was eager to find a role that combined her global background with service to the local community.
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Organization: World Trade Center St. Louis
Title: Deputy Director
Hometown: Kilkerrin, County Galway, Ireland
Education: Bachelor of Arts in French and Italian from the University of Galway, Ireland, and Master of Arts in Applied Languages for Business from the University of Ulster at Coleraine, in Northern Ireland.
Interests/Hobbies: Attending my children’s many activities, traveling to see family and friends, aspiring home décor enthusiast and reading parenting, popular psychology and productivity books.
What motivated you to get involved in this work/community/activity? My parents were very involved on a volunteer basis, with economic development at the local level as I was growing up, so it was in the blood as it were.
Through my studies, I had the opportunity to study and work in Belgium, France, Italy and the U.K. prior to coming to the U.S., (for love – not work or study – my husband is from St. Louis). Arriving in St. Louis, I knew I wanted to work in international business and was cognizant that serving the community in some form or other was very appealing, so I was very fortunate to find a position that encompassed both.
What values or principles guide how you show up in this role/community? Growing up in a family-owned business, (a small grocery store, founded by my great-grandfather), my parents were more than business owners in our community, they were life coaches as it were, before the term was even coined. People came to them for assistance and advice on a plethora of issues, so I think that translates for me into a desire to solve people’s problems, making sure we have made every effort as a team to assist, by way of a connection or referral, even if it is beyond our remit. The business also instilled a strong work ethic from an early stage – I served my first customer at age 8 and for all intents and purposes, ran the store the summer I turned 14. My parents weren’t afraid to try new things and reinvented themselves throughout their careers. I’m not sure I’m quite as brave but they are still my guiding lights even though they are on the other side of the pond.
What’s the most enjoyable aspect? I gain tremendous satisfaction from knowing my work contributes to improving the St. Louis region, providing opportunities for local companies to be better equipped to grow and prosper on an international stage and for visiting sister-city delegations to be more informed about the many opportunities the region offers.
Can you briefly share a few standout memories? Along with our Executive Director, Tim Nowak, I am responsible for producing the region’s largest international-business focused event in the region, Growing Global, which takes place every year in September. In 2024, our theme was “Global Talent, Local Impact: Fueling Regional Economic Growth.” The spotlight was on our St Louis Mosaic Project, an initiative under the umbrella of the World Trade Center, to attract foreign born to the region. Tim asked me to deliver the concluding remarks and while I was hesitant at first, (the producer generally belongs behind the curtain, not on stage) it turned out to be both a personal and professional highlight as the topic is so close to my heart.
There have been so any standout memories but one funny one was getting stuck in an elevator with the Consul General of Indonesia many years ago. He was not amused as we tried to reassure him that help was indeed on the way.
Can you share an insight about this role that most people don’t know? As a quasi-governmental, non-profit, international trade services provider, we are pulled in many directions, so I think people would be surprised to learn about the breath of activities we are involved in, which of course also keeps it interesting. The job also keeps me very grounded as one minute I could be attending a high-level luncheon with a visiting Ambassador and then return to the office that very afternoon to stuff nametags for an event the next day. You just jump in where needed.
What’s one key piece of advice you’ve embraced? “Perfection is the enemy of progress.” I am a self-confessed perfectionist so naturally, I think I am not quite there yet but do feel as though I am making progress. Being a busy working mother has forced me to quickly get a better grasp on what’s possible, what can wait and what needs to be done right now!
What’s the greatest challenge? Not always having the time and resources to do everything we would like to do. There is so much going on in the international trade community at present and figuring out which projects to tackle when and the best way to go about it so that everyone benefits is sometimes a challenge.
Where do you find inspiration? My husband and family’s unwavering belief in my abilities, friends scattered all over the globe, the example set by the best in the business, our dedicated World Trade Center team—Tim Nowak, Suzanne Sierra, Sean Mullins, Susan Spitz, Annie Mbale and Karen Gentles—and my inspirational colleagues at our parent organization, the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership. Also listening to our members and partners and their ambitious plans or company origin stories, my own community in the city of St. Louis and of course, my children.
What are your future plans or ambitions? I would like to find new ways to marry both of my worlds – in Ireland and St. Louis, Europe and the U.S., to continue to evolve in my role and to be a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and colleague.
