Years ago, Maxine Clark conjured a vision for the former St. Luke’s Hospital on Delmar Boulevard. Inside the hulking, vacant building, Clark wanted to create a place where people could live, work, socialize, and make the kinds of connections that could heal a long-fractured region. The Delmar DivINe became fully operational in 2022 and, since then, has exceeded all plans for collaboration and impact, Clark says. “The infamous [Delmar Divide] is disappearing slowly but surely,” she says. If she could change anything else about St. Louis, it would be to make the region more willing to work together. “Everyone can’t be at the table, but everyone at the table can seek out multiple perspectives that they can bring to the broader group,” she says.
PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
What has been your or your company’s most significant success over the last 12 months? The Delmar DivINe only in its two full year of operation is exceeding all plans for collaboration and impact. The infamous DIVIDE is disappearing slowly but surely.
What has you most excited about the future of your company or industry? We are more confident than ever that like minded agencies and organizations CAN work together for the greater good of STL.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why? Fewer nonprofits are needed for greater impact.
What’s the toughest business challenge you’ve had to overcome (excluding the pandemic) and why? People are the most important and complex part of any business challenge. As a company grows, who is needed for next phase? Hard decisions, but the sooner you make them, the better.
MENTORS & PEERS
To whom or where do you go for sound business advice? It depends on the problem, but I always seek out many perspectives—it helps me see the bigger picture.
Do you have a business mentor? If so, who and why? I have many mentors, even going back to one of my high school teachers. They each are a sounding board for a different part of my life and career journey.
What piece of advice has had the most significant impact on your career? Stay curious. Always ask questions to gain better understanding.
If you could have dinner with any two area business leaders, who would you choose and why? Katie Collier—she gets adapting to change and I always want to be able to do that. We have met but never had a heart to heart. And Andy Taylor—I have been at dinners with Andy but never had him all to myself to talk about his vision for St. Louis.
What is one thing you would change about the St. Louis metro area business environment and why? Make it more collaborative. Everyone can’t be at the table but everyone at the table can seek out multiple perspectives that they can bring to the broader group.
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BACKGROUND
Where were you born? Miami, FL
What was your childhood aspiration? To be an attorney
What was your first job, and what did you learn from it? My first job was working for the sales manager of a women’s apparel business in a union factory in Miami. I learned the value of each person’s role and the importance of driving revenue through the consumer.
What educational degrees do you hold, and where were they earned? Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, University of GA
HOBBIES & INTERESTS
If you were not in your current profession, what would you be doing and why? I think I would be a city planner. I see things from 35,000 feet, and that is what we need: a vision that becomes a plan with a step-by-step strategy. Not all things work perfectly, but a plan allows the road map.
What is your favorite St. Louis-area restaurant, and what do you typically order there? The Crossing. I always choose the tasting menu to have a variety of food.
What is one item you recently crossed off your bucket list? Meeting Kamala Harris
What is one book you think everyone should read (or podcast everyone should listen to) and why? How to Know A Person by David Brooks. Communicating with others is a lost art since COVID, and this book refreshes the memory in how to engage and truly know someone.
What’s your hobby/passion? I am incredibly curious, so I read a variety of materials daily.
What is your most prized possession? My incredible life experience and all the friends I have met along the way.
What would people be surprised to learn about you—a fun fact? I love basketball, and I study the interaction of coaches and their point guards.
What is your go-to karaoke song? “High Hopes” by Frank Sinatra
