The St. Louis Business 500 highlights some of the metro area’s most impactful, innovative, and inspirational leaders, from C-suite executives to under-the-radar entrepreneurs across an array of industries.
Beyond the brief bios below, we created a questionnaire to shed light on some of these leaders’ achievements, aspirations, and interests beyond the office. Click “Read More” for more interesting insights from some of St. Louis’ top business leaders.
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LATONIA COLLINS SMITH
PRESIDENT, HARRIS-STOWE STATE UNIVERSITY
Since stepping into leadership in 2022, Collins Smith has guided Harris-Stowe through critical institutional milestones. The university had its sanction removed and maintained full accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. During her tenure, the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship launched a $4 million facility at Olive and Compton, where the program has supported hundreds of new Black-owned ventures and served thousands of scholars and community members.
EDWARD FESER
PRESIDENT, SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY
Whether skate-skiing, reading the work of thought-provoking writers like Wendell Berry, or cheering on his nephew— former Saturday Night Live cast member Michael Longfellow—Feser has a reputation for exuding curiosity and gratitude. These days, Feser is celebrating SLU’s new status as an R1 research institution. “I’m proud of the talented SLU researchers and dedicated supporters who advanced SLU’s research trajectory over the past 10 years,” says Feser, who succeeded former SLU president Fred Pestello. “Because of them, SLU is having a greater positive impact on people’s lives, here locally and around the world.” [Read More]
BARBARA KAVALIER
PRESIDENT, ST. CHARLES COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The school notched a major win last year with the opening of its state-of-the-art Regional Workforce Innovation Center in Wentzville. The future-focused facility will help students earn degrees and certifications in a range of programs, including industrial trades, manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, commercial driving, welding, and more. “The rate at which technology is changing could be seen as a challenge,” she says. “However, at SCC, this is one of our greatest opportunities.” [Read More]
TIM KEANE
CHANCELLOR, WEBSTER UNIVERSITY
Since becoming the chancellor of Webster University in 2024, Keane has already led the school to its first positive fiscal year in more than a decade. A St. Louis native and former dean of the Knauss School of Business at the University of San Diego, he brings to his role decades of leadership in academia and private enterprise, saying that his highest priority is “to learn more from all of those in the global Webster community.”
ANDREW MARTIN
CHANCELLOR, WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Under Martin’s leadership, WashU has evolved dramatically—perhaps most notably through its reimagined School of Continuing & Professional Studies (formerly University College), which creates direct paths to more lucrative careers and helps regional employers retain talent. “I’m especially proud of our Prison Education Project,” Martin says. “It reminds us that excellence can be found anywhere, and education is for everyone.” Martin believes that higher education is about unlocking potential and leading with curiosity, collaboration, and purpose. [Read More]
JAMES T. MINOR
CHANCELLOR, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY EDWARDSVILLE
One of the toughest business challenges Minor ever encountered came during his first 45 days on the job in 2022: “I discovered an $18 million structural deficit,” he says. “The deficit was not created because we purchased too much copy paper. It was created because we had an organizational structure—and associated expenses—that was designed for yesterday, rather than today.” Minor says the school closed the deficit without tapping into reserves or having to “compromise the things that make us great.” [Read More]
JEFF PITTMAN
CHANCELLOR, ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
STLCC Transformed is a $450 million project that seeks to modernize the college’s facilities and programming, improve the campus experience, and prepare students to enter Missouri’s workforce. Last year, the college took another step toward the finish line, opening its $84 million Health Sciences and Technology Center in Wildwood. “[STLCC Transformed] will allow the college to expand high-need workforce programs in health care, IT, advanced manufacturing, financial services, and transportation,” Pittman says, noting that it’s a $500 million project to “align students with pathways to careers in area businesses.” [Read More]
DON POHL
PRESIDENT, RANKEN TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Pohl has advanced Ranken Technical College’s mission to expand access to hands-on education across Missouri. The college has added campuses in Troy and Ashland that offer programs in manufacturing, industrial technology, information technology, and other high-demand trades. Consistently boasting recent graduate job-placement rates above 97 percent, Ranken continues to align its training with workforce needs.
JOHN PORTER
CEO AND PRESIDENT, LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY
After 33 years at IBM, Porter brought his business acumen to higher education, guiding Lindenwood through a period of major growth and innovation: Through the Lindenwood Education System, the university has grown from 7,000 students to more than 17,000. “We have the opportunity to not only serve our traditional students at Lindenwood University, but we are excited about serving the 40 million adults who have some college credit but no degree,” Porter says. “This is a huge focus for us, as LES expands our program offerings with intentionality and in response to industry demands.” [Read More]
KEITH ROSS
PRESIDENT, MISSOURI BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
Ross is steadily guiding the school through a period of record growth. The fall 2025 semester brought the largest freshman class in school history—a nearly 10 percent increase over its previous high. During his tenure, MBU has also seen seven consecutive years of record online enrollment and growing demand for its graduate nursing and social work programs.
DANIEL SHIPP
PRESIDENT, MARYVILLE UNIVERSITY
Shipp officially stepped into the role last summer, succeeding Mark Lombardi’s 18-year tenure. Previously the president of Pittsburg State University in Kansas, Shipp also has experience as vice chancellor for strategic initiatives at University of Nebraska Medical Center.
KRISTIN SOBOLIK
CHANCELLOR, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–ST. LOUIS
Sobolik is strengthening UMSL’s standing as a national leader in access to higher education. In the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings of the country’s top schools, UMSL ranked No. 1 in Missouri and No. 87 nationally among Top Performers on Social Mobility—its fourth consecutive year leading the state. Nearly half of UMSL students receive Pell Grants, underscoring the institution’s role in continuing to drive educational and economic advancement throughout the region. Sobolik announced in early 2026 that she will step down from her position and transition to a role as chancellor emerita on July 1. [Read More]
SCOTT CHADWICK
PROVOST, MARYVILLE UNIVERSITY
In his early teens, Chadwick and his older brothers started an aluminum can recycling enterprise that proved to be his on-ramp to the business world. The entrepreneurial bug never left him. If he weren’t in academia, Chadwick says he’d devote his time to consulting for startups and small businesses, saying, “I love helping people move from ideation to reality, and helping people understand how to make their businesses successful.” [Read More]
CARLOS AQUINO
INTERIM DEAN, WEBSTER UNIVERSITY’S GEORGE HERBERT WALKER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
Aquino brings a global perspective to his role as interim dean of Webster University’s George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology. A senior academic leader with a doctorate, two postdoctoral fellowships, and more than 15 years of international experience, Aquino has led institutions through periods of growth, accreditation, and change. Since stepping into the role in 2025, he has focused on market-responsive programs, industry partnerships, fiscal stewardship, and advancing inclusive leadership that strengthens student success and institutional impact.
JENNIFER MACK
DEAN, LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY’S PLASTER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Mack, who joined the school in 2010, brings an accountant’s precision and an educator’s accessibility to her leadership role at Lindenwood. A graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma and a former CPA, she spent time as an accountant in the communications and oil and gas industries before launching her career in academia.
MICHAEL MAZZEO
DEAN, WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY’S OLIN BUSINESS SCHOOL
For Mazzeo, leadership is as much about reflection as strategy—he admits that he once hired someone who had major upsides but came with some warnings, too: “It was a gamble on a person who ultimately didn’t deliver, and it was a devastating experience to see it fall apart. But that misstep illuminated the value of putting trusted voices around me.” That perspective now shapes how Mazzeo leads at WashU, where he’s guiding the All Together Now strategic plan and championing innovation through programs such as the new Flex MBA—he says it has already exceeded expectations. [Read More]
JACKSON NICKERSON
DEAN, SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY’S CHAIFETZ SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
A NASA-engineer-turned-academic leader, Nickerson brings both precision and purpose to SLU’s Chaifetz School of Business. The business school launched several new initiatives over the past year, including a new approach to cooperative education, an embrace of AI in the classroom, and Chaifetz Way—an accelerated path for developing humanistic leadership. He notes, “Strategically repositioning the school is a difficult challenge that the community embraced and enacted.” [Read More]
SHU SCHILLER
DEAN, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI– ST. LOUIS’ COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Schiller believes that educators are among the world’s unsung heroes—and that they deserve more widespread recognition. If she could change anything about higher ed, Schiller would rein in the rising cost of pursuing a degree, saying that it’s essential to make college education more affordable. “A college education should provide a common good for our society. There are 7.4 million students enrolled at public four-year universities today. More students can benefit from a college education and contribute to our workforce.” [Read More]
