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 the names highlighted in blue for more interesting insights from some of St. Louis’ top business leaders.
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CEO, Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital
Throughout this fiscal year, Ranken Jordan has cared for more children than ever, with an increase of more than 20 percent for both admissions and outpatient services. Beyond this growth, Dryden cites the hospital’s innovative in-hospital “preschool” and its healing-through-play programs as his most cherished successes. With a goal to create a “world where every child with complex medical needs lives their best life” by expanding the accessibility of Ranken Jordan services, Dryden says the best advice he ever received was to “not chase titles or money and to instead focus on who I would be working for and the type of work I would be doing—and then outwork everyone… If you do those things, success tends to follow.”
President and CEO, Affinia Healthcare
Holmes is the first woman to lead Affinia and the first Black person to be selected as the organization’s president and CEO. Born in North St. Louis, she seeks to target the health disparities in North County, expand access to quality health care for underserved populations, and foster young talent in the health care industry. Under her leadership, Affinia has opened a state-of-the-art community health center in Ferguson. “The health center serves a vital role in the elimination of health disparities in North St. Louis County,” she says.
Dr. Joel B. Braunstein
Co-founder and CEO, C2N Diagnostics
C₂N Diagnostics re-cently partnered with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, receiving a grant of $1.5 million to better understand the hallmark signs and connections among several neurodegenerative conditions. The company has also received an investment of more than $7 million from the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation’s Diagnostics Accelerator initiative to develop a decentralized clinical mass spectrometry solution for high-performance Alzheimer’s disease testing worldwide. “This project aims to truly redefine what it means to offer high-performance Alzheimer’s disease testing on a global scale,” Braunstein told Business Wire.
President and CEO, Mercy
Mackin credits his tried-and-true, long-term network of colleagues across the country, as well as the Young Presidents’ Organization, as major keys to his success and innovation within health care. He specifically calls out the generations of Mercy mentors before him—as well as his dad and Malcolm Gladwell—as inspirations. Despite the labor and technology challenges plaguing the industry, Mackin notes that Mercy’s collaboration with Mayo Clinic and Microsoft has allowed the health system to offer innovative, safe, artificial intelligence capabilities to patients in order to deliver timely, cost-effective care. A self-proclaimed “girl dad,” Mackin says the role of father is the one he’s been most privileged to hold.
Larry McCulley
CEO, Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation, Touchette Regional Hospital
Recognized with such honors as the NAACP Game Changer Award, McCulley has dedicated more than 25 years to advancing dignity and equity in health care. He expanded SIHF to 40 locations across 14 counties, serving more than 105,000 people annually. At TRH, he led the development of a state-of-the-art behavioral health wing and plans for a new health campus. McCulley also drives housing initiatives, with more than 300 units, integrating health and housing solutions.
Tim Elliott
CEO, Surround Care
Elliott has a robust background of 30 years in health care leadership. As a founding partner of Navvis, he’s led multiple facets of the organization, including serving as executive for Surround Care’s first market-based-solution deployments. An expert across operations, client relationships, contracting and legal matters, and overall health care strategy, he’s a foundational driver of the company’s growth.
President and CEO, Friendship Village of St. Louis
Walsh focuses on creating a vibrant atmosphere for Friendship Village residents. “The toughest challenge is always to convince people that living in a robust, active senior living community such as ours means living a great life again, enjoying themselves and being social, and many simply can’t get that being isolated in their longtime homes,” he says. Walsh’s experience in the military informs his “troops eat first” work ethic—one that literally could have translated into his childhood dream job of chef. Fast-forward to today, and Walsh says that mentality still rings true. “Take care of your troops first. They will always take care of you.”
President and CEO, St. Luke’s Health Corporation
Bagnall’s first mentor, hospital CEO Todd Linden, taught him to never shy away from a challenge. Bagnall’s best advice now: “Lead with referent power. Embrace challenges, tackle difficult tasks head-on, and always be honest with yourself and others.” Bagnall has spearheaded multiple hospital turnarounds in his career; most recently, he led the recharting of St. Luke’s path forward with the ONE St. Luke’s Strategic Plan. As a child, he dreamed of playing professional baseball, and he now admires the resilient business acumen of Bill DeWitt Jr., chairman and CEO of the St. Louis Cardinals. Bagnall calls golf his hobby—but family, his passion.
Dean, Saint Louis University School of Medicine; Vice President for Medical Affairs, Saint Louis University
Jacobs provides resources and support for medical education and biomedical research. She is also looking forward to growing SLUCare’s academic faculty practice, in partnership with SSM Health, by more than 100 physicians. Jacobs considers economic disparity to be among the health care industry’s most significant challenges, and she’s working tirelessly to find the resources and funds to meet biomedical research and medical education needs. As for the community as a whole, Jacobs notes, the city needs to “invest in education at all levels of the continuum to produce the future workforce of St. Louis. Oh, and fix the darn potholes.”
Joe Brinker
CEO, Bethesda Health Group
Brinker began his career as an assistant administrator for Bethesda General Hospital—and he says the staff feels just as close-knit today as it did in 1989. Brinker says his personal values are very much aligned with Bethesda’s, and he’s walking proof of the advice that he gives new employees: There are always opportunities to grow within the company. Brinker has dedicated his professional life to Bethesda’s mission to provide services that allow people in their later years to live successfully.
Adam Kautzner
President, Express Scripts at Evernorth
Developing valuable expertise across the spectrum of pharmacy benefit management, Kautzner has been with Express Scripts for more than 15 years. The Hillsboro native and St. Louis College of Pharmacy grad spends his weekends enjoying pickleball and paddle-boarding—and his weekdays seeking to empower and foster his team, which he calls the key to good leadership. He started his career in nuclear pharmacy but was drawn to Express Scripts because of its family-friendly hours and lifestyle, the company’s hardworking reputation, and his passion for healthcare accessibility.
Stephanie Vojicic
President, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri
Vojicic’s parents immigrated to St. Louis from Greece before she was born. Their journey navigating healthcare in the United States, with English as a second language—as well as Vojicic’s desire to champion affordable health care—has inspired her work at Anthem since being hired as a regional sales director more than two decades ago. In an interview with Forbes, Vojicic attributed curiosity and the work ethic that her parents instilled in her as traits that have propelled her forward in her career, from digital transformations to human capital challenges to navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sarah London
CEO, Centene
Fortune recognized London as one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” for obvious reasons: The Harvard College and University of Chicago graduate is a modern-day leader in health data, technology, and health care delivery transformation. London is known for working by the motto “challenge everything,” and several leaders on this list named her as both an inspiration and one to watch.
Richard J. Liekweg
CEO, BJC Health system
Liekweg oversees a $10 billion health system and one of the area’s largest employers. Last year, Becker’s Hospital Review included him in its “Great Leaders in Healthcare,” citing his ability to embrace change and lead the forefront of transforming care delivery. Liekweg says he focuses on doing the most good for the most people, and expanding access to care. Along those lines, he recently led BJC’s integration with Saint Luke’s Health System of Kansas City, broadening the reach of BJC across the Midwest.
Dr. David H. Perlmutter
Executive Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs and Dean, WashU Medicine
Perlmutter, the executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of WashU Medicine since 2015, has decades of leadership in academic medicine. He recently led WashU Medicine to a No. 2 ranking in NIH research funding—for a second consecutive year—among all U.S. medical schools. He oversees one of the nation’s largest academic physicians’ practices, with more than 1,900 WashU Medicine physicians across 130 regional locations. Under his leadership, WashU Medicine invested $100 million in MD student scholarships and curriculum renewal.
Gabe Grossberg
President and CEO, Delmar Gardens
Leading with compassion, Grossberg helms the family-owned and -operated senior living community, which first opened in 1965. Grossberg oversees all branches of Delmar Gardens’ services, including memory care, independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, home care, and rehabilitation, with a goal to uphold the Chesterfield-based facility’s mission of love, care, and understanding.
Joseph Impicciche
CEO, Ascension
Ascension’s longtime leader has advocated for a range of community issues over the years: greater access to care, health equity, promoting racial justice, the need to reduce drug costs, and the use of technology to spark innovation. He’s represented Ascension at Scottsdale Institute and spoke at the Workshop for Bishops, presented by The National Catholic Bioethics Center. Modern Healthcare named him one of its “Most Influential People in Healthcare.”
Bill Holman
President and CEO, St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System
Holman has served in executive leadership positions at senior living organizations for more than two decades. He was selected to his current role via unanimous decision based on his work as CEO of Ginger Cove life care community in Annapolis, Maryland, as well as his background as a certified public accountant and licensed nursing home administrator, with degrees in finance, accounting, and management in aging services.
Sandy Koller
Chief Philanthropy Officer, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation
Koller became the foundation’s chief philanthropy officer after serving as regional vice president and ministry campaign manager with Mercy Health Foundation. During her decade-plus of philanthropic leadership, Koller has raised millions for organizations and initiatives across Missouri, including through her own consulting company.
Tanya Lieber Waskiewicz
Chief Development Officer, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation
With more than 20 years of health care fundraising and leadership experience, Waskiewicz was appointed to her current position in 2021. Prior to joining BJC, Tanya served as vice president of the Mercy Health Foundation. She has also held key fund-raising roles at Children’s Hospital of Orange, California; University of California Davis Health; and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital/Vanderbilt University Medical, as well as worked in fundraising for the American Heart Association and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She also serves on the board of Annie Malone Children & Family Services and is involved with many other local organizations.
President and CEO, SSM Health
Kaiser finds comfort and inspiration in the words of Mother Odilia Berger, the leader of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary more than 150 years ago, to “continue courageously.” Kaiser explains, “She and her fellow Sisters landed in St. Louis during a smallpox epidemic, with just $5 and a mission to care for the sickest and poorest among us… They planted the seeds that grew into SSM Health.” Kaiser—who says she would have loved to be a personal trainer in a different life, as another path to support individuals’ wellness—expresses that the industry’s major goals in the years ahead should include aligning the financial system to better cover preventive care, palliative care, home care, and end-of-life care.
Lindsey Niemeier
President, TCARE
A former Arch Grants honoree and St. Louis–based startup, TCARE strives to support and empower caregivers in the region and beyond. Niemeier joined the company in 2022, before being promoted to her current role last spring. During her time with TCARE, Niemeier has served in a range of roles, including sales, business development, product strategy, and marketing. Before joining the company, Niemeier spent time at Gallagher, Aon, CIGNA, Aetna, and the Lockton Companies. She was recently honored as a 2024 Missouri Athletic Club Woman of Distinction.
Dwayne Proctor
President and CEO, Missouri Foundation for Health
A philanthropic leader in the health care community for nearly 20 years, Proctor strives toward health equity. “I want to work with community partners to ensure Missourians have a fair and just chance to live their healthiest lives, regardless of their identity or geography,” Proctor says. “We do this by working with partners across multiple sectors to remove systemic barriers through work on our strategic initiatives and by using our portfolio of changemaking tools,” including health policy and advocacy, learning and research, MoCAP, the Opportunity Fund, and strategic communications.
President and CEO, Lutheran Senior Services
Marles says the significant growth of LSS over the past year—including a 33 percent increase in revenue and the addition of its PACE program and LSS Home Health services—are steps toward solving some of his industry’s biggest challenges. “In a field where person-to-person service is everything, finding people who are mission-driven is critical,” he says. “We have to combat the inaccurate stereotypes of working in senior living while also finding creative ways to bring competitive pay and benefits to team members.” CEO by weekday and outdoor adventurer by weekend, Marles once spent a week on a riverboat on the Amazon River in Peru, fishing and eating piranhas.
