The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Elects Eight New Board Members

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Elects Eight New Board Members: Dr. David H. Alpers, Amy Bantle, Jana Broadie, David Frey, Antonnette (Toni) Jackson, John Kingston, Jane M. Robert and Julian Z. Schuster

Brian L. Clevinger, Ph.D named Board President

ST. LOUIS, MO (July 6, 2023) – The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) - the leading regional performing arts theatre in the Midwest - is proud to announce eight newly elected Board Members who will serve a three-year term starting July 2023. They include: David H. Alpers, M.D. (Washington University, Emeritus William B Kountz Professor of Medicine), Amy Bantle (Washington University Medicine, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer), Jana Broadie (Cox Communications Inc., Assistant VP, Human Resources Business Partners), David Frey (Calares; Change, Process & Learning), Antonnette (Toni) Jackson (Pinnacle Consulting Associates, Managing Member), John Kingston (Thompson & Coburn LLP, Partner), Jane M. Robert (Community Volunteer) and Julian Z. Schuster, Ph.D. (Webster University, President). Brian L. Clevinger, Ph.D. (Prolog Ventures, Managing Director), former Vice President of The Rep Board, was named President for a three year term.

“It is an incredible honor to welcome such a dynamic group of trustees from an array of backgrounds and specialties to The Rep’s board as we continue to build upon our commitment to create and curate world-class theatrical experiences for our audiences,” said Managing Director Danny Williams. “Brian Clevinger has been an engaged supporter of The Rep for many years. I look forward to working with him as our new Board President as we embark on a national search for a new Artistic Director to build upon and strengthen The Rep as a cultural cornerstone in St. Louis.”

The Rep’s Board Leadership includes newly elected President Brian L. Clevinger, Ph.D. (Prolog Ventures, Managing Director); Vice Presidents Ann Cady Scott (Community Volunteer) and Susan Stith (Retired Cigna, VP, DEI, Civic Affairs & Foundation); Secretary Judi Scissors

   

(Community Volunteer); Treasurer Wendi Alper-Pressman (Armstrong Teasdale, LLP); Vice President, Volunteers Ann Harris Straw (Community Volunteer); and Immediate Past President Gwen M. Middeke (Northwestern Mutual).

The Rep’s 2023/24 Season begins in September with award-winning, critically acclaimed plays on its mainstages at the Loretto-Hilton Center and Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA including Ben Power’s adaptation of Stefano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy; Twisted Melodies, written and performed by Kelvin Roston, Jr.; the return of the spectacular and much lauded holiday show A Christmas Carol; the Lookingglass Theatre Company’s adaptation ofMoby Dick; and Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County. The theatre will also host limited engagement presentations of The Greatest Love for Whitney: A Tribute to Whitney Houston created by Mark Clements, and The Lion, created by Benjamin Scheuer.

For more information, please visit repstl.org.

New Board Member Biographies:

Brian L. Clevinger, Ph.D. (Rep Board President) is a managing director of Prolog Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm focusing on life science start-ups. He has had over 30 years of experience with all phases of commercial development of life science technology. Before joining Prolog, Dr. Clevinger was CEO of a biotechnology startup, Megan Health, formed by A/W Company, a partnership of the California venture capital firm, Alafi Capital, and Washington University. He held this position from Megan’s inception in 1993 until its acquisition in 2000. He was in charge of all aspects of its growth, including three rounds of financing that raised over $11M in equity capital. From 1987 to 1993, Dr. Clevinger was President and COO of A/W Company. Working with Washington University researchers, he identified projects with high commercial potential, elevated markets, competition and other business factors and presented his analysis to Alafi Capital for seed funding. Before joining A/W Company, Dr. Clevninger held a tenured position at Washington University, the faculty of which he joined in 1980. He earned his Ph.D. in immunology from Indiana University and was a NIH postdoctoral fellow at Washington University. Dr. Clevinger has been active in a number of civic organizations. He serves on the Board of the Center for Emerging Technologies, the board of the St. Louis Academy of Science, Board of the Missouri Venture Forum and the Advisory Board to the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Webster University. He also serves on the Board of the Family Resource Center, a non-profit organization combating chronic child abuse.

David H. Alpers, M.D. is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, and received his initial medical training at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a Harvard teaching hospital. After training in molecular biology at NIH, he returned to the GI Division at the MGH before leaving to become Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology at Washington University School of Medicine (WUMS), a post he held for 28 years until 1997. For the past 28 years he has divided his time between St Louis and London, England, for 12 years as an

in-house consultant for GlaxoSmithKline, helping to develop a portfolio of drugs to treat GI disorders, and subsequently to spend time with his UK family (youngest daughter, son-in-law, 3 grandchildren). During their stays in London David and his wife Melanie have experienced hundreds of plays, operas, ballets, and art exhibitions, providing a unique cultural experience. He has served on many Scientific Advisory Committees, including for the Massachusetts General Hospital (chairman), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (zinc absorption in third world countries), and for the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, U Cork, Ireland. He is an amateur cellist, and a member of a string quartet in St Louis for over 50 years, and one in London for over 20 years. He serves as a member of the Board of the Friends of Music, Dept of Music, Washington University.

Amy Bantle is a strategic business, marketing, brand and creative leader with 20+ years of experience leading growth efforts of Fortune 100 companies and emerging businesses - maximizing overall business and brand value. She is the Chief Brand and Marketing Officer for Washington University Medicine and the founding member of Chief, a private network built to drive more women into positions of power and keep them there. Chief is the only organization specifically designed for the most powerful women executives to strengthen their leadership, magnify their influence, and pave the way to bring others with them. Amy is an entrepreneur and artist at heart, and passionate about exploring the intersection of business and design. She inspires big idea thinking that unites all channels, engages customers, transformers behavior and drives transactions.

Jana Broadie has decades of corporate experience in Human Resources and is a well rounded and dynamic asset to any client team. Her professional career includes leadership positions at several Fortune 500 companies including Delta Air Lines, Miller Brewing, and Anheuser Busch, culminating with her role as Assistant Vice President, Human Resources Business Partners, Cox Communications Inc in Atlanta, GA. Additionally, she has experience in the nonprofit sector and has served as a Human Resources Consultant for both for-profit and not-for-profit clients. As a result of her vast experience, Jana is well equipped to assist teams with enterprise-wide business transformation of people, policies, processes, and technology, and in the acquisition of new businesses and their human capital. Jana earned her Bachelor's Degree from The University of Kansas and pursued her Graduate Studies at Lindenwood College in her home city of St. Louis. She has earned multiple certifications in the areas of Leadership Development and has served as the chairperson for The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Atlanta, a Board Member for The Center for Black Women's Wellness and the United Way Allocations Committee, former chairperson of the UNCF and the St Louis Gateway Classics Public Relations committee, and a Member of The Georgia Educational Policy Fellows Program.

David Frey is a Senior Manager of Wholesale Systems and Processes at Caleres, Inc., a $2.8B company with operations in North America, Asia and Europe. His work requires a robust understanding of business processes, human resource management, communications, and technology to gain alignment and drive innovation. He is passionate about theater and

philanthropy having chaired several galas for the March of Dimes, Wyman Center and the Art of Travel.

Antonnette (Toni) Jackson is a Managing Member of Pinnacle Consulting Associates with a 20+ year career spanning challenging corporate and consulting roles in Human Resources and Finance. She has a proven track record of successfully leading enterprise change initiatives specifically through design and implementation of strategic HR and operational programs. She has served in highly accountable board positions including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association (ALS/Lou Gehrig’s), HomeWorks!, Central Institute for the Deaf, and Consortium for Leadership Development.

John Kingston is a Partner at Thompson & Coburn LLP. He handles a wide variety of commercial litigation in state and federal courts across the nation. John has tried jury trials and bench trials in Missouri, Illinois, New York and other states (involving issues ranging from patent infringement to civil conspiracy). He has briefed and argued appeals in federal and state appellate courts and in the Supreme Court of Missouri. A first-chair trial lawyer, John is a vigorous and resourceful advocate. He is a Senior Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America, a peer-selected honorary society for trial lawyers representing less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers. Fellows are selected based upon excellence and accomplishments in trial work and superior ethical reputation. John is also a member of the Diversity Law Institute, a nonprofit international association of lawyers and law firms committed to diversity in all aspects of the legal profession and justice systems of the United States and Canada. John is a former law clerk to the Hon. Boyce F. Martin, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and to the Hon. Carol E. Jackson, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. John is a graduate of Boston University School of Law.

Jane M. Robert is a champion of the arts and French culture having studied at La Sorbonne in Paris and earning her Masters in French from Missouri University. Her career highlights include being a French teacher, swim and golf coach at Parkway West High School; Webster University Trustee; and founded the first Chair at Webster University for Professorship of French and Francophone studies. She has been the President or Board member of French-related Boards in the US and France including the Federation of Alliances Françaises and American Friends of le Musée d’Orsay. She is the recipient of the les Palmes Académiques and the French Legion of Honor from the French government.

Julian Z. Schuster, Ph.D. has been President of Webster University from 2019 after serving as Provost, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since 2010. During this time, he has led the institution through a period of transformation and development. In the past years, a new general education curriculum, known as the Global Citizenship Program, has been adopted and implemented, the most diverse and academically qualified freshman classes have been recruited, and retention and graduation rates improved significantly. Webster’s $55 million capital campaign concluded successfully, and several endowed chairs and professorships along with (Gleich) Honors College were established. During this time, the University has completed over $100 million in construction projects, increased federal funding by securing several NSF

and NIH grants, and launched more than 15 new academic programs, including several STEM-related offerings. Webster University, comprising a network of international campuses in Europe, Asia, and Africa, has enhanced and expanded its international visibility under Dr. Schuster’s leadership. A new location for Webster-Vienna has been secured, providing space for projected growth in academic programs. Under Dr. Schuster’s leadership, Webster established its first campus in Central Asia in Uzbekistan, as well as additional partnerships in Cuba, Georgia, China, and Italy. Dr. Schuster’s efforts to make Webster a national leader in global experiential education resulted in Webster's long-term study abroad programs being ranked in the top 10 among all U.S. master's degree-granting institutions, and first in the same category among Midwestern institutions, according to the Institute of International Education's annual Open Doors Report. Webster University now ranks among the top 25 comprehensive universities in the Midwest and boasts nationally ranked programs in a number of majors across fine arts, business, nursing, nurse anesthetist, education, communications, and the liberal arts and sciences.

ABOUT THE REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) is the region’s premiere theatre for compelling, award-winning theatrical experiences that entertain, engage, and illuminate audiences’ shared humanity. Founded in 1966, for more than five decades The Rep has sustained and built upon its commitment to artistic excellence by creating, developing, and curating adventurous new works and beloved classics from the most exciting emerging and established American voices. The Rep builds bridges within the St. Louis community and beyond by offering productions that allow audiences to see themselves and the stories that matter to them represented on stage, through the organization’s robust community engagement programs, and across its educational initiatives.

The Rep welcomes audiences with inspiring and expansive productions at several inviting stages across St. Louis including the Virginia Jackson Browning Theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts and the Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA. A thought leader in the national theatre landscape, The Rep is a dedicated partner with arts organizations in St. Louis and across the country, expanding audiences’ appreciation and understanding of the world through theatre. For more information, please visit repstl.org and follow @repstl.