TEMPO Opens St. Louis Chapter for Women Leaders

TEMPO has launched its first chapter outside Wisconsin, bringing together 40 women leaders from 31 organizations in St. Louis. The Milwaukee-based professional organization for women executives and emerging leaders offers mentoring, networking and professional development.

TEMPO said it chose St. Louis after researching several cities and speaking with local business and community leaders. President and CEO Jennifer Dirks described what the organization heard: “St. Louis has an incredible community of accomplished women leaders, but what we heard repeatedly was a desire for more opportunities to connect across companies and industries in an authentic and meaningful way.”

For members like Shantia Coley, associate general counsel at Edward Jones, the appeal is straightforward. “I am definitely an advocate for advancing women’s leadership. Period. Full stop there,” Coley said. She emphasized that TEMPO offers women in different industries an opportunity to connect around a shared identity: leadership itself.

Building Networks Across Sectors

According to The St. Louis American, the founding members work across several sectors. Members work in financial services, technology, health care, higher education, law, and nonprofits. The group includes Gisele Marcus, vice dean at Washington University’s Olin Business School; Stephanie Meyer, director of Workforce AI-Microsoft at World Wide Technology; Priyal Patel, chief financial officer at Bayer North America; and Sharon Fenoglio, chief advancement officer at Rung for Women. Other members come from Commerce Bank, Husch Blackwell, Maryville University, and U.S. Bank.

TEMPO itself was founded more than 50 years ago and has built a network of more than 500 executive women and nearly 300 emerging women leaders across its existing operations. The organization offers mentoring, networking and professional development through its existing network.

Research and Regional Focus

One of the St. Louis chapter’s first initiatives will be a research partnership with Olin Business School examining the experiences of women in the workplace. Marcus, who also is faculty director of Olin’s Women in Leadership Program, outlined the goal: to generate St. Louis-specific data that employers, educators, policymakers, and community leaders can use to strengthen leadership pathways for women.

“Olin’s partnership with TEMPO gives us an opportunity to ask a different question: What is happening to women right here in St. Louis?” Marcus said. “Once we understand that, we can move from anecdotes to evidence, and from evidence to action.”

The St. Louis chapter will develop its own programming while members also access TEMPO’s larger network. Some programs and events will bring together members from St. Louis and Milwaukee, according to the report.

Cultivating the Next Generation

Coley said she hopes the chapter will support current leaders and encourage those who follow. “One of the huge components will be strengthening existing women leaders in St. Louis and inspiring the next generation of women leaders to come after us,” she said. Her comments describe an ambition for the chapter, rather than a measured outcome.