In 2003, Joanna Schooler had settled into a comfortable position leading the communications department for Agere Systems, Inc. based in Allentown, Penn., when she was asked to be a corporate lead on a new assignment – in another country.
Schooler said she considered the potential challenges of the work, particularly as an African-American woman in a corporate environment managing a team in Europe. Never one to shrink from a new opportunity, she accepted the job as an interim leader of Agere’s communications team based in Ascot, United Kingdom.
Pamela Jackson, one of Schooler’s former managers at Lucent Technologies, Inc., was impressed.
“Joanna moved to England and to pick up and do that as a single African-American woman, learning on the ground and a different culture and then implementing the corporate piece – and she was successful on that project,” Jackson said. “She’s bold and obviously excellent at what she does.”
For Schooler, the year-long assignment fulfilled her personal career mantra to always keep learning. “Going to the UK was about seeing new opportunities and being able to have new experiences and grow my knowledge and expand my skill set,” Schooler said. “People who embrace change fare the best in most corporate environments.”
Schooler now serves as senior director, internal communications and community relations for Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, where she also oversees programs that provide funding to nonprofit organizations and connect Mallinckrodt employees with volunteer opportunities to give back to the community.
She will be recognized for her leadership in business with a 2016 Business Performer Award at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2016 Salute to Excellence in Business Networking & Awards Luncheon.
“This area is rich with examples of people who have set a high bar and who have achieved incredible things,” Schooler said. “To know the kind of wealth and achievement of people who worked so hard in St. Louis and then for me to be recognized is an honor, but I know I have so much more work to do.”
With more than 20 years of experience in corporate communications under her belt, she’s a survivor of changing business trends and upheaval, pivoting despite corporate spinoffs, acquisitions, and rebranding efforts – and landing on her feet.
Schooler began her career with AT&T Corp. in 1994, recruited after graduating from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism. Later, she managed corporate public relations for Lucent Technologies and its foundation in New Jersey, after the company’s spinoff from AT&T. When Agere Systems formed as a spinoff from Lucent, Schooler joined the new firm, serving as a senior manager in communications and later, the UK position.
And when Mallinckrodt recruited her in 2006, Schooler saw it as a chance to transition to another growth industry – healthcare – and to come home. “I grew up in St. Louis but I hadn’t been here as a professional, so coming home and being able to plug into the various organizations and community work was an exciting chance for me,” she said.
Although she was born in Emporia, Kansas, Schooler’s family moved to St. Charles County when she was young; her father was transferred to the area as an employee for Southwestern Bell. She was a member of the first graduating class of Fort Zumwalt High School, where, she said, “I was one of five people who looked like me.”
Today, Schooler is a community fixture, bridging Mallinckrodt’s corporate muscle with programs like StemPact, which connects business professionals with science educators to help improve the quality of science, math and technology education in St. Louis’ schools. She also uses the company’s resource groups to connect with nonprofits like Girls Inc. Eureka, matching students to mentors within the company to provide opportunities for scientific learning.
Fellow business professionals know Schooler as a hard worker with an uncompromising business ethic. Valerie Patton met Schooler as part of the first cohort of the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative Fellows Program and later traveled overseas with her.
“Her nickname was ‘the little genius,’ because she worked the whole time we were overseas,” said Patton, who is executive director of the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative. “I kept teasing her that I would take that laptop away, but it showed me her dedication to her craft and profession.”
“I can’t think of anyone better to receive this award,” said Jackson, who is now a vice president of technology at Emerson. “She’s a native of the area and she went away and worked in other places, and she came back and brought those new skills sets and understanding back to St. Louis, which is fantastic. We need more people like her.”
