With his appointment announced Monday morning, Cal Harris joins a growing group of Black leaders finding their voice in the region’s local governments.
“Returning home to serve in the Page administration and impact policy for a community I love is truly humbling.” -Cal Harris
Harris will serve as St. Louis County Executive Sam Page’s chief of staff, responsible for leading the staff in managing county government, developing strategy for county departments and overseeing the expenditure of new federal funding.
Harris will also promote strategic initiatives, improve efficiency and ensure equity continues to guide the administration’s work.
He replaces Winston Calvert, who in December announced he would be leaving county government to work for The Equity Network, a non-profit foundation.
While he is a native of St. Louis County, Harris is moving to the area from Baltimore, where he served as a communications director for the city.
“Cal brings vast experience in policy, communications and strategy,” Page said in a prepared statement. “I am excited he will be joining the team and returning to his hometown.”
Prior to working for Baltimore city government, Harris worked at the Bipartisan Policy Center and served on various political campaigns, including Nicole Galloway’s gubernatorial campaign and Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign.
“Returning home to serve in the Page administration and impact policy for a community I love is truly humbling,” Harris said in a prepared statement. “I believe in Dr. Page’s principled approach towards governing and vision for St. Louis County, and I cannot wait to get to work.”
Harris received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College and a Master of Public Policy from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.
“Cal is deeply committed to public service and growing opportunities for St. Louis County families,” said Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway. “County government will be well-served by his strong connections in the region and energetic work ethic.”
Page also appointed two women to leadership roles Monday.
The first is Karen Aroesty to lead St. Louis County’s Department of Administration, overseeing the county’s enterprise-wide services, including financial and personnel affairs, customer service, risk management, procurement and the Office of Performance Management and Budget, along with diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
“Karen’s ability to lead diverse groups to work together toward a common goal will help her be successful in county government,” Page said. “I have known and respected Karen for years, and I look forward to continuing our collaboration in this new capacity.”
Prior to this appointment, Aroesty served as regional director of the Anti-Defamation League from 2000 through 2021, leading the agency’s mission in Missouri, eastern Kansas and southern Illinois.
In addition, she serves as the chair of the county’s Human Relations Commission, leads the U.S Attorney’s Hate Crimes Task Force, convened the Missouri Roundtable on Bias-Based Policing and was the first woman to chair the county’s Fire Standards Commission. She is also a founding member of the Racial Equity Collaborative, a group of leaders engaging the community on structural racism.
Aroesty fills a vacancy left by Tod Martin, who retired from county government last year.
Page’s second appointment is Stephanie Lewis as chief transformation officer, overseeing the county executive’s goal of making the county government a more efficient, effective and equitable organization.
“Stephanie’s creativity and her expertise in human resources will provide a big boost to our efforts to make government services more efficient and improve the constituent experience,” Page said.
Lewis is currently vice president of FPM Communications, where she led more than $70 million in large-scale communications projects for clients including former President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign
She also currently serves as a board member of St. Louis ARCHS and the Annie Malone Historical Society, and she is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority’s local alumni chapter.
Lewis replaces Andria Nelson Roberts, who left county government to work for a non-profit foundation.
In the city, Mayor Tishaura Jones has appointed numerous Black people to leadership positions in her first nine months as mayor. Among those appointments include Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, director of the city’s department of health; the city’s first Black female city counselor, Sheena Hamilton; Vernon Mitchell, chief equity and inclusion officer; and Neal Richardson, executive director of the St Louis Development Corporation
