FOCUS St. Louis Emerging Leaders alum Neal Richardson, St. Louis Development Corporation [SLDC] executive director, will receive the 2022 Emerging Alumni Award during the 25th Annual What’s Right with the Region Awards Celebration at 5 p.m. May 12, 2022 at The Sheldon.
“Each year, more than 300 individuals graduate from our FOCUS programs and take what they’ve learned into their personal, professional and civic leadership roles,” Dr. Yemi Akande-Bartsch, FOCUS St. Louis president and CEO, said in a release.
“Our alumni awards are designed to recognize FOCUS graduates who have put their leadership into action for the benefit of our St. Louis region.”
A 2018 graduate of the FOCUS Emerging Leaders program, Richardson was appointed SLDC executive director last summer. He leads the agency’s economic development activities city-wide aimed at creating equitable economic opportunity for all residents, businesses, and neighborhoods to thrive.
Economic justice is really being able to address the historical barriers and economic inequities that have prevented everyone from being able to contribute, have ownership in our economic future,” Richardson told the St. Louis American in June.
“So today we have about 45 percent of our population in the city of St. Louis is Black, but Black employees make, on average, 48 percent of a white employee and homes in predominantly Black ZIP codes are worth less than one fourth of those in predominantly white ZIP codes.”
Richardson previously served as U.S. Bank Community Development Corporation vice president and director of Business Impact, where he led a team responsible for developing and enhancing investment products to close economic gaps for women, people of color and low-income communities.
He is also co-founder of Dream Builders 4 Equity, a nonprofit organization that aims to build social equity through financial equity by teaching youth economic principles to escape poverty, build wealth, and invest in their future through project-based learning of real estate development in low-income communities.
In addition to Richardson’s recognition, June McAllister Fowler will receive the FOCUS Leadership Award. For more information, visit www.focus-stl.org.
