Vanessa Cooksey | President & CEO, Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis

As the Regional Arts Commission’s (RAC) third leader and first President and CEO, Vanessa Cooksey leads the largest public funder of the arts in St. Louis. RAC has been pivotal in nurturing the vibrant arts sector throughout the region, awarding more than 7,000 grants totaling over $100 million since its inception in 1985.

Vanessa has more than 30 years of business and civic leadership experience. She’s held marketing, communications ,and philanthropy leadership positions with a variety of companies including Mary Kay Cosmetics, The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office, Cartoon Network, Anheuser Busch, Wells Fargo, and Washington University in St. Louis. Vanessa is known for her ability to build results-driven partnerships, facilitate dynamic collaborations, create high-performing teams, and effectively convene diverse stakeholders.

Vanessa is a serious change-maker and has led innovative arts, education, technology, and health & wellness initiatives reaching more than 20 million children and adults over the course of her career. Always willing to serve in her community, Vanessa’s humanitarian efforts over the last three decades have helped promote and advance human welfare and social reform across the US. Highly sought-after for her expertise in board governance, organizational culture, talent development, DEI, and reputation risk management, she has served on 150+ local and national non-profit boards including the SIFMA Foundation for Investor Education, Harris-Stowe State University, Vote Run Lead and Mercy Hospitals.

Grant Benoit | Director of Education, Craft Alliance

Grant is an interdisciplinary artist who observes notions of memory through printmaking, sculpture, and craft methods. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking from Southern Illinois University in 2015 and his Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts from Spring Hill College in 2012.

Benoit exhibits nationally and internationally, most recently being selected to exhibit work at Millsaps College and University of Dallas.

Grant was a 2016-17 Artist in Residence at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and alumni of the 12 member collective, Good Children Gallery in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. He is currently a member of the artist advisory board of The Luminary and is the Director of Education at Craft Alliance in St. Louis.

Gina Grafos | Director of Visual and Literary Arts & Chief Curator, Kranzberg Art Foundation

Gina is passionately committed to providing local, emerging artists, and community arts organizations the vital space and tools to perform and showcase their work.

She and the KAF team orchestrate all exhibits for The Gallery at The Kranzberg, High Low Gallery/High Noon speaker series, Dark Room Gallery, and Sophie’s Artist Lounge, and steward the Kranzberg private art collection.

Most recently added to the mix, co-curating the Walls off Washington featuring murals—giant works covering entire façades demonstrate the extraordinary power and meaning of art larger than life with messages embedded into the mortar.

Based in the City of St. Louis, she holds a role as an artist, educator, and curator and is committed to expanding those roles. As a former teacher, portfolio reviewer, and speaker, her goal is to inspire and mobilize individuals or groups, sharing the power of art as a conduit to nurture, heal, and ignite.

Hilda Andres | Director, Foundry Art Centre

Hilda brings with her twelve years of experience in art museums. Before joining the Foundry Art Centre, Hilda was Director of Community Engagement and Education for the Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute, IN; a role connecting the museum with the community through relevant programs, outreach, fund-raising, and collaboration. She is an advocate for the arts believing it improves the quality of life, community, and economic development in the city. She was named one of the top “Women in Business” by Terre Haute Living in 2019.

Previous roles included Education and Program Coordinator for the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA, Museum of Contemporary Art Educator, and Director of Development for the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art.

She led major initiatives with community arts leaders and The City of Terre Haute to obtain the Art and Cultural Designation for Downtown Terre Haute through the Indiana Arts Commission.

Hilda has her Masters in Leadership Development from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and a Bachelors of Fine Arts with an Art History Minor from Indiana University Herron School of Art and Design.

Jessica Mannisi | Director of Exhibitions, Foundry Art Centre

Jessica is a St. Louis-based curator, arts consultant, and art historian with over 15 years of experience in the museum and gallery field. She’s devoted to supporting regional arts, and has worked closely with award-winning artists and organizations to elevate the local arts community.

She has led the art & exhibitions programming at the Foundry Art Centre since 2020. A jack-of-all-trades in galleries and museums, her primary roles are curator of the Foundry’s 3600sqft Main Galleries of rotating exhibitions and organizer of the Foundry's large-scale art events and programs, including the annual Block Party, the Grand Hall Mural Project, and the Foundry’s First Friday Series.

After earning her graduate degree in Museum Studies from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Jessica was the assistant curator/registrar of the William & Florence Schmidt Art Center at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, Illinois. She followed this 8-year tenure as the assistant curator of visual art for the Angad Arts Hotel in St. Louis’ Grand Center, curating the permanent collection and the Hotel’s inaugural exhibition year. Prior to joining the Foundry Art Centre, Jessica was an independent consultant and the curatorial director of Houska Gallery in the Central West End, St. Louis.