Board of Directors

THOMAS PURCELL has an Undergraduate Degree and two Masters Degrees, Urban Affairs and Masters in Business Administration from Saint Louis University and has served on various advisory boards of the University. Mr. Purcell served in the United Sates Marine Corps Reserve, achieving the rank of Captain and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in India. Mr. Purcell led the development effort of the Laclede's Landing / Riverside area from 1976-2003 in which over 3,000 jobs were created and over $200,000,000 of public and private capital was invested.

Mr. Purcell has been on over forty-five boards of government, non-profit and business organizations. He has been a board member of eight regional governments and chairman of several of those boards. He has been significantly involved in changing the character of such neighborhoods as Downtown, Riverfront, Shaw and Carondelet, and founded the Community Alliance for Education for Saint Margaret of Scotland School and was a co-chair of the recently completed and successful Capital Campaign; raising over $2,100,000 to build a middle school.

Thomas and Ginger Purcell have four children and four grandchildren.

Donald Stump received his B.A. from Grinnell College, with concentrations in Biology and English literature. He pursued his Ph.D.in English at Cornell University. Before coming to Saint Louis University in 1992, he taught at Colgate University, Virginia Tech, and Notre Dame.

Until 2017, Donald Stump directed the Micah Program at SLU, the largest undergraduate academic program and learning community in the nation focused on the study and practice of long-term approaches to urban poverty. Dr. Stump is also a Professor of English. He has served at SLU as Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and as President of the Arts and Sciences Faculty Council. From 2011-2015, Dr. Stump headed up a university working group of faculty and administrators to design an education and outreach greenhouse to teach science and improve nutrition for under-served elementary-school students. He also secured funding and headed up creation of the SLU Aquaponics Lab as a firsts step in preparing to build such a facility.

With shared goals and ideas in mind, he joined with Tom Purcell in founding the Green House Venture in 2015. Since then, Dr. Stump has headed up curriculum development for the Venture and has been closely involved in the process of designing its Education Center.

• Retired Information Technology professional of 40 years, with emphases in Database Administration and Hospital Business Systems
• Long time community engagement (since 1976) with service on numerous local boards, including:
  • Saint Margaret of Scotland Parish (Building & Maintenance Committee)
  • Shaw Neighborhood Improvement Association (Treasurer, multiple terms)
  • Flora Place Protective Association (President, twice)
  • St. Margaret of Scotland Parish Council(Finance Committee)
  • St. Margaret of Scotland School Board (Secretary)
• Shaw Neighborhood resident 40 years
• Married with two grown children - both committed to [St Louis] city living
• Attended Washington University
• Vietnam era veteran - US Navy
• High School: Priory (Hey, this is St. Louis after all.)
• Home Craftsman, Data Wrangler, Cyclist, Volunteer

Managing Partner (CEDS) & Real Estate Agent (Tower)

Community and Economic Development Solutions, LLC/ Tower Real Estate

EVP/COO - St. Louis Economic Development Partnership

The Green House Venture is an exciting, ambitious project that will provide elementary school children in Urban Areas the opportunity to be exposed to an agriculture based science curriculum.

ND&S Management Company, President

I am the co-founder of ND Consulting, ND&S Management Co. and Duffe-Nuernberger Realty, now know as Tower Real Estate Group. These firms are involved in the development of real estate, its management and brokerage. Using these tools , our firms have improved neighborhoods and provided better living and work environments for residents.

I am the founder and president of LinkStl, a not-for-profit whose mission is to better connect the residents of Hyde Park and Old North St. Louis to opportunities and resources.

I like the challenge of working with others to change neighborhoods in distress. I learned those skills working on issues in the Shaw Neighborhood and the Gate District; I now apply that knowledge to Hyde Park, Old North and College Hill neighborhoods.

The Green House Venture is an effort to tie many of the institutional strengths of the central City of St. Louis, like 4 grade schools, St. Louis University, Washington University, Tower Grove Park, Gateway Greening etc., into an educational program for the area children.

 

Mrs. Kelli Casper is the newly appointed Principal at Mullanphy - Botanical Garden ILC. She has worked in the St. Louis Public School district since 2004 as a teacher, instructional coach and administrator. Mrs. Casper is passionate about creating a learning environment to help students feel valued and successful. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Darren, of 24 years, and their two teenage sons. In addition, she and her husband volunteer with refugee families in the south city area through their church.

Head of School for Tower Grove Christian Academy
Administrator/Principal of Tower Grove Christian Academy, our vision is to changed the landscape of the city through educating students

MBA, Served in many leading roles of fortune 100 companies; serves on the board of Missouri Baptist University, serves on the board of the St. Louis Ambassadors, served as the Vice President of SNIA, served as the President of the NACBA ST Louis Chapter.

I enjoy reading, running, mentoring, and coaching

The Green House Venture is enriching and changing the lives of students and adults that reside in the city of St Louis. This program will not only impact lives today but for generations to come.

Clare is the Principal of St. Margaret of Scotland School.

She has a Bachelor of Arts and an Elementary Education Master of Arts Educational Leadership.

• Principal at Holy Cross Academy at the St. Dominic Savio Campus,
• Presenter at NCEA conference in Cincinnati for Guided Reading in the Elementary Classroom,
• Second and Third Grade Teacher at Holy Cross Academy at the St. Michael the Archangel Campus

I am involved with the Green House Venture because St. Margaret of Scotland is an alliance school that works with the program. I am excited to be a part of this program so that we can teach our students to create a sustainable world and encourage life-long science learners.

Executive Director - St. Louis Language Immersion School

Previous positions and accomplishments include, Principal - St. Louis Language Immersion School Teach For America alum.

I'm interested in community connections and how we can work across St. Louis City from early childhood all the way to post-secondary education in order to improve the educational landscape for all St. Louis City students and families.

I have been teaching chemistry and environmental science at St. Louis University High School for 35 years. I am also the Garden Director and serve on the Sustainability Committee at SLUH. I serve on the Advisory Committee to the Grow Exhibit at the St. Louis Science Center. I am currently serving on the St. Louis University 2018 Climate Summit Planning Committee on the Education and Outreach Subcommittee.

I am a past chair of Science Department at St. Louis U. High. In 2016 I was awarded a grant from the Toshiba America Foundation to establish a multiyear study of the atmosphere using biannual weather balloon launches to gather data. I have been involved for several years with the International Jesuit Ecology Project and Loyola University of Chicago in the development, testing, and promotion of the Healing Earth text book.

The Green House Venture is one of the most exciting educational endeavors that I have seen and I am delighted to be be able to be a part of this program. Too many students lose interest in science at an early age and we need to do everything we can to insure that all of our youth have a positive experience with science that keeps them interest, enthused, and excited about pursing science. This enthusiasm for and understanding of science may open educational and career opportunities for these students as well as helping them grow as informed participants in their communities in a world that is more and more science and technology driven. The Green House Venture gets the students actively engaged in doing quality, real world science as well as exposing them to older students and adults involved in science related careers at all levels.

Associate Professor of Higher Education and Faculty Fellow for Mission and Identity at Saint Louis University

After 28 years at the University of Dayton, Dr. Schaller came to St. Louis to serve a one year term as the Interim Dean, School of Education, Saint Louis University (2017-2018). Dr. Schaller publishes and speaks often on the central theme of "the intentional design of the college environment to maximize student learning".

The GreenHouse Venture is committed to bringing vital and interesting early science learning to the children of St. Louis. My own interest is in exciting children's passion for science and continuing to support that interest through the schooling experience.

Head of Research USA for German plant breeding company KWS, leading the KWS Gateway Research Center in St. Louis Missouri.

Derek joined KWS in 2014 after serving as a tenured Associate Professor at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan. He has over 20 years of scientific research and teaching experience that also includes Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (New York) and Murdoch University (Australia), where he actively led successful collaborations between U.S., Japanese and Australian scientists.

The above global experiences forged my passion and commitment to diversity and equality in scientific research and education. My role in the GHV is a natural extension of this passion to support a strong foundation of curiosity and inquiry in the next generation of scientists.

Dean of the College of Education at Harris-Stowe State University

Dr. Quincy A. Rose is a graduate of Delaware State University. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education, a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction and a Doctorate of Education degree in Innovation and Leadership with a concentration in Organizational Leadership from Wilmington University. Additionally, Dr. Rose recently completed the competitive Women in Education Leadership Program at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education where she was carefully selected as 1 out of 50 exemplary women in leadership within the world to participate in this program.

Rose's previous appointments include working in higher education administration as Department Head and Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Grambling State University, and Director of Teacher Education and Department Chair of the Bachelor of Science Interdisciplinary Studies Program and Master of Arts in Teaching program at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tennessee.

Her career in education has spanned across the public school, charter school and now the higher education sector. Previously, she has served in the capacities of community liaison, educator and administrator among others. Service to her community is paramount; and as such, Rose has served on numerous committees as it relates to education and healthy and safe communities. Among her notable appointments to serve is her 2001 appointment by the Governor of Delaware to serve as board member of the Children’s Trust Fund. In 2001 Rose was also presented with the esteemed Jefferson Award for outstanding service.

Her awards and honors are numerous ranging from distinguished education awards such as the Links, Inc. Scott Hawkins Leadership Institute Fellow to being selected by the Obama/Biden campaign to place into nomination Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr., author of the Violence Against Women Act 1994, as the Vice President of the United States of America. The day she nominated Sen. Biden at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, history was made; as Rose was both the first Delawarean and the first African American woman to play such a pivotal role.

Dr. Rose, was named dean of the College of the Education at Harris-Stowe State University in January 2018 and is the proud mother of three: Malcolm, Victoria and Benjamin Lucas and Grandmother of Sevyn Witney Marie Lucas