St. Louis Symphony Orchestra elects two new trustees

(May 23, 2023, St. Louis, MO) – The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra announced the election of two new trustees to its Board for an initial term of three years: Marcela Manjarrez, CEO of M Strategic Communications Consulting and John Winski, Vice President, Bayer Crop Science, and Chief Legal Officer, Bayer Digital Farming Solutions.

Steve Finerty, Chair of the SLSO Board of Trustees, said, “The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is on a strong and transformative trajectory. Marcela Manjarrez and John Winski both bring unique expertise, an impressive commitment to the artform of music and the SLSO, and to supporting its mission to increasing access to music for all. We look forward to working with them to advance key initiatives as we undertake the renovation and expansion of Powell Hall.”

Winski and Manjarrez join the 44-member Board of Trustees, which is led by Chair Steve Finerty; Vice Chairs Nancy Galvin, Noémi Neidorff, Kathleen T. Osborn, and David Steward; Secretary Emily Rauh Pulitzer; Assistant Secretary Dr. Donald Suggs; Treasurer John Tvrdik; and General Counsel Lawrence P. Katzenstein.

Marcela Manjarrez has more than 25 years of experience in economic research, analysis, and strategic communications. From 2015 until 2022, she served as the Chief Communications Officer for Centene Corporation, where she was responsible for all strategic communications for the company and also managed the Centene Charitable Foundation. Prior to joining Centene, she was Vice President, Public Affairs for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, leading the external communications, industry relations, and public outreach functions for the bank. Manjarrez earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Missouri–St. Louis and her master’s degree in economics from Washington University in St. Louis. She serves on the boards of the Enterprise Financial Services Corp., Clayco, the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Counterpublic. She also serves as an advisory board member for Washington University in St. Louis’ Center for Finance and Accounting Research.

John Winski is Vice President and Associate General Counsel of Bayer Crop Science and Chief Legal Officer of Bayer Digital Farming Solutions. He previously served as the North American commercial law lead for Monsanto Company. He also spent nine years in Asia, serving as Monsanto’s law lead for Asia and Africa. Prior to joining Monsanto in 2003, Winski spent 12 years in Washington, D.C., where he served as domestic policy advisor to Vice President Al Gore and held several senior positions in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He also worked for U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy, Mark Dayton, and John McCain, served as counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and worked closely with the Senate Agriculture Committee. Winski received his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctorate degrees from the University of Arizona and an LLM in International and Comparative Law from Georgetown University. He is an active member of the St. Louis community, having served on the board at St. Louis Cathedral Concerts and U-City People for Dogs. He is also an accomplished horn player, having performed with several orchestras across the country.

In addition to the elections of Manjarrez and Winski to the Board of Trustees, three new members were appointed to the SLSO’s Advisory Council. Katerina I. Barquet Stege, managing partner at Barquet Stege PLLC, is an immigration attorney focusing on complex cases across a wide range of industries, including technology, entertainment, hospitality, financial services, and real estate and construction, among others. Chris Eckrich, a business broker with the Saint Louis Group, holds more than 20 years of experience in real estate, hospitality, and tourism. Al Li is the Founder and Managing Director of Artis Commercial Capital and Artis Marketing Solutions. He has more than 25 years of experience in banking and corporate finance.