Board Meetings

Hugh Eastwood is a St. Louis civil rights lawyer who has won significant jury verdicts for victims of government misconduct, whistleblowers, and those harmed by breach of trust and contract. He has argued before the Missouri Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the Missouri Court of Appeals, and state agencies and commissions. Hugh has served on several non-profit boards, including the boards of Appleseed Missouri and the Greater Dwight Development Corporation, through which he administered a $2.2 million HUD grant. He also co-founded New Leaders Council St. Louis, served as counsel to a 501(c)(4) during the 2008 presidential campaign, and managed the site design competition for rebuilding the World Trade Center at Ground Zero in Manhattan.

Hugh is currently president of the Yale Club of St. Louis and previously chaired the admissions committee for St. Louis applicants to Yale College. He has taught at Yale College and holds a B.A. in History with distinction from Yale College and a J.D. from Yale Law School. Hugh brings a legal perspective to Kairos and believes Kairos’ educational model will expand access to higher education for disadvantaged students.

Chisom Uche manages communications and development for SixThirty, a global FinTech venture fund located in the T-REX building downtown. Prior to SixThirty, Chisom was an analyst for Cultivation Capital's Tech Fund II and ran digital marketing at TopOPPS, a fast-growing St. Louis startup. Chisom completed Venture For America in St. Louis—a prestigious two-year fellowship for entrepreneurs looking to work in startups and create jobs in American cities.

Chisom is on the board of the Provident Young Professionals, whose mission is to promote mental health throughout St. Louis. He also serves as a Big Brother in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri. For the last three years, Chisom has volunteered as the boys basketball coach at Lyon Academy at Blow. Chisom’s investment in Kairos stems from his belief that technology—and the unlimited information it connects us to—can even the playing field for under-resourced students. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis.

Erin Urban is a Financial Analyst for Washington University's Olin Business School. She previously served as the Director of Operations for the Gateway Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, where she was responsible for all administrative functions in Arkansas, Missouri, and Southern Illinois, including office management, facilities and finance, and HR/IT issues. She has also used her experience netting record LLS donations to help support and coordinate the St. Louis March of Dimes.

Erin brings 13 years of experience with non-profit accounting, legal compliance, and contract negotiations to her role as a public trustee. Her firsthand knowledge of nonprofit operations positions her to ensure transparency and policy adherence in Kairos’ organizational reporting. Erin graduated Summa Cum Laude from Washburn University (Topeka, KS) with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in French.

Aaron Jackson is a technology and management consultant at World Wide Technology, the world’s largest technology service provider. At World Wide Technology, Aaron helps companies and nonprofits discover, evaluate, implement, and integrate technology with a focus on people and process. Aaron was previously the Vice President of Solutions Architecture at Keystone Technology. Through his experience, he’s seen firsthand how schools often over-deploy and under-utilize technology. Aaron believes Kairos’ approach—which leverages laptops strategically and incorporates goals and metrics—will meaningfully empower learners.

Aaron serves on the board of Jazz St. Louis. He is also a member of the Young Friends Network of the Children’s Education Alliance of Missouri, and for five years, Aaron volunteered weekly at ByteWorks, a computer literacy program for low-income students ages 9-15. His non-profit experience also includes four years as Event Chair of the Lupus Foundation of America—Heartland Chapter. Aaron holds an MBA from Webster University, a B.A. in Speech Communication from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and several IT certifications and accreditations. Aaron has previously been recognized as one of St. Louis’ “30 Under 30” by the St. Louis Business Journal and as a Leader in Technology by the St. Louis Small Business Monthly.

Amanda Sullivan is an architect, project manager, and technology manager at Fox Architects, a leading St. Louis firm with expertise in innovative coworking environments. With Amanda’s support, Fox Architects has designed or renovated the The Helix—ECT Innovation Center, BJC Sunset Hills Ambulatory Services Expansion, and the Insinkerator Headquarters. Previously, Amanda worked on academic and healthcare projects at HTK Architects in Kansas City and HBE Corporation’s Design-Build Team. Amanda and her team at Fox have helped define Kairos’ space needs and design vision.

Amanda lives in Dutchtown, the neighborhood Kairos hopes to call home. She cares deeply about her community and is active in local organizations such as the Dutchtown West Neighborhood Association, Dutchtown South Community Corporation, and the ward’s Quarterly Newsmagazine (which she helped found). Amanda also organizes a Dutchtown community group (South City Girls) and volunteers for special needs children through “I Run 4 Michael." Amanda earned her B.A. in Architecture from Kansas State University.

Adam Layne is the Director of InspireSTL, Wyman’s educational access and student coaching program. He develops academic coaches who meet weekly with low-income scholars (many from Dutchtown) to advise executive functioning strategies required for private and magnet high schools. He also oversees InspireSTL’s college access panels, ACT prep, and college essay writing workshops.

Adam’s background in social-emotional development informs Kairos’ approach to coaching. Before his current role, Adam taught in St. Louis classrooms for several years, beginning as a Teach For America 2011 Corps Member. He holds a Master’s in Secondary Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a B.B.A in Finance from George Washington University.

Ted Stann is a partner at CFOs4TEC, where he provides CFO services (accounting/finance best practices) to St. Louis’ tech community. He was previously CFO at TopOPPs, the industry leader in sales process management, and Gainsight, Silicon Valley’s fastest growing company. In those roles, Ted set up systems and internal controls for accounting, finance, HR, legal, and payroll; he also oversaw those operations for a combined 150+ employees. Under his guidance, TopOPPs’ investors saw an 18-month 500% return and Gainsight grew from $2MM to $200MM. Ted believes bringing a school like Kairos to south St. Louis, where he grew up, could disrupt the assumptions about education that have failed too many for too long. He’s advised over 100 companies through his fractional CFO work at Stann Financial, and he’s excited to provide similar oversight at Kairos: financial and accounting controls; salary studies and compensation recommendations; valuation of technology; and financial, accounting, budgetary, and HR strategy.

Ted has volunteered on the Parish Council and Capital Campaign Committee of St. Joseph Church, and he fundraises for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He also teaches startup metrics measurement as an adjunct professor at Washington University’s Olin School of Business. Ted holds a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Accounting from Bellarmine University and is a former Missouri State Handball Champion.

Brooks Goedeker is Executive Director of the Midtown Redevelopment Corporation, which has the authority to approve development and financial incentives for St. Louis University's $1 billion of investment between its north and south campuses (400 acres). Previously, he served as Executive Director of Park Central Development, a nonprofit that developed the Cortex Innovation District and oversaw $2.2 billion—about half—of all construction projects in St. Louis City between 2013-2017. In that role, he led the creation of five special taxing districts, including one in our enrollment zone (Bevo Mill), that generate over $2.5 million annually. Brooks served as the community development manager for the Washington University Medical Center Redevelopment Corporation from 2005 to 2013.

Brooks serves on several boards around St. Louis, including the boards of Reliance Bank, St. Louis Community Builders Network, Missouri Botanical Garden District Commission, Urban Land Institute, and as President of the Central West End Neighborhood Security Initiative. He has previously served as an executive board member of the Central West End Association and the Safety and Security Chair of The Grove Community Improvement District. He has also served on board committees for City Garden Montessori, St. Louis Language Immersion School, and the Adams Park Community Center.

Brooks graduated with a B.S. in Psychology and Sociology & Anthropology from Knox College, holds a Master’s in Social Work from St. Louis University, and a Master’s in Nonprofit Management from Washington University in St. Louis. He also serves as an adjunct professor in St. Louis University’s School of Social Work. After cultivating a socioeconomically integrated community in the Grove, Brooks believes Kairos can help do the same in Dutchtown, the neighborhood where he grew up. Brooks lives in Kairos' enrollment zone.