ST. LOUIS — The Regional Business Council, one of the region’s key business groups, announced a successor Wednesday for founder, president and CEO Kathy Osborn.
Osborn has led the organization since its inception 25 years ago. Today its members include many of ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ largest businesses.
Osborn will be succeeded by Karen Branding, who has spent the past 13 years at the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Fed, most recently in one of the bank’s top communications roles. Branding will officially begin the job on May 1.
Osborn said in an interview Wednesday that she has been thinking about stepping down for a while. She wanted the organization to be in a strong place for a new leader to take over. The council just finished a new strategic plan, and the organization had time to search for an ideal successor.
“We think we have that, in Karen Branding. She’s absolutely remarkable,†Osborn said.
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Branding currently serves as senior vice president for external engagement and corporate communications at the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Fed. She is also a member and corporate secretary for the bank’s Management Committee.
Before joining the Fed in 2011, Branding was the associate dean of marketing and communications for Washington University’s business school. Before that, she spent 15 years in communications roles at Anheuser-Busch. And before A-B, she was a public policy analyst at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and the Treasury Department in Washington D.C.
Jason Hall, who leads another one of the region’s major business groups, Greater ºüÀêÊÓƵ, said in a statement that his organization has worked with Branding for years during her time at the Fed. He said Branding is “someone who wakes up every day thinking about how to make ºüÀêÊÓƵ a better place.â€
The RBC began as part of the Regional Chamber, but soon spun off into an independent nonprofit. The group has established workforce development networks for young people, assisted with recruitment at area schools, and funded public safety efforts.
Public safety remains a top concern among the region’s business leaders, Osborn said. But, she added, “There’s a sense of more hopefulness around that.†There is excitement, she said, around ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ new police chief. The RBC provides funding for prevention and intervention efforts. And bolstering the region’s education system must be part of the work, she said.
“It’s been a wonderful 25 years,†Osborn said. “I think we have succeeded in getting a much more engaged group of businesspeople working closely with the nonprofit and political sectors — in order to make big things happen for ºüÀêÊÓƵ.â€
Osborn announced her plans to retire to RBC’s board nearly eight months ago. She will continue to serve as its founder and president emeritus. She will help with the transition and continue to work on special projects — the details of which are still being worked out, she said.
“I think we have good leadership. We’re fiscally sound. And we have a real clarity about what we’d like to do for our community,†Osborn said. “I’m very hopeful, truthfully, about ºüÀêÊÓƵ. And I’m excited about my future.â€