A Minute With

By Wendy Todd Getting out of bed every morning was a challenge for James Loehr. Depression, panic attacks and feelings of anger blanketed his existence and made it difficult for him to hold down a job and engage with people. He’d returned home after serving in the Army for eight years, with the last one spent in Iraq. He’d been working in special operations for civilian affairs, where he helped rebuild the area’s infrastructure. The Netflix film, “Sand Castle,” written by one of Loehr’s fellow unit members, Chris Roessner, depicts the team’s experience in Iraq. Loehr’s time in the military made it nearly impossible for him to return to normal life.

“It’s hard to be in the world and not sense danger from everywhere even though I knew I was in America,” Loehr says. “I didn’t live on base. I lived in the population. It was 12 of us and 40,000 Iraqis. I think if I lived on base, it would have been an easier transition. I felt that everyone around me could attack me at any time.” Through therapy and hard personal work, he managed to put himself back together and improve his mental health. After the military, he took on a series of unfulfilling jobs until eventually becoming the executive director of a local church. As part of his duties, he MSW student provided counseling.

JAMES He realized he enjoyed helping people navigate personal crises and could relate

LOEHR from his own traumatic experiences, which led him to being diagnosed with PTSD. uses his experience in the military to serve After working at the church, Loehr became a peer support specialist with the Department of Veteran Affairs, where he counseled other veterans veterans who were also struggling to re-enter civilian life. He felt his lived experience prepared him well for the role, unlike the counselors he’d worked with previously who could not fully relate to his ordeal. He then moved to Phoenix and continued working with the Department of Veteran Affairs, this time assisting homeless veterans. This work gave Loehr direction that grounded him, so he decided to pursue it professionally, a decision fortified by the support he received from his mentor and supervisor, Penny Miller, in the Phoenix VA. He’d earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri–Columbia and decided to pursue a master’s in social work, enrolling in the University of Missouri–St. Louis School of Social Work in the spring of 2021. It proved to be the right place for him. “The way the curriculum is constructed, in my opinion, is phenomenal,” Loehr says. “They are not only building the history of social work and the tools and practices, but the faculty comes from a background of social work. Hearing from professors with real life experience is outstanding.” With arduous and dedicated work, Loehr’s life has turned a bright corner. He has new purpose as a husband and new dad, and is poised to help other veterans climb out of the dark. He’s grateful for the shift and wants other veterans to have the same opportunity. “Because of my background,” he says, “I can help combat veterans. I’m proof that we are able to achieve so much after we get out of uniform.”

YOLANDA ALOVOR

keeps the St. Louis Symphony in tune with equity, diversity and inclusion

By Wendy Todd

Yolanda Alovor believes in St. Louis and its ability to transform into a more inclusive and progressive region. It’s that belief – along with her own interest in bridging communities – that led her back to her hometown to become the newly appointed vice president for external affairs and equity, diversity and inclusion for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. She is only the third person to hold this role in American orchestras. “My interest in equity, diversity and inclusion lies in the importance of our society respecting cognitive diversity, distinctive perspectives and justice for all people,” Alovor says. “I want to help foster diverse and inclusive organizations that value the importance of aiding individuals to reach their full potential, which ultimately builds a strong workforce and culture.” Though Alovor knows that changing behavior is sometimes challenging, that does not impede her efforts to help make the Symphony a more diverse and welcoming organization. EDI work is laborious but is also highly fulfilling. For Alovor personally, the support she received from the University of Missouri–St. Louis while pursuing her PhD in educational research has served her well in her approach to this work. “Much of our research efforts were rooted in human connectivity,” Alovor says. “How do we find ways of connecting learners from a fundamental human standpoint? By that, I mean finding connection with that individual based on this essence of who we are as people. And that's the way I see diversity. I see it as this large umbrella of identities and differences, but human connectivity is at its core.” Connecting people through art and music underpins the goal of the Symphony’s external affairs initiatives. Widening the doors of the organization to invite diverse musicians and conductors and explore different interpretations of classical works while making the genre more accessible to the public is an institution-wide priority Alovor is excited to lead. The orchestra also has a variety of community partnerships and educational programs to help broaden the cultural palate and talent of youth. Internally, Alovor is finalizing a 2022-23 EDI strategic action plan and developing training that includes shifting to shared language to accurately identify EDI issues. She will also conduct audits to pinpoint areas of strength and growth for the SLSO. Alovor is aware of the challenges in the region and the history of classical music being reserved for an elite group, but she’s a woman of faith, and she believes change is possible. “I think we as a society have started the ball rolling,” Alovor says. “We are having these conversations about how to articulate exactly what microaggressions, biases, predispositions and characterizations are. But now, there has to be action behind that. Creating a sense of belonging starts with embracing a growth mindset and valuing the diversity of thought. Our mission embraces this idea of belonging, and I am pleased to lead and work hand in hand with our leaders at the SLSO to further these efforts.”

MARK NAZETTA

shapes his leadership roles in UMSL’s inaugural Online MBA cohort

By Mabel Suen

Mark Nazetta was only nine months into the University of Missouri–St. Louis College of Business Administration’s Online MBA Program when he accepted a position as vice president of wholesale and institution at Carrier Enterprise. He now balances a busy schedule, splitting time between his company office in Lenexa, Kansas, traveling his region and his home office in St. Louis, but he’s found himself applying valuable concepts from the 100% online curriculum to his everyday business practices. Tentatively set to graduate in December 2022, Nazetta can already credit his fast career acceleration to the skills he’s learned as part of the program’s inaugural cohort. The 18-month program has significantly advanced his sales leadership skills across organizations that specialize in commercial and residential heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and components. Nazetta, who graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2005 with a degree in management and human resources, cut his teeth at industrial supply distributor Fastenal, where he eventually worked his way up to Midwest regional sales manager. “When I started out at Fastenal, I worked under a manager who gave me all kinds of different experiences, from working in the warehouse to sales and management,” Nazetta says. “I learned early on that was where I wanted to go – leading people was something I was really passionate about.” He had moved on to Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions in the White-Rodgers division when he decided to pursue his MBA and push his career development to the next level. “The program really appealed to me because of the flexibility it gave me to work on my work-life balance. That was where UMSL really stood out,” Nazetta says. “They use a tremendous amount of technology that allows you to collaborate with fellow cohorts and work at your own pace.” Today, in his role at Carrier Enterprise, Nazetta manages wholesale and institutional customer segments with an operations and sales focus for the business, driving sales processes and strategies amongst brick-and-mortar locations and applying those to customers in those segments. He provides leadership and strategic support to all personnel in his department, with an emphasis on employee development. Nazetta has picked up plenty of real-life knowledge from the MBA program to apply to his current professional role. Topics have included everything from privacy law to supply chain strategies, enabling students to think differently about how to approach new challenges in today’s everchanging environment. “I think it’s a really great compressed program,” Nazetta says. “For me, waiting for as long as I did to start my MBA has really benefited me. I was able to get experience in the field for years before taking the program and then apply what I’ve learned. Full transparency: It’s a lot of heavy lifting, but it’s worth it.”

Photo by Joseph Roberts/Emerson

MYRINA “RENAISSANCE” OTEY-MYTON

tells the stories of unsung Black women through photography

By Timothy Wombles

In a picture by photographer Myrina “Renaissance” Otey-Myton, a model, clothed in white and gold, sits self-assuredly on the ledge of a vivid red bathtub with matching wall tiles. Her gaze is arresting, emanating confidence and poise. The photo, recreated from a 1940s image of Black Fashion Museum founder Lois K. Alexander Lane, is powerful and immediate but recalls history. It is part of a women-led visual project Otey-Myton started in 2018 as a business student at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. The annual project, Her Eminent Reign (H.E.R.), highlights women of color like Lane whose achievements may be less known. Through her photography, Otey-Myton not only wants to highlight women who have come before, but address stereotypes in images of Black women on social media, which she finds generally hypersexualizing. “There is so much more to women of color,” Otey-Myton says. “I had to change this narrative.” The H.E.R. project has blossomed since inception, with the latest series featured at the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. But success hasn’t been a straight line for Otey-Myton, who recalls her undergraduate experience at UMSL as not without struggle, including having to send her children to stay with their father so she could finish school. “It was the ultimate sacrifice for me,” Otey-Myton says. While at UMSL fulfilling her longtime dream of getting her degree, Otey-Myton also started her photography company, TJS Photography by Renaissance TJS. She quickly found being a full-time student while also starting her entrepreneurial journey was a challenge. “I was broke-on-broke, and the struggle was real,” she says. However, she found life-changing support at the university. “Because of what UMSL did for me,” Otey-Myton says, recounting the assistance of UMSL staff members who helped her find campus lodging when she needed it or food when times were lean, “I have so much pride in being a Triton.” As a student at UMSL, Otey-Myton seized opportunities. She applied for scholarships widely, getting many, and served as president of the Black Business Student Association and treasurer of the Student Government Association. The skills and experiences she had along the way helped Otey-Myton mold her approach to business and art. Otey-Myton likens her shoots to photo-therapy sessions, describing the high-touch service she provides, including not only hair, makeup and set design, but also intimate conversations and lasting memories. “We have a team of Black women to lift you up, empower you, make you feel beautiful,” Otey-Myton says. After delivering a lecture at TEDx St. Louis this October, Otey-Myton is hard at work preparing next year’s H.E.R. series, which will have a female warrior theme. Some of her photos will be on display inside St. Louis Lambert International Airport starting in 2023, and she is launching a tech company, MWANZO, that will leverage the power of blockchain by bridging NFTs with travel and tourism for the city of St. Louis. It certainly hasn’t been easy, but Otey-Myton credits the people around her for her success. Her advice to struggling students is not to correlate their bank accounts with their worth.