Mark Cochran, Chair: US Bank N.A. Market President, Northwest Missouri and Southwest Iowa. My goal with the endowment is to create a fund that will provide for the perpetual funding of the arts in Saint Joseph and the surrounding area.
Karen Graves has been an active community volunteer in two communities. She is the founder of our annual Trails West! arts festival, past president of the Allied Arts Council and the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, and chaired the endowment drive for the Saint Joseph Symphony. Karen feels the arts bring vitality to a community and stimulate economic activity. The Arts Fund Endowment will provide stability, permanence and help attract grants and other gifts because it will show we are serious about the arts.
Brandon Holle is a Trust Officer within the Private Client Group of US Bank. The preservation of the arts in St. Joseph is critical to ensure that future generations can reap all of the benefits exposure to the arts has to offer which highlights the necessity of the Arts Fund Endowment.
Larry Stobbs is the former Mayor of St. Joseph, Missouri. The Arts Fund Endowment is important in our community because it will level the financial obligations of the arts in St. Joseph, so they are not constantly moving up and down each year, which affects the quality of the arts in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Matthew Tabor is a 1995 graduate of Benton High School, a 1999 graduate of Benedictine College, and a 2003 graduate of Culver-Stockton College. Tabor is currently the head football coach at Benton High School, where he teaches history and physical education.
Donna Turk is a small business owner in St. Joseph, Missouri. As an eighteen year member of RiverSong, a Sweet Adeline International Chorus, I have a deep understanding of the importance of the Art Fund Endowment. Funding for the Endowment is vital to the success and growth of groups like RiverSong, and when funds are not available it causes a ripple effect that ultimately negatively impacts the entertainment provided to the community.