St. Louis Public Radio has added six new members to its advisory board, Friends of St. Louis Public Radio, for 2019: Sara Yang Bosco, Tom Eschen, Linda Honigfort, Charlotte Martin, John Nguyen and Jonathan Smith.
Sara Yang Bosco is the senior vice president, secretary and general counsel for Emerson, appointed in 2016. She is responsible for Emerson’s legal affairs, as well as providing legal counsel on a wide range of matters. Bosco began her career at Emerson in 2005 as general counsel and was appointed as president of Emerson’s Asia-Pacific region in 2008.
Bosco received her Juris Doctorate from Indiana University Bloomington and in 2014 was named to its Academy of Law Alumni Fellows, the highest honor bestowed by the university’s Maurer School of Law. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from the University of Notre Dame.
She brings legal and organizational expertise to the Board along with a passion for supporting public radio.
Tom Eschen retired from Maryville University in May 2018 after serving 10 years as vice president for institutional advancement, concluding a 43-year career in education. Under Eschen’s leadership, corporate giving and alumni participation doubled while total fundraising at Maryville University increased nearly four-fold.
Eschen’s 38 years in development include previous positions at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Webster University, Lindenwood University, De Smet Jesuit High School and KWMU. During his career, Eschen directed and participated in numerous alumni, development and advancement initiatives and programs.
Eschen holds a journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, a teaching certificate from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a master’s degree in communications from St. Louis University. He will provide invaluable input in helping direct the Board's fundraising and engagement efforts.
Linda Honigfort has been an active member of the St. Louis Public Radio community for many years. She has long served the station as one of its most engaged and supportive members.
Prior to her previous term on the St. Louis Public Radio Board, Honigfort served on the board of directors for Siegel-Robert, Inc. and ran her own photography business. She brings years of community engagement and service around the city as well as talents in sales, marketing and other board memberships.
Charlotte Martin also returns to the St. Louis Public Radio Board. She is a senior executive with a track record of achieving business results by building client and employee-centric cultures. She has received numerous recognitions and awards throughout her career.
In addition to St. Louis Public Radio, Martin is an investor and mentor for Prosper Women Entrepreneurs Startup Accelerator. She offers extensive business acumen and years of entrepreneurial success in St. Louis.
John Nguyen is the chief marketing officer at SSM Health. He oversees marketing and communications across SSM Health, including enhancing brand awareness, managing corporate reputation, producing integrated marketing campaigns, delivering effective internal and external communications, facilitating market research and leading in-house creative and digital services.
Nguyen has over 15 years of marketing and communications experience. He joined SSM Health in 2010 and initially served as the St. Louis region’s creative/communications manager and later as the system’s executive director of communications. Prior to SSM Health, Nguyen worked for Catholic Charities, where he oversaw strategy for development, marketing and communications projects.
Nguyen received his bachelor’s degrees in communications/journalism and English composition from Truman State University and a master of business administration from Webster University. He brings over a decade of marketing expertise to the Board along with communications knowledge, including efforts around branding, digital marketing and market research.
Jonathan Smith, Ph.D., is the vice president for diversity and community engagement at St. Louis University. He provides leadership on the Clock Tower Accords and offers support to the president's diversity council. Smith is an advocate for programming that promotes cultural competency, literacy and fluency, and racial, gender and cultural support.
Smith has been a distinguished faculty member at St. Louis University since 2002. He has served as an assistant professor and community liaison in the African American Studies program. He leads the campus in defining goals, developing strategies and creating assessment plans in the area of diversity and inclusion.
The 2019 officers of the St. Louis Public Radio Board are:
- Diane Katzman, President
- Nancy Hawes, Vice President
- Charlotte Martin, Secretary
- Brad Bishop, Treasurer