regional business council | Karen Branding has been named the nonprofit’s new president and CEO. She succeeds Kathy Osborn, who will serve as founder and president emeritus. Branding worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis for 13 years, serving as a senior vice president for external engagement and corporate communications. Before joining the bank, she served as associate dean of marketing and communications for Washington University’s Olin Business School and held various leadership positions at Anheuser-Busch.

Emmett Williams
Brett Smith

   

cinema saint louis
The film nonprofit has welcomed two new team members. Emmett Williams will serve as director of festival curation and education. He brings with him more than 25 years of experience as a television producer, film curator and documentary filmmaker. Brett Smith has been appointed director of theater programming and operations. He has more than 30 years of experience at international film and media exhibition venues and educational institutions, including roles at Washington University and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

st. luke’s
The health system has hired Jon Vitiello as its new chief financial officer. Vitiello has more than 30 years of experience in health care, having served in several leadership roles with Mercy and Affordable Care. Most recently, he was the chief financial officer for CheckedUp, Inc., a patient education company.

mercy
Michael Englehart has been named president of cardiovascular services across the health care system. He brings almost three decades of experience as a business and strategic health care leader, having served as chief executive officer at a national cardiovascular practice and holding leadership positions at health systems, such as Advocate Health, Trinity Health and Presence Health. Englehart earned a master’s in organizational leadership from Lewis University and a master’s in business administration from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.

kirkwood high school
The Kirkwood School district has approved the recommendation of Alex Clark as the high school’s new assistant principal. Clark currently serves as the associate principal at Riverview Garden High School. He has been with the Riverview Garden School District since 2010, when he began as a history teacher. Clark has a bachelor’s degree in history education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a master’s in education in educational administration from University of