Board Members and Staff
Board Members
Interim President Ed Weisbart MD, CPE, FAAFP is a retired family physician in Olivette MO. After practicing family medicine for 20 years at Rush Medical Center in Chicago, he moved to St. Louis in 2003 to serve as chief medical officer of Express Scripts until retiring in 2010. He volunteers as an assistant professor of clinical medicine at Washington University in St. Louis MO and as Chair of the Missouri chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program, a 33 year-old non-profit non-partisan research and education organization in support single payer Medicare for All.
Weisbart received his medical degree from the University of Illinois in Chicago in 1979 and completed his family medicine residency and a fellowship in family medicine education at Michigan State University in 1982. He is a national speaker with multiple articles published in both national medical journals and local media regarding the healthcare needs of the uninsured.
Joyce Armstrong retired after 26 years as executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri. She is a founding member of the Consumers Council of Missouri and its predecessor, the Utilities Consumer Council of Missouri; serves on the board of the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center, and was a founding member and secretary/treasurer of the St. Louis Beacon, an on-line newspaper.
Tracy McCreery a former businesswoman and lifelong community activist, serves the 88th district in the Missouri House of Representatives. She has spent more than a decade working in Missouri state government in the executive and legislative branches, often assisting constituents with consumer-related issues.
Odester Dixon Saunders formerly with Chemical Bank, NY; Citicorp Mortgage Co.; and Prudential Insurance, has over 30 years advising on financial planning, public policy, real estate and community development. She is founder and managing general partner of LDS Management LLC., curating and producing lifestyle events. She is also a principal of Legacy Footprints Development and Tours.
Cara Spencer serves on the St. Louis City Board of Aldermen, representing the 20th Ward where her work on the board intersects her commitment to consumer issues. In 2016 she passed the country's toughest municipal legislation regulating payday lending and in 2017 led the city-wide campaign to pass its associated fee at the ballot.
Les Sterman has spent a career in public service, much of it leading the East-West Gateway Council of Governments for 25 years, a time during which the agency conceived and planned the MetroLink light rail system and brought a new focus on regional governance and fiscal issues. His primary interests are in transportation policy, social justice issues and regional governance.
Tracy Verner comes to Consumers Council with a rich history of serving low income families by providing access to financial capabilities. She brings experience in both business development and community outreach. Her efforts over the last few years has been in decreasing the number of unbanked households in the St. Louis region.
Georgie Donahue, CCAP is Director Program Administration at Community Action Agency of St. Louis County. In this capacity she provides leadership and direction to various programs serving low-income families, including Case-Management, home-ownership, financial empowerment, LIHEAP and other services. Georgie serves as Co-Chair of the St. Louis Regional Financial Empowerment Coalition, and is a member of the state and national Community Action partnerships.
Shawna Collier is Chief Partnership Officer for Justine Petersen. Shawna’s back ground spans over 26 years in the financial industry working with customers to reach their personal and professional financial goals, supporting and helping small businesses from concept to viability, and working throughout the community with partners and collaboratives that improved the conditions in our communities.
Jeanette Mott-Oxford has been an advocate, educator, writer, and organizer on issues of poverty, health, housing, racism, human rights, equality, and campaign finance reform in Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri since 1983. Oxford has been executive director of two statewide not-for-profits, and was State Representative for a portion of the City of St. Louis from 2005-12. She served as Ranking Member on the Children and Families Committee for most of that time and also as Vice-Chair of Ethics, 2011-12.
Gloria Thirdkill worked for Laclede Gas Company, now known as Spire, for 36 years and retired in 2010. During her tenure at Laclede Gas Company, Gloria worked as Manager of Customer Relations-Community Services, where she worked closely with the Community Action Agencies, Dollar Help, Urban League and other non-profits and churches.
Staff
Executive Director Sandy Padgett
CCM is happy to announce our new Executive Director, Sandy Padgett. Sandy is an experienced Attorney and MSW, who has years of experience in various non-profits, schools and court systems, advocating for families and children. Her leadership, advocacy and legal skills will strengthen Consumers Council's capacity to serve our community.
Director of Advocacy Jacqueline Hutchinson
Jackie served as a board member of Consumers Council since 2008, and stepped down as board chair to serve as temporary Executive Director, after retiring from more than 40 years in Community Action agencies. She is excited to have this new role, as CCM expands its capacity to advocate for the health and safety of vulnerable members of our community.
Utility Consumer Counsel John B. Coffman is a nationally recognized attorney that represents Consumers Council on utility regulation and public policy. He is the former director of the Missouri Office of the Public Counsel and teaches energy utility law as an adjunct professor at Washington University in St. Louis. Coffman is also currently serving as executive director.