Board Spotlight: Leonora Trawick, Thank for Your Service
Though this technology expert had been in St. Louis for more than a decade, she knew little about CASA of St. Louis when she attended a CASA fundraising gala almost 9 years ago.
“I was immediately impressed by CASA’s mission so when a partner at Edward Jones left the board of directors, he suggested I take his place,” recalled Leonora Trawick, who was the chair of the board’s Governance Committee. As a mother, CASA was of particular interest to Leonora as she saw how, through the good deeds of others, children could grow up and make change in the world. “Most children wouldn’t be able to do that without CASA,” Leonora stated.
A native of Pensacola, Fla., Leonora was recruited by Edward Jones in 1995 as soon as she earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.
“Then Edward Jones was a much smaller company. IT was mainly located in one building,” Leonora recalled. Now the company serves about 7 million investors from more than 12,700 U.S. and Canadian branches.
To support that growth, Leonora served as Edward Jones’ Manager of Contingent Workforce and University Recruiting for almost four years---experience she used to assist in the candidate vetting process for the CASA board of directors.
The committee she led includes Kimberley Vuitel, Chair, of the CASA board and Director of Wenger Product Management Victorinox Swiss Army; and new members: Ami Boehlje, Program Manager, Junior Achievement of St. Louis; Patrick Dogan, Compliance Director, Edward D. Jones; and April Ladner, attorney and owner, Ladner Law Firm.
“This team brings great legal, community leadership and organizational experience to CASA,” said, Leonora, who offered strong critical thinking and cross divisional planning skills to CASA, having led the Information Systems Legal and Regulatory team at Edward Jones for the past five years. In this role, she and her team monitored systems designed to protect personal identifiable information and worked to address cyber security threats.
In 2019, Leonora retired from the 24/7 demands of her legal and regulatory role to focus on her two children. “I actually had time to spend spring break in Tampa, Florida, with my daughter and her friends,” she said. Recently, she joined a Zoom baking group, and they make everything from bread to crumpets every Monday morning.
However, Leonora remains passionate about developing skills and helping others create and achieve their aspirations and identifying ways to streamline and automate processes, as CASA has helped her in that way. While she served as a leader for over 17 years, Leonora explained how being on CASA’s board allowed her to develop additional skills and network with leaders of various backgrounds. When asked what she’d say to others interested in being involved with CASA, Leonora stated, “When you have an opportunity to make an impact from behind the scenes and bring awareness to others [about CASA], you can’t help but to be part of that.” Leonora has spent six years sharing her time, talent and treasure with CASA! As her term of service on our board comes to an end, we want to express our gratitude for her dedication to CASA.