Leadership

Reona Wise

BS, MPA

CEO

“My commitment to the community is to make a positive impact, transform lives, and offer my God-given gift to be of service to others… As CEO of Guardian Angels Settlement Association, I will continue the work.”

Matthew LeDuc

Chief Impact Officer

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead.

Matt is the Chief Impact Officer at Guardian Angel Settlement Association. Prior to his current role, Matt served as a Caseworker, Development Associate, Director of Grants and Evaluation, and Interim CEO. Matt received a B.A. (Anthropology) from the University of Michigan and an M.A. (Anthropology) from George Washington University. It was at GWU that Matt met his future wife, Amy, and together they relocated to St. Louis. They have two wonderful kids – Avery and Evan – and a not-so-wonderful cat, Charlie. In his spare time (ha!), Matt likes to try his hand at backyard gardening.

Kirsten Brauch

BA, MA

Senior Director of Development

brauchk@gasastl.org

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Kirsten Brauch is currently the Senior Director of Development at Guardian Angel Settlement Association. After nine years working in public education, Kirsten made the leap into the Nonprofit Development world five years ago. Kirsten is a mission-driven, goal-oriented, and resilient individual who puts whole heart and effort into every project. With a B.A. and M.A. in Secondary Education from Maryville University, and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Webster University, Kirsten thrives in leadership roles, especially involving fundraising, marketing and communication, implementing large-scale events, and inspiring the community to find meaningful ways to give back. Kirsten also excels at relationship building, especially when building corporate/community partnerships and collaborating with colleagues. In the evenings, Kirsten teaches a leadership class for neurodiverse adults that focuses on social and workplace skills through iSocial. She also loves spending time with her husband and dogs, hiking, singing, and cooking vegetarian food.

Samantha Simpson

MSW, LCSW

Senior Director of Programs

QUOTE COMING SOON!

Samantha Simpson is the Senior Director of Programs at Guardian Angel Settlement Association, bringing over 12 years of leadership experience in nonprofit management, social work, and program development. In her role, she provides strategic oversight for a wide range of services, including family support, programs for older adults, trauma recovery, clinical services, and community outreach.

A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Samantha holds advanced training in High Fidelity Wraparound, DBT, MDFT, and Motivational Interviewing. She is a dedicated advocate for families, working tirelessly to connect them with vital resources, amplify their voices, and remove barriers that impact their well-being. Throughout her career, she has built strong partnerships with community organizations, government agencies, and funders to ensure programs are responsive, sustainable, and impactful.

Passionate about empowering individuals and strengthening communities, Samantha blends clinical expertise with strategic leadership to create meaningful change.

Outside of her professional work, she enjoys taking on extreme DIY projects and bringing her creative visions to life.

Gyvonne Dawkins MHRD

Senior Director of Operations

“Human, not financial capital, must be the starting point and ongoing foundation of a successful business strategy. For you can have the best strategy, but if you don’t have the right people to initiate that plan, you just end up with a dream.”

Gyvonne Dawkins is the Sr. Director of Operations at Guardian Settlement Association. She is responsible for people operations and managing the day-to-day systems and processes across the organization. As a seasoned professional with more than 20 years of HR management and business operations, she possesses the unique ability to problem-solve, maximize operations, and deliver high performance. Around GASA she is famous for her “to-do list” and she gets the job done.
Her educational background includes a Master of Science in Human Resource Development from Villanova University with a certification in HR Business Partnership, a Bachelor of Theology from Advantage College, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Robert Morris University. When she is not devoting herself to fulfilling the Mission of Guardian Angel, she enjoys serving her community through ministry, helping the homeless, educating, promoting racial equality, and working with the Illustrious ladies of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

Guardian Angel Board Members

Ayanna Pierce

Board Chair

Vice President, Benefits and Talent Relations, Mercy

Amy Murray

Vice Chair

Director, Strategy Operations at ICF

Dave Heger

Finance Chair

Equity Analyst, Edward Jones

Bill Hinderer

Secretary

Retired

Lynn Davis – Chief of Staff, RubinBrown

Sr. Mary Catherine Dunn – Daughters of Charity

Hon. Ellen Wyatt Dunne – Associate Circuit Judge, St. Louis County Circut Courts

Rachel Hensold – Crowne Center for Senior Living Client Services Director

Warren Holmes – Principal, COO & CCO, Conway Investment Research

Jimmie Howlett – Impact Capital Manager, AVP, US Bankcorp Community

Edward Hussman – Sr. Director Finance Operations, Copeland

Anwar Lee – Commercial Credit Analyst II, People’s National Bank

Jessica Meyer – BJC HealthCare Manager, Operations & Administration, Community Health Improvement

Amanda McClerren – Senior Vice President and Head of Plant Biotechnology, Bayer

Mary Beth Portuese – Associate Vice President, Market Internal Communications, Ascension

Joe Solari – Vice President, Customer Experience, Ameren

Christopher Sullivan – University of Missouri-St. Louis E. Desmond Lee Professor and Department Chair