Team
Stefani Weeden-Smith
Director, St. Louis Anchor Action Network
Stefani Weeden-Smith serves as the inaugural director for the St. Louis Anchor Action Network (STLAAN). The Network is committed to driving sustained investment in the people and places in our community impacted by a century of systematic racial and spatial inequities. Prior to her role with the Network, Stefani led Washington University’s approach to partnership at the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement as the assistant director of community engagement. She also served as program director at NCCJ St. Louis where she was instrumental in supporting local school districts and non-profits in building more inclusive and equitable organizations. Stefani earned her Master of Professional Studies at Pratt Institute in Creative Arts Therapy and Creative Development in Brooklyn, New York. A St. Louis native, she loves this city and looks for any opportunity she can to introduce people to new businesses and restaurants in her Tower Grove East neighborhood.
Ifeanyi Ukpabi
Postdoctoral Fellow, St. Louis Anchor Action Network
Ifeanyi Ukpabi is the postdoctoral fellow for the St. Louis Anchor Action Network (STLAAN) at University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL). Ifeanyi received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Georgia State University in 2022. His research focuses on Black communities, race and racism, work and employment, urbanism and urban inequality. His primary research aim is to illuminate the socioeconomic realities of Black communities in the post-Civil Rights era. Therefore, his research focuses on two pillars of socioeconomic life – employment and housing – to understand how racial inequality continues to structure the pathways into middle-class life for Black communities.
University of Missouri - St. Louis Advisors
Todd Swanstrom
Des Lee Prof. of Community Collaboration and Public Policy Administration
Graduate Director, Political Science
Community Innovation and Action Center (CIAC)
Prima Wagan
Senior Manager, Economic Development Projects