Organization also Elected Officers and Extended the Appointment of Existing Board Members at Annual Meeting
Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT) – the region’s transit advocacy organization – has named Elizabeth DeBold Austin, of Clayco Enterprise; Patrick Judge, of Gonzalez Companies; and Rose Windmiller, of Stellar Strategists, as the newest members of its Board of Directors. All three were elected during CMT’s 40th Annual Meeting, held Sept. 13 at the Marriot Grand Hotel in downtown St. Louis, and will each serve a three-year term.
DeBold Austin is the Economic Development Lead at Lamar Johnson Collaborative, a subsidiary of Clayco Enterprise, where she works closely with the executive team and collaborates throughout the organization to promote the comprehensive suite of services offered by the company. Her background also includes roles at EDA Consulting, Green Street Real Estate Ventures, Colliers Turley Martin Tucker, KPMG’s State and Local Tax Practice and the City of Hazelwood.
Judge is the Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at Gonzalez Companies, where he provides strategic vision and leadership, aligning corporate objectives with local operations. He joined the company in 2005 and, over his nearly 20year tenure, has led the impressive transformation of a small, two-person construction company into a highly respected professional engineering and construction management services firm with over 150 employees serving more than 100 clients in 6 office locations and 15 states. Before joining- Gonzalez Companies, Judge served as the Deputy Project Director for the St. Clair County MetroLink Extension and Deputy Construction Manager of Facilities for the Cross County MetroLink Extension.
Windmiller is a Partner at governmental relations consulting firm Stellar Strategists, LLC, and a trusted advisor to leaders in the public and nonprofit sectors. She previously served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Government & Community Relations at Washington University in St. Louis and as Interim Vice Chancellor for the office in 2022-2023, where she was responsible for the university’s public policy agenda at the state level and leadership of the university’s college readiness initiatives.
During the annual meeting, CMT also extended the board appointment of Ryan Arnold, of Ameren Missouri; Cantina Howard, of ATU Local 788; and Joel Fuoss, of Trivers. Each will serve an additional three-year term.
CMT also appointed the following officers: Chair – D’Andre Braddix, of St. Louis Community College; Vice Chairs – Robert Blaine, of Washington University; Nancy E. Cross, of the City of St. Louis; and Sheila Holm, of AARP in St. Louis; Secretary – Ellie Glenn Harmon, of BJC HealthCare; Treasurer – Brandon Flinn, of Missouri and Kansas Laborers District Council; Past Chair – Hart Nelson, of St. Louis Community College; and At-Large – Adella Jones, of the University of Missouri-St. Louis; and Charlie Hinderliter, of St. Louis Realtors.
“CMT is extremely grateful to get to work with each of these individuals,” said Kim Cella, executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit. “Their collective experience, coupled with their diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, will go a long way towards furthering our mission.”