Leadership Milestones
- We celebrated Mosaic's Founding Executive Director Betsy Cohen as she transitioned from her role after 12 years of building a nationally recognized initiative.
- In March, Suzanne Sierra stepped into the Executive Director role, ushering in a new chapter of regional collaboration toward welcoming and retaining global talent.
- Annie Mbale was promoted to Program Manager, strengthening Mosaic’s capacity to deliver programs and deepen community connection.
Growing the Global Talent Pipeline
International Student Hiring Challenge – Successful Launch
Nine companies in St. Louis City and County joined Mosaic’s first-year hiring challenge, resulting in 12 international students participating in internships and one full-time hire. This initiative gives employers a practical, easy on-ramp to hiring international talent who don't require sponsorship. A standout moment from the internship challenge: some of our interns gathered for a special meet-and-greet with Mayor Cara Spencer and County Executive Sam Page at this year's Growing Global. We’re grateful for the leadership and support that helped make this experience possible. More information here.
Elevating the Conversation Around Hiring International Talent
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STLToday’s "Winning STL" podcast featured a conversation with ED Suzanne Sierra about the economic benefits of hiring internationally trained employees.
- Katie Anderson, Assoc. Mgr. of HR for True Manufacturing, joined Suzanne on the World Trade Center-St. Louis' Engage in Trade Speaker Series for a conversation about True's success hiring refugees and creating a sustainable new talent pipeline.
- WashU CAPS EMPOWER program has helped hundreds of immigrants with English up skilling and obtaining certificates in data analytics, healthcare and more. Mosaic has offered participants Career & Professional Development and made several introductions to potential employers. More to come in the new year.
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130 news stories posted in the News section of our website about the region's foreign-born leaders and initiatives, ensuring people across the region continue to see, read and hear about immigrants' economic impact.
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IMSTL, founded and operated in 2017 by Annie Schlafly and Susan Gobbo as an independent non-profit, has helped hundreds of international women and their families acclimate deeply to St. Louis and start or build careers. Now the program will be fully operated by Mosaic, strengthening alignment with employer partners and expanding pathways that connect global talent to opportunity.
Supporting Entrepreneurs & Small Businesses
Multi-Ethnic Chamber Mixer – Year 3
The annual Multi- Ethnic Chamber mixer brought together business members and supporters of the Hispanic, Asian, Afghan, African and Heartland St. Louis Black Chamber of Commerce. The goal is to foster awareness about potential suppliers and vendors, while sharing resources and information that empower business growth and expansion. Mosaic is excited to deepen this work in 2026. Please let us know if you'd like to get involved.
Regional Awards & Recognitions
We celebrate outstanding partners and leaders recognized this year:
- Annie Mbale named a St. Louis Business Journal Diversity Champion & honored by Missouri Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) for small business support.
- Martha Garcia-Kampen (HCC) and Jeff Wade (AACC) shared compelling demographic trends about the growing Latino and Asian populations, at GSL’s Economic Outlook Breakfast.
- Immigrant Home English Learning Program, Vitendo4Africa, WashU CAPS Empower Program and Riz Kahn of Little Angels Foundation were among those honored during FOCUS St. Louis' What’s Right with the Region Awards for their impact and service to the community.
- Diego Abente, Pres. & CEO of Casa de Salud received one of five inaugural Spark Awards from the Missouri Foundation for Health, for visionary Missourians with potential to drive long-term change.
- Ben Molina, Pres.,Hispanic Leaders Group (HLG) received the Power Player Award at the Revolucion Educativa Impacto Changemaker Awards in Kansas City. The award honored Ben's drive, creativity and commitment to lifting others through his work in our state. Ben also serves as Entrepreneurship Prog. Mgr., at Cortex.
- Gilberto Pinela, Dir., St. Louis City Office of New Americans, led the charge with support from Mosaic, International Institute and WashU CAPS EMPOWER in securing a Gateways for Growth (G4G) award from the American Immigration Council and Welcoming America. The grant will fund customized economic research and technical assistance to better quantify the impact of the region's immigrant population.
- Rajiv Gurung, owner of Gurung Bazaar, an international grocery store and pillar of belonging in Dutchtown, received the Immigrant Entrepreneur Award from the Neighborhood Innovation Center. Read his story of resilience and rebuilding.
- The St. Louis African Chamber of Commerce and Vitendo4Africa were honored with the Growing Global Ambassador Award during the World Trade Center’s annual Growing Global luncheon in September, which spotlighted investment and trade opportunities in Africa. The award recognized both organizations for their outstanding efforts in building connections and promoting economic prosperity in both Africa and St. Louis. Accepting the award on behalf of their respective organizations were Dr. Linda Ogbah Faas, President of the African Chamber, and Geoffrey Soyiantet, Founder and Executive Director of Vitendo4Africa.
Who have we missed? Drop us a note so we can continue highlighting our community's leaders.
Storytelling & Community Connection
New Mosaic Website - We debuted an updated, mobile-friendly and more robust website that includes resources for immigrants and those wanting to learn more about our growing international community.
Mosaic Stories – A Growing, Virtual Platform
Mosaic Stories is reintroduced as a monthly video series with one native born St. Louisan interviewing one foreign-born St. Louisans about their stories and experiences.
STLParaTi – Showcasing Latino Leadership & Strength
In a little more than a year, Mosaic's STLParaTi profiled 50 area Latino business owners and leaders, launched a monthly e-newsletter, and reached thousands of followers. The region's only bilingual platform for Latinos continues to elevate voices and celebrate success across the region. Connect with us on IG and FB and sign up for updates.
Thinksgiving with Filament
Mosaic was selected as one of 30 nonprofits to participate in Thinksgiving, a day-long creative-thinking exercise where businesses bring outside perspective and expertise to address one issue. Thanks to our partner team from Millipore Sigma who showed us solutions we hadn't considered.
Walking in Gratitude
Mosaic joined the International Institute, Asian Chamber, African Chamber and the Afghan Chamber to walk together in gratitude during this year’s Thanksgiving Parade, a heartwarming moment of visibility and shared pride.
Thank You!
Thank you for standing with Mosaic and for believing in a St. Louis where every newcomer belongs, contributes, and thrives. We look forward to all we'll accomplish together in 2026!
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