The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis is pleased to announce and welcome new members and officers to the board of directors effective June 3, 2025. Joining the board are Samantha Schrage Bunk, Matt Newlin, Trina Owens Rogers, and Peter Werner. Below are brief biographies of The Scholarship Foundation’s new board members and new officer announcements.
Samantha Schrage Bunk is a health policy strategist with Missouri Foundation for Health. Previously, Sami worked at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri and was an adjunct professor at Saint Louis University School of Law. Sami’s bachelor’s degree is from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, and she earned her JD from Saint Louis University in 2016.
Matt Newlin is currently a Senior Education Designer with Education Design Lab, where he works specifically with rural communities. Matt has devoted his career to higher education, including positions in financial aid at Washington University, developing first-generation student support resources and debt management programs, working as adjunct professor and dissertation advisor, and consulting with those working with rural students. He is the creator and host of the Rural College Student Experience podcast. Matt’s bachelor’s degrees are in communication and English from Mizzou. He completed a master’s in higher education administration at UMSL and his doctorate in higher education leadership at Maryville University.
Trina Owens Rogers works as CFO for The Charity CFO, where she provides accounting services to nonprofits across the country. Prior to this role, she served as Director of Finance and Administration at St. Vincent’s Home for Children, and as Director of Accounting at Eden Theological Seminary. She has also held accounting roles with several St. Louis-area nonprofits, including the Urban League and Parents as Teachers.
Peter Werner is a nonprofit consultant. Since leaving his career on Wall Street more than 25 years ago, Pete has been working in the nonprofit sector in St. Louis and has been a nonprofit consultant since 2015. He has also served as consultant or board member to numerous educational and youth development programs in St. Louis. Pete has been a supporter, advocate, and informal ambassador for The Scholarship Foundation for more than ten years. Pete and his wife, Linda, have created scholarships with The Scholarship Foundation specifically focused on access for low-income students and opportunity equity. Pete earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from City University of New York, Queens College.
New board officers for 2025-2026 are April Mickens Jolly, who will serve as Vice President of Program; John Milonas, who will serve as Vice President of Advancement; David A. Meyer, who will serve as Treasurer; and Cardelia Collier-Robinson, who will serve as Member-At-Large. They join Tom Ruwitch (President), Debra Kennard (Vice President of Advocacy), and Beth-Anne Yakubu (Secretary).
