Industry Councils

How is your community reflected in our work? Directors and advisory council members share their perspectives. Watch the videos and read the blogs.

The St. Louis Fed's four industry councils help to build a consistent line of communication between our staff and industry representatives. Council members' observations complement data and information developed through the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, and their keen insights on the economic conditions affecting their businesses, organizations and industries help to inform discussion at Federal Open Market Committee meetings. The councils were created in 2006; they meet twice a year.

Each council is based at one of our offices and represents an industry critical to the Eighth Federal Reserve District:

Agribusiness - Little Rock, Ark.
Health Care - Louisville, Ky.
Real Estate - St. Louis
Transportation - Memphis, Tenn.

Agribusiness

Bruce L. Ahrendsen
Professor, University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture and Bumpers College
Fayetteville, Ark.
Little Rock Zone
Jamie Anderson
Vice President, I.F. Anderson Farms Inc.
Lonoke, Ark.
Little Rock Zone
Sharon Furches
Owner, Furches Farms Partnership
Murray, Ky.
Louisville Zone
Dominique Gumirakiza
Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics, Department of Agriculture and Food Science, Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Ky.
Louisville Zone
Blake Hankins
Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer, Hankins Inc.
Ripley, Miss.
Memphis Zone
Jennifer H. James
Owner, H&J Land Co.
Newport, Ark.
Little Rock Zone
Wade Litton
President and CEO, Wade Inc.
Greenwood, Miss.
Memphis Zone
Carter Malloy
Founder and CEO, AcreTrader
Fayetteville, Ark.
Little Rock Zone
Kathleen Roberts
Senior Vice President, Institutional Recovery Management, CoBank
St. Louis
St. Louis Zone
Shari Rogge-Fidler
President and CEO, Farm Foundation
Oak Brook, Ill.
St. Louis Zone
Adriano Santos
Vice President, Global Licensing and Business Development, Bayer
St. Louis
St. Louis Zone
Ashley C. Smith
Co-Founder and CEO, Black Soil KY
Lexington, Ky.
Louisville Zone

Health Care

Rhamy Alejeal
Founder and CEO, People Processes
Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis Zone
Carla Balch
Founder and CEO, Spesana Inc.
Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis Zone
Nick Barto
President, BJC Health System
St. Louis
St. Louis Zone
Zach Chandler
Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp.
Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis Zone
Julie Erickson
President and CEO, Rx Outreach
St. Louis
St. Louis Zone
Diana Han
Chief Health and Wellbeing Officer, Unilever
Louisville, Ky.
Louisville Zone
Lisa M. Klesges
Professor and Founding Dean Emeritus, University of Memphis, School of Public Health
Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis Zone
Leanne L. Lefler
Professor and Associate Dean for Research, University of Memphis, Loewenberg College of Nursing
Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis Zone
Pearl Anna McElfish
Director, Office of Community Health and Research, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Springdale, Ark.
Little Rock Zone
Brandy N. Kelly Pryor
Founder and CEO, BKP Strategies
Louisville, Ky.
Louisville Zone
George Renaudin
President, Medicare and Medicaid, Humana
Louisville, Ky.
Louisville Zone
Troy Wells
President and CEO, Baptist Health
Little Rock, Ark.
Little Rock Zone
Casey Willis
COO, National Park Medical Center
Hot Springs, Ark.
Little Rock Zone

Real Estate

William “Bill” Burns
Broker/Owner, RE/MAX FIRST
Jeffersonville, Ind.
Louisville Zone
Andy Cates
Chairman and Principal, Colliers International-Memphis
Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis Zone
Lisa C. Ferrell
Founder, President and CEO,
North Bluffs Development Corp.
North Little Rock, Ark.
Little Rock Zone
J.T. Ferstl
President, Ferstl Valuation Services
Little Rock, Ark.
Little Rock Zone
Nate Johnson
Broker, RedKey Realty Leaders
St. Louis
St. Louis Zone
Greg M. Joslin
Senior Broker, Colliers International Arkansas
Little Rock, Ark.
Little Rock Zone
Joshua Poag
President and CEO, Poag Shopping Centers LLC
Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis Zone
Lester T. Sanders
Chair of Past Presidents, Kentucky REALTORS®
Louisville, Ky.
Louisville Zone
Melissa Setser
President and CEO, The DESCO Group
St. Louis
St. Louis Zone
Madison C. Silvert
President, The Malcolm Bryant Corp.
Owensboro, Ky.
Louisville Zone
Greg Spillyards
Managing Director and CEO, Cushman & Wakefield | Commercial Advisors
Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis Zone

Transportation

Terry Blue
President and CEO, Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority
Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis Zone
Aaron S. Burkes
CEO, Northwest Arkansas National Airport
Bentonville, Ark.
Little Rock Zone
Bryan Day
Executive Director, Little Rock Port Authority
Little Rock, Ark.
Little Rock Zone
Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge
Director of Airports, St. Louis Lambert International Airport
St. Louis
St. Louis Zone
Bertram C. “Bert” Hodge
General Manager, Heritage Ford
Corydon, Ind.
Louisville Zone
Stephanie Ivey
Director, Southeast Transportation Workforce Center, University of Memphis
Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis Zone
Stacey Lyons
Senior Manager, Compliance Asset Management, Canadian National Railway
Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis Zone
Shannon Newton
President, Arkansas Trucking Association
Little Rock, Ark.
Little Rock Zone
Nihad “Nick” Sinanovic
President, Vega Transport
St. Louis
St. Louis Zone
John Waggoner
Vice Chairman, Hornblower Group
New Albany, Ind.
Louisville Zone
Brent Wood
President, Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis
St. Louis
St. Louis Zone