Leadership and Office Volunteers

Madeline Franklin – Executive Director

Madeline Franklin is the founding Executive Director of STL Village. She first became involved with the organization during its exploratory phase. Serving as Executive Director of STL Village is an encore career for her. Madeline’s passion has always been to serve people and she is fulfilling it by supporting the members of STL Village.

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Board of Directors

Natalie Galucia, LMSW, Co-Chair

Natalie Galucia, LMSW is a licensed social worker in the state of Missouri and a passion for working with older adults. She is currently the Assistant Director for the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at the Brown School at WashU, where she most enjoys working on the WashU for Life Initiative. WashU for Life is an initiative that seeks to increase age inclusivity across the campuses of WashU. Prior to this she was a Client Care Manager at Home Care Assistance of MO where she directly managed the in home care of her clients. Ms. Galucia started her career in aging as Member Services Coordinator and then Director of Village to Village Network, a nonprofit focused on aging in place. Ms. Galucia received a BSW from Concordia University in Wisconsin, and her Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis. At Washington University, she concentrated in Gerontology with an emphasis on policy.

Jennifer Higginbotham, MSW, Co-Chair

Jennifer received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and a Master’s in Social Work from Washington University. While at the Brown School of Social Work, Jennifer was first introduced to Independence Center as a practicum student. She was instantly passionate about the Clubhouse Model approach of psychosocial rehabilitation. Jennifer is on the Faculty for Clubhouse Development as well as the Advisory Council for Clubhouse International. She has also been instrumental in mentoring the other Clubhouses in Missouri and initiated the first Clubhouse Coalition in the state. Jennifer received the Mortimer Goodman Mental Health Professional award from NAMI St. Louis. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and is currently the Associate Director of Operations at Independence Center where she has worked for 35 years.

Robert Babione, JD

Robert Babione, JD, moved to St. Louis to attend college. After graduation he remained in St. Louis and worked as a computer programmer for three years and later enrolled in law school. Most of his legal career was related to criminal defense work. Following retirement, Babione spent two years with AmeriCorps in West Virginia. He also enjoyed taking several courses at Forest Park Community College.

Sheila Bassoppo-Moyo, Ed.D.

Sheila Bassoppo-Moyo, Ed.D., is Healthcare Coordinator at the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging, a role she’s held since 2018. Prior to this, she worked at the St. Louis O’Fallon Park YMCA as coordinator of the Active Older Adults group and as a fitness instructor. Sheila was born in St. Louis, attended Vashon High School and completed her secondary education at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. She worked and studied in New York City from 1974 to 1979 where she completed her bachelor’s degree at Barnard College and later graduate work before moving to Zimbabwe with her new husband. There, she worked in consumer affairs and journalism for ten years and returned to the U.S. in 1990. Read More

Richmond “Skip” Coburn

Skip Coburn retired as a senior vice president in commercial real estate after 32 years with Boatmen’s Bank, Nations Bank, and Bank of America. During his career with those banks, he closed hundreds of loans for multi-family housing, office buildings, and retail centers located across the Midwest and Southeast. Locally, he was responsible for a number of impactful projects including the rehabilitation of the Old Post Office in Downtown St. Louis and the first Office building constructed in the CORTEX Bio-Science District. During the last eighteen years of his banking career, he concentrated on the development of numerous affordable multi-family housing projects, serving low-income families, veterans, and homeless individuals. Read More

Connie Frye

Connie Fry is a graduate of the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University. Connie Fry merged her creative nature with her social work training and founded cfk creative in 2007 with a specialty in senior living. CFK Creative is founded upon the mission to make marketing and advertising to older adults honest and straightforward. She serves as a volunteer for the Greater Missouri Alzheimer’s Association as a speaker. 24/7 Helpline Specialist and facilitator for the adult child support group. Connie is optimistic about the future of the graphic design/visual communications business. She believes that one of the challenges for all of us is to stay current and surround yourself with smart people. She believes that what you think and visualize will come up on your life screen and it can be boundless.

Katie MacLean MSW, LCSW

Katie has spent her professional career in social work within health-related organizations, spending five years with the National MS Society and 10 with the Alzheimer’s Association. She is currently working at Saint Louis University in the School for Professional Studies as a Graduate Advisor. She also maintains a private psychotherapy practice, working with caregivers of those with chronic diseases as well as specializing in those living with dementia. She also serves on the board of the Association on Aging with Developmental Disabilities. Originally from Wisconsin, she completed her undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin and earned her Master of Social Work from Saint Louis University. She is also pursuing a Master of Theology from Saint Louis University.

Marcia Mermelstein

Marcia Mermelstein has lived in St. Louis for more than 40 years, raising three daughters here. An educator and social worker, she worked primarily in the Jewish community as a religious school director, youth director, family education director, camp director, and as an Older Adult Information and Referral Specialist at Jewish Family & Children’s Service, answering the "Elderlink St. Louis" phone line. In recent years she served as the first University City Senior Services Coordinator, having first taken a career side-step for three years as the first pastry chef for Winslow’s Home when they opened in 2008. Currently she continues to run a small home-based baking business, Pie in the Sky, specializing in pies. She loves spending time with her five beautiful grandchildren (two of whom live in St. Louis), and she enjoys cooking, reading, knitting, and quilting; she also volunteers as a driver for ITN (Independent Transportation Network) to give rides to older adults, and is as politically active as possible.

Robert “Bob” Puricelli

Robert “Bob” Puricelli is a senior nonprofit executive with 30 years of demonstrated ability to lead diverse teams of professionals and volunteers to new levels of success in a variety of highly regulated organizations. He has a passion for improving the human condition for under-resourced, marginalized, and at-risk populations. Bob is proficient with donor cultivation, engagement, and relationship building with community partners and stakeholders. He is accomplished with building teams to address gaps, create a vision, and implement the infrastructure needed to achieve outcomes. He currently serves as Executive Director of Gene Slay’s Girls & Boys Club of St. Louis.

Brandi Smith

With over 15 years of expertise in Human Resources, Operations, and Project Management and an 18-year tenure at ARCHS (Area Resources for Community and Human Services), Brandi Smith serves as Vice President of Human Resources and Administrative Services, leading a 25-member team overseeing an approximate $35M budget. A results-driven leader, she specializes in talent acquisition, retention, and engagement strategies that strengthen organizational culture and align HR initiatives with business goals. Brandi has transformed HR into a strategic partner at ARCHS by enhancing employee engagement, recognition, and professional development, and by driving operational excellence. Passionate about empowering people, Brandi is dedicated to building workplaces where employees thrive, and organizations grow.

Megan Soto

Megan Soto received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Emporia State University, Koch Business School. She moved to St. Louis in 2019 for an opportunity to run the market as a Director of Business Operations at TEKsystems, where she partners with senior leaders to drive growth, strengthen operational performance, and translate strategy into measurable results across complex, technology-driven environments. She brings deep expertise in aligning teams, building accountability, and scaling execution to support organizational priorities. Known for her direct and authentic leadership style, Megan is focused on creating clarity and impact through data-driven decision-making and strong collaboration. She also brings a forward-thinking perspective and growth mindset to the board, with a focus on expanding membership and enhancing STL Village’s reach and impact. As a member of the STL Village Board of Directors, she is committed to advancing the organization’s mission to help older adults remain connected, supported, and able to live independently in their communities.

Sally Nikolajevich, Board Member Emerita

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