Antoinette (Toni) Temporiti, CPPS Founder and President
The founder of MicroFinancing Partners in Africa, Sr. Toni is a Sister of the Most Precious Blood of O’Fallon, MO, since 1972.
Dick Arnoldy Chair
A native St. Louisan, Dick has spent 35 years in the construction industry in St. Louis and is the founder of ARCO Construction Company. Dick and his wife, Nancy, married for 38 years, have four children.
Gary Balke
Gary Balke is the founding partner of Balke Brown Associates, a company which he has grown from a single person venture to an organization with three offices. He is Chairman and a member of the Board of Directors. He builds relationships with key contacts, facilitates new business ventures, reinforces the corporate culture, and helps guide and shape the future of BBA. Gary has led his company to complete the construction or renovation of 3.3 million square feet of office, industrial, and retail space. He has held leadership roles with St. Joseph’s Institute for the Deaf, Southwest Bank, and the St. Louis Art Museum.
Patricia Martens Balke, Ph.D.
Pat Balke has over 40 years’ experience in primary Catholic education, primary through post graduate level, is a national and international speaker and workshop leader, and a recognized expert in Sexuality Education in the context of Catholic education. She is the author of a video and print series for grades 5-8, “In God’s Image: Male and Female,” used in over 2000 schools and parishes in seven English-speaking countries. Pat has served as a consultant for the Los Angeles Diocese and Archdioceses of St. Louis, Evansville, Owensboro, and Wilmington. She is an adjunct professor at Aquinas Institute. Pat earned her PhD in Psychological Foundations and her Masters in Counseling from St. Louis University and her BS in Psychology from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.
Mark Cammarata Treasurer
Mark is the CFO for Sunset Transportation, Inc and has been involved with MPA since 2008. He is also Chair of the Finance Committee. Mark and his wife, Heather, have a daughter and son.
Liz Grana, Esq.
Liz Grana, Esq., is an attorney with Behr, McCarter & Potter, PC. Prior, she served as a legal intern for the Hon. E. Richard Webber of the United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri. Liz was born and raised in St. Louis and is an alumnus of Cor Jesu Academy. She earned a BA Political Science, Journalism, and Business Administration Cum Laude from Knox College. Liz is also an alumnus of St. Louis University School of Law, where she won the Judge Robert G. Dowd Sr. Award for Appellate Advocacy. Liz is currently a member-at-large on the board of the Women Lawyers’ Association, a member of the St. Louis County Bar, the Missouri Bar, and the Illinois Bar.
Jim Guest
Jim, a lifelong resident of St. Louis, is retired from Southwestern Bell. He and his wife, Marie, have five sons and five grandchildren.
Susanne Pelikan
A retired teacher, Susanne is also the mother of four and grandmother of four. She was introduced to MPA through the Arnoldys, and is currently serving as Chair of the Development Committee. Susanne also volunteers at Boys Hope Girls Hope St. Louis, and is co-chair of Women for Hope.
Peggy Schaefer
Peggy is a native St. Louis resident and retired consultant Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. She and her husband, Max, have two sons, Nicholas and Christian.
Laura Slay
Happily married to Bob Poli for a quarter century, Laura is president of Slay & Associates, a public relations and marketing communications firm in St. Louis.
Fr. George Ssemmombwe
Originally from Uganda, Fr. George is currently serving as a Priest at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in the City of St. Louis. Fr. George approached Sr. Toni about his home diocese’s programs, and now MPA is partnered with the Masaka Diocese Development Organization (MADDO) for the Cow Project.
Mary Stieven
Mary Stieven is an entrepreneur and designer. She owns her own company, MKS Designs, and is an Allied Member of the American Association of Interior Designers. Mary, her designs, and her company have been featured in St. Louis Homes Magazine and stlmag.com. She has been a benefactor of the University of Missouri—St. Louis and of the Illuminations Gala supporting the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation Cancer Frontier Fund.
Carla Valenti
Carla Valenti is the Executive Vice President, Commercial Lending, at Parkside Financial Bank & Trust. Carla’s primary areas of focus involve privately held middle market businesses, construction lending, and lending to contractors. Prior to Parkside, Carla was group manager and Senior Vice President in the commercial lending division of Southwest Bank after 9 years as President of Missouri State Bank. Equipped with a BSBA and BA from Rockhurst University, Carla is a member of Armstrong Teasdale’s Professional Advancement of Women Program.
Caroljean (CJ) Willie, SC
Sr. Carol Jean serves as the non-governmental (NGO) representative for the Sisters of Charity Federation at the United Nations (UN) in New York. She represents 4,000 Sisters of Charity working in more than 30 countries. One of the issues with which she’s involved at the UN is Social Development, which emphasizes that persons participate in their own development and not have ideas and programs forced up them from external sources.
Debbie Windus
In addition to her involvement with MPA, Debbie Windus runs her own photography and design business and has been a Board Member for Habitat for Humanity and currently works as a volunteer for its special events and the “builds.” Debbie says, “Knowing Sr. Toni’s dedication to MPA and watching her as she travels throughout Africa is infectious. My husband and I have traveled in Africa and are working on an ongoing medical teaching project in Eritrea. MPA seems to be another stepping stone in helping Africa’s people and making a difference in their personal lives and society as a whole.”
