President: Tracey Jeffries
Secretary: Vanetta Cobbs
Vice-President: Joshura Davies
Treasurer: Shirley Emerson
Board of Directors: Tracey Jeffries, Vanetta Cobbs, Shirley Emerson, & Ella Jones
Mayor Ella Jones, Founder and Member of the Board of Directors
The founder of Community Forward, Inc., Ella Jones, was elected by the people to be the 12th Mayor of the City of Ferguson. Her election made history and was widely covered in the local and national press. On June 17, 2020, Jones was sworn in as the first black and female mayor of Ferguson.
Ella M. Jones has been a Ferguson resident for more than 40 years; widowed with one daughter. Ella graduated from the University of Missouri at St. Louis with a B.A. Degree in Chemistry. She was certified by the American Chemical Society as a high-pressure liquid chromatographer and completed training as a pharmacy technician. Ella’s previous employers include Washington University School of Medicine, in the Biochemistry Molecular Bio-physics Department, and KV Pharmaceutical Company as an Analytical
Chemist. Before being elected to the Council, Ella completed training in municipal leadership from the Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life at the University of Missouri at St. Louis. After being elected to the Council, Ella pursued additional education from the Municipal Governance Institute sponsored by the Missouri Municipal League and earned a certificate as a Municipal Official, and serving her second term on the Environmental, Energy and Sustainable Development Committee.
After 30 years of being a Mary Kay Sales Director and served 22 years as a Pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Ella resigned her Mary Kay Directorship to serve her community full time. Ella serves the community in numerous capacities. She is a member of the Boards of the Emerson Family YMCA and of the St. Louis MetroMarket. St. Louis MetroMarket is a decommissioned bus that was retrofitted as a mobile farmers’, market to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to underserved communities. As a Council Member, Ella served as a council representative on the following commissions and boards: Human Rights, Traffic, Landmarks, Senior Citizens, Parks, and West Florissant Business Association. Ella is Chairperson of the Annual UNITY Weekend, which provides school supplies and support services to families with children attending schools in the districts serving Ferguson. Ella collaborates with the Samaritan’s Feet Organization, during their National Day of Service Event held every January in Ferguson to provide stylish athletic shoes to children in the school districts serving Ferguson.
Sharon Pace, Member-At-Large
Mayor Pace is the first woman elected in April 2021 as Mayor of the great city of Northwoods. She is a public servant and has served her community and others in various capacities. Mayor Pace was formerly Missouri State Representative-District 74 until she termed out in 2016. Prior to that she served as Alderwoman of the city of Northwoods for 9+ years and was employed in the Healthcare industry that spans over thirty years, including in an administrative capacity at hospitals in Missouri and Illinois.
She is proud to be one of the members at the inception of Community Forward Inc. (CFI) and former Vice President. She is honored to continue to serve as Member-at-Large on the CFI Board of Directors and has community interest at heart.
She has a passion for issues relative to Healthcare, Education, Economy, and vows to work diligently to alleviate the perils that exist.
Don C. Logue, Member-at-Large
Mr. Logue has over forty years of experience advising both public and private organizations on strategic solutions in community development and healthcare issues.
He began his career working in Nashville, Tennessee, as a financial information systems specialist in international manufacturing but transitioned back to his home state of Illinois to be closer to family and work in community economic development. As City Coordinator of Springfield, Illinois, he spearheaded a number of public/private partnership efforts utilizing a variety of innovative marketing and financing techniques.
His work in Springfield introduced him to the growing demand for elderly housing and healthcare services, leading to twenty-two years of work as a turnaround specialist, developing, renovating, and managing troubled healthcare projects scattered throughout the U.S.
Mr. Logue was formerly a licensed nursing home administrator in the states of Florida and Missouri. He is currently licensed as a real estate broker in the state of Missouri. He is an associate member of the Missouri Adult Day Services Association, a founding director of Community Forward, Inc., a North St. Louis County, Missouri, community development organization and member of Washington University’s Institute of Public Health Patient Research Advisory Board.
Lisa Davis
Community Forward Inc. 