Kelly believes we have a creativity deficit, yet we continue to train generations of leaders to be overly “left-brain” dimensional. What she has learned from working with hundreds of artists over the years is that through the creative process, there are invaluable tools that we can deploy to develop more creative and impactful leadership. In 2022, Kelly Pollock took the helm at the Berges Family Foundation, serving as the Foundation’s first Chief Executive Officer. In that capacity, Pollock guides the Foundation’s philanthropic investments and community partnerships aimed at making St. Louis a great place to live, visit, work, and invest.
Prior to this role, for more than 24 years, Pollock served an integral leader at COCA-Center of Creative Arts. As Executive Director (2010-2022), she expanded COCA’s impact through innovative programs, significantly grew its reserves and endowment, and forged key partnerships. Committed to using the arts to address inequities, she shaped COCA’s vision: to use the power of the arts and education to build a vibrant St. Louis that is creative, connected, and inclusive. Additionally, she led COCA’s successful Create Our Future Campaign, securing $49 million to build the organization’s endowment and expand its historic building. COCA’s 52,000-square-foot addition was completed and opened in August 2020.
Pollock has been recognized as a U.S.A. Eisenhower Fellow; YWCA Leader of Distinction; Saint Louis Visionary Award winner; Most Influential Business Woman by the St. Louis Business Journal; and one of 35 “Bold Minds Creating a Better St. Louis” by ALIVE Magazine. She earned a B.A. in History from Washington University and a Master of Public Policy Administration degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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