Meet Our Board VP

Kathy Hagedorn has been on the L’Arche St. Louis Board of Directors for the last ten years. Kathy is now retired but has job experience working in Human Resources since the 1970s (including in NASA’s “astronaut department” in Houston, Texas!).

Just prior to her retirement, Kathy worked in HR at St. Louis University. Kathy knew many Jesuit priests at SLU in 2015, one of whom was the Board Chairman at L’Arche St. Louis at the time. He invited Kathy to join the Board, believing she would be a good fit for the job. Kathy was uninformed about L'Arche's mission, so she decided to attend their annual Ice Cream Social to learn more. At the social, she met Madeline and Paula, as well as Core Members and other staff. Kathy was moved by the joyful and welcoming environment, leading her to accept the Board Chairman's offer.

Over the past decade, Kathy has admired everyone maintaining L’Arche's mission. As a retiree, she enjoys feeling like she is still contributing to the community by helping support the lives of the Core Members. Kathy’s HR experience means she continues to be impressed by the managers and staff who keep L’Arche St. Louis running smoothly, and the assistants who skillfully bring fun, respect, and care to the lives of the Core Members.