CEO of St. Louis' Arts and Education Council Leaves Quietly

The Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis is leaderless — and quiet on the topic — as it moves to sell its long-time home, the Centene Center for the Arts in Grand Center.

Lyah LeFlore-Ituen, who took the reins of the organization last July, said by phone on Friday that she is no longer with the Arts and Education Council.

"I can confirm with you that I'm not the president and CEO," LeFlore-Ituen says. "So you don't have to wonder about that one."

Observers would have reason to wonder. The Arts and Education Council has been silent on the topic, releasing no statement on her departure. Reached by phone on Thursday, Jessireé Jenkins, Arts and Education Council grants and programs coordinator, would not say whether LeFlore-Ituen was still with the organization. Board Member Chris Dornfeld did not respond to an email inquiry on the topic.

As of last Thursday, LeFlore-Ituen was listed on the Art and Education Council's website as president and CEO. By Friday, after the RFT's brief conversation with Jenkins, anyone who clicked on the Arts and Education Council's "Meet the Team" page found no staff bios, only a one-line message: "You are not authorized to access this page. "

Earlier this month, the Arts and Education Council informed the tenants of the Centene Center for the Arts  — all arts and education organizations — that it would be trying to sell the building, that they had 90 days to vacate and that the Arts and Education Council would also be leaving the building in Grand Center.


This isn't the only sign of something going on behind the scenes at the organization. On January 3, it announced the delay of its signature program, the St. Louis Art Awards, from January 30 to April 17, saying only that the postponement had to do with supply chain issues for the awards.

The Arts and Education Council announced it had hired LeFlore-Ituen on July 7, 2022,  to replace longtime leader Cynthia A. Prost, and she assumed the post on July 18.

A bestselling author, entertainment executive with experience at Nickelodeon and Uptown Records, and native St. Louisan, she'd returned home to take care of her mother, former poet laureate Shirely Bradley, who passed away in 2019.

Email the author at [email protected].

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