Governing Board

Joe has served on the LPA board since 2020 and is a steadfast believer in the school’s mission to provide an inclusive, supportive, and high-quality education for all students. Joe currently serves as Managing Partner of 6 Levers, where his passion for coaching leaders and developing teams in their pursuit of healthier ways of working guides his efforts. At 6 Levers, he stewards the organization’s work in the areas of leadership development, professional training, and organizational system design. Before co-founding 6 Levers, Joe spent the previous decade in education, taking on various roles as a teacher, instructional coach, and school principal. His work focused on supporting students and educators, driving academic excellence, and fostering inclusive and supportive learning environments. In 2014, Joe led his school to such strong academic results that it was awarded the CEAM Excellence in Education award. Joe holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics, Entrepreneurship, and Finance, along with dual Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Education Leadership from Saint Louis University. Joe and his wife Laura are proud supporters of the school and have lived in Lafayette Square with their three children for the past 12 years.

Paul M. Brown was one of the four original co-founders of Lafayette Preparatory Academy. Paul has served as a member of LPA’s board of directors since the school was incorporated and was LPA’s first treasurer and also chaired the board’s real estate committee. In 2016, Paul received the Missouri Public Charter School Association's “Charter School Advocate of the Year Award.” Paul is a retired attorney. He spent 40 years at the downtown law firm of Thompson Coburn LLC, where he was a partner in the Litigation Section, and 18 months at the end of his legal career as Chief Counsel – Litigation in the Office of the Missouri Attorney General. Paul was inducted into the American Board of Trial Advocates in 2005 and was recognized as one of the Super Lawyers of Missouri® and Best Lawyers in America®, including “Lawyer of the Year” in 2015 for Class Action and Mass Tort Litigation in St. Louis. In addition to his law practice, Paul served for four years as an adjunct professor of law at St. Louis University School of Law. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis, former co-chair of the Downtown Residents Council, and served for more than nine years as Chair of Lawyers for City Neighborhoods, a committee of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis that works on vacant and nuisance property issues. He was the first to propose and was instrumental in the creation of the Neighborhood Advocacy Program at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. He is a past recipient of the "Spirit of Justice Award" from the St. Louis Bar Foundation and the "President's Award" from the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis. During his work on issues impacting city neighborhoods, Paul was recognized by the St. Louis Small Business Weekly as one of the “100 People in St. Louis You Need to Know.”

Michelle is registered nurse with a B.S. in Biology and an A.D. in Nursing. She is a Supervisor at People’s Health Center and brings experience in the field of Human Resources to the LPA board. Her son is a student at LPA. Michelle is a member of the school’s Community Outreach & Marketing Committee

Michael Miller is a graduate of Saint Louis University earning a Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration. He has worked at Leonardo DRS since 2004 and is currently the Senior Director of Engineering. He and his wife, Hannah, have been involved with LPA since its inception and Michael has previously served on the LPA real-estate committee, and since 2018, has served on the board as treasurer. They have three daughters and currently live in the Shaw neighborhood.

Kacie Smart is a passionate helper dedicated to developing intentional humans, organizations, and communities. She has over 15 years of experience in behavioral health working in various settings from direct support, to clinician, to program leadership. Kacie found working in the helping profession to be both rewarding and frustrating due to the organizational and systemic barriers that dampened the impact of professionals on the front lines. This led her to explore organizational science to become better equipped to solve complex organizational issues. Holding a PhD. in Business Psychology from The Chicago School, Dr. Smart applies psychological principles to create effective leaders and high-performing teams. Her journey from mental health counselor to strategic consultant demonstrates her commitment to addressing systemic barriers through transformative solutions. Her work as a consultant has been instrumental in driving transformational change in various organizations, emphasizing the integration of emotional intelligence and strategic thinking into organizational systems and structures. As a Licensed Professional Counselor, Dr. Smart’s approach is uniquely empathetic yet results-oriented. She fosters the conditions for leaders and teams to harness their potential through practices that build their capacity for intentional planning and action to create an inclusive and empowering organizational culture. She is excited to join the LPA community in service of the Board.

Tina E. Grimes is a servant-leader. She has inspired children and adults in the St. Louis community and internationally for over 20 years as a certified speaker, trainer and consultant for her company, Success Academy, LLC. She also serves as Adjunct Professor at Harris Stowe State University; Co-Pastor of FaithWorks Fellowship Ministries; and is certified at the highest level of The John Maxwell Team. She led the development efforts alongside the former Cardinal Ritter College Prep board to build the new school and has received numerous awards for service such as Inaugural Woman of Distinction Award for Inspiration from Girl Scout Council of Eastern Missouri and Who’s Who in Black St. Louis. She received a BS in Business Administration and Finance from Jackson State University and a Master of Arts in Human Service Agency Management from Lindenwood University. She has been married to Mark for 19 years, enjoys being mom to Mya and Mason, and is a published author. As a proud LPA parent, Tina is honored to serve on the Board of such an amazing school!