Danforth Plant Science Center Board Elects Benjamin Ola Akande and Marilyn Bush as Directors
ST.LOUIS, MO. January 21, 2025–The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announced the election of Benjamin Ola Akande and Marilyn Bush to the Board of Directors.
“We are excited to welcome Benjamin and Marilyn to the Danforth Center’s Board,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Carrington, PhD. “Both have been invaluable partners with the Center, and we look forward to their important contributions on the Board.”
Meet the New Directors
Benjamin Ola Akande, PhD, is Senior Vice President, Chief Corporate Responsibility at Stifel Financial NYSE: SF, a 130-year-old financial service holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri with $4.7 billion in revenue, $8 billion in market capitalization, with over 10,000 employees in over 400 offices worldwide.
Akande served as the ninth President of Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. During his tenure as President of Champlain, undergraduate applications doubled, institutional fundraising increased significantly. He ignited the college’s commitment and actions around diversity, inclusion and belonging. Akande also served as Assistant Vice Chancellor of International Programs-Africa, Director of the African Initiative, and Associate Director of the Global Health Center at Washington University in St. Louis. He served as the 21st President of Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri from 2015-2017 and was the first person of color to lead the 172-year-old institution. As tenured Professor of Economics and Dean of the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology at Webster University in St. Louis from 2000-2015, Dr. Akande is credited with enhancing the school’s reputation, and positioning it as a globally relevant business school. He currently serves on the boards at Vi-Jon, The Muny, Forest Park Forever, and the Saint Louis Art Museum. At the Danforth Center, Akande served as Chair of the Danforth Leadership Council and participated as a speaker and panelist in many Danforth Center public events.
Benjamin Ola Akande, PhD, Senior Vice President, Chief Corporate Responsibility at Stifel Financial
Marilyn Bush is President of Bank of America St. Louis and Market Executive for Business Banking, Bank of America. She believes that success originates from serving others. Whether advising early-stage entrepreneurs or multi-generational family-owned businesses, her team’s mission is to help clients grow and prosper, ensuring their families and employees achieve their life priorities.
Marilyn began her career as a credit trainee. She was excited to work for a company that was investing in her future. This launched her commercial banking pathway, leading to her current positions and passion to “pay it forward.” She is a champion of women and diversity and actively supports the power of mentorship. She founded Bank of America’s St. Louis LEAD for Women Chapter, chaired the YWCA Women in the Workplace Leader Lunch and the United Way Women’s Leadership Society. Marilyn currently serves as a board member for the St. Louis Community College Foundation, Missouri Bankers Association, Hawthorn Foundation, and is a member of Downtown STL, Inc.’s Design Downtown Advisory Committee.
Marilyn Bush, President at Bank of America St. Louis and Market Executive for Business Banking, Bank of America
Teddy Bekele, senior vice president and chief technology officer, Land O'Lakes Inc., Beau Brauer, president, Hunter Engineering Company, Lee Broughton, founder Broughton Brand Company and Steve Fox, chairman, SV Capital Management, departed the Danforth Center Board at the conclusion of their terms. “We have been honored to work with Teddy, Beau, Lee and Steve, each of whom brought unique skills and insights to the Board and the Center,” said Carrington.
About The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Research, education, and outreach aim to have impact at the nexus of food security and the environment and position the St. Louis region as a world center for plant science. The Center’s work is funded through competitive grants from many sources, including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and through the generosity of individual, corporate, and foundation donors. Follow us on Twitter at @DanforthCenter.
For more information contact: Karla Roeber, VP Public and Government Affairs, kroeber@danforthcenter.org.