Marygrove Welcomes New Board Member, John Kovac
We are thrilled to announce John Kovac as the newest member of our Board of Directors! As Managing Partner at Aspire Consulting, John is responsible for the strategic and tactical initiatives that drive the expansion of the business. He founded the company in August 2006. Headquartered in St. Louis, MO, Aspire Consulting is an information technology consulting company that focuses on providing world-class solution delivery services. Aspire Consulting’s core application competencies are PeopleSoft, Oracle Cloud and Workday.
John also serves as co-owner of Kovac Mechanical, a third-generation HVAC and refrigeration company providing exceptional services since 1947.
John is a graduate of DeSmet Jesuit High School and earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. John was a pitcher on the UMSL baseball team. He was a member of the 1993 UMSL baseball team that participated in the NCAA Division II College World Series. In 2018, John was inducted into the UMSL Sports Hall of Fame along with his 1993 teammates.
John currently serves as a Board Member for the Mary Culver Home for Visually Impaired Women. He is a Board Member & Treasurer for the Father’s Club at the Saint Louis Priory School. John was a member of the Priory Scoreboard Upgrade Committee and is a member of the Priory Athletic Facilities Improvement Committee.
John’s community service includes the Community Service Initiative (CSI) within the VP of St. Louis organization. CSI works with many charity partners to make St. Louis a better place to live for all.
John is the Head Junior Varsity Baseball Coach for the Saint Louis Priory School and is an Assistant Coach for the STL Naturals Club 15U Baseball team.
John and his wife Kimberle reside in St. Louis with their two children and two dogs.
Marygrove Welcomes New CEO, Kathy Fowler
In what began as
a pilot endeavor 18 months ago, Marygrove and Good Shepherd Children & Family Services, a fellow ministry of Catholic Charities of St. Louis, sought to identify ways in which new efficiencies and intentional collaboration could benefit our work, as well as the lives of those we serve. As part of that process, key leaders from both ministries and from Catholic Charities, as well as members of our respective Boards of Directors were brought together for months of planning. So successful were those efforts that we are happy to announce that, as of January 2nd 2024, Marygrove and Good Shepherd will operate distinctly, but as part of a single management structure and under the leadership of Kathy Fowler. Marygrove’s outgoing CEO, Dr. Michael Meehan has taken on the role of Chief Care Officer for Catholic Charities of St. Louis full-time and will focus his efforts on enhancing the collaboration among all nine Catholic Charities ministries and working alongside the President of Catholic Charities to help create a true communion of care that will serve every square mile of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
Kathy began her career with Good Shepherd in 2005 as a case manager and therapist before rising to a senior leadership role. She has been the CEO for Good Shepherd for the past three years, and will continue to serve as CEO for both Marygrove and Good Shepherd as part of our shared management partnership. Kathy earned her Master of Arts, Pastoral Studies/Counseling and is a Licensed Professional Counselor.
