Mayor Tishaura O. Jones Appoints Lakesha Robinson as Senior Advisor for Children, Youth and Families, Announces New Administrative Transitions

Today, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones announced the appointment of Lakesha Robinson as the new Mayor’s Office Senior Advisor for Children, Youth, and Families. Her appointment comes as her predecessor Wilford Pinkney moves into his new role as the Director of the Office of Violence Prevention. In addition, Mayor Jones’ Policy Director Nahuel Fefer will be moving to the Community Development Administration (CDA) as its new Executive Director.

“As a mom, I understand firsthand how important it is we offer our children every chance to succeed, and we need a proven leader who can help advocate for our babies at the highest levels,” said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. “I am excited to welcome Lakesha Robinson into my administration to help make St. Louis safer and stronger for children and their families. I thank Wil and Nahuel as well for their hard work as they transition into new roles in city government.”

Robinson is a St. Louis native who has worked in the education sector for over 15 years, serving in diverse roles throughout her tenure implementing summer programming, strategic plans, and agency-wide equity framework. Most recently she served as Executive Director for Horizons St. Louis, as well as Community Engagement Director for United 4 Children, promoting youth development and education as well as advocating for innovative new strategies to improve outcomes for youth. Robinson holds a Master’s in Social Work from Saint Louis University, and a Bachelor of Science in Human Environmental Studies from Southeast Missouri State University. Robinson will assume her new role on August 29. Her headshot is attached.

“This is an amazing new opportunity to support our youth in St. Louis,” said Robinson. “I look forward to working with Mayor Jones to make St. Louis a place where all our youth can succeed and thrive.”

As CDA’s incoming executive director, Fefer will work alongside Justin Jackson, who will remain with the agency starting September 6. Fefer worked on the drafting of the administration’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending priorities and will be working to implement them at CDA with a focus on equitable neighborhood development.

Additionally, Special Projects Manager Angela Pearson will be assuming a new role in the office, shifting from Communications to Operations, with a focus on cross-departmental collaboration and supporting department performance.

The Mayor’s Office is now accepting applications for Policy Director and Community Communications and Engagement Assistant via the City’s website.