St. Louis Forum is pleased to announce that Dr. Frances Levine, president and CEO of the Missouri Historical Society, is the winner of this year’s Trailblazer Award. Dr. Levine, a professional anthropologist and historian, administrator, author and academician, was the first woman to lead a Zoo Museum District (ZMD) cultural institution when she was appointed President and CEO of the Missouri Historical Society (MHS) and its three institutional operations (Missouri History Museum, Library & Research Center, and Soldiers Memorial Military Museum) in spring 2014. During her tenure, MHS has affirmed its position as one of the top three history museums in the country. In addition, since her appointment as the first woman to lead a ZMD, other women have also been named CEOs in at least 4 major St. Louis cultural institutions, including the St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Nine PBS and St. Louis Public Radio.
Although history museums carry the responsibility to share artifacts and stories of people and communities, Dr. Levine has focused on bringing awareness, visibility, meaning and respect to many less visible people in St. Louis. Under her leadership of the staff at this 155+-year-old institution, she worked with a broad set of community constituents during a period of social change. As part of this, she infused the resources of MHS into many less visible facets of the St. Louis metro area and embraced the broader St. Louis community through its collections, activities and events which have highlighted numerous populations including women ("Beyond the Ballot," "The Little Black Dress"); Latinos/Latinas ("El Dia de los Muertos"); military/veterans (Soldiers Memorial Military Museum); Jewish community (“State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda”); Blacks (“#1 in Civil Rights: The African American Freedom Struggle in St. Louis”); and LBGTQIA+ community ("Gateway to Pride"). Most recently, she led the MHS in a multi-year endeavor to confront the past and build a common future by telling the fuller story of our region’s history of slavery and racism. The inclusiveness and expansiveness of exhibit subjects attracted more than 400,000 visitors annually, achieving record attendance levels. These efforts have also put St. Louis in the spotlight given the national coverage and awards received for MHS exhibits.
Her ability to blaze a trail has been recognized by numerous other organizations including being named as one of the most influential women in business by the St. Louis Business Journal (2019), receiving a National Urban League Salute to Women Award (2018) as well as the Norman A. Stack Award for Community Relations from the Jewish Community Relations Council in St. Louis (2021).
We look forward to celebrating Dr. Levine’s accomplishments at Forum’s Annual Meeting and Trailblazer Celebration on Thursday, August 18 from 5-7pm at Hilton St. Louis Frontenac. Click here to register.