This past April, Wings of Hope welcomed four new members to our board of directors. Each brings a wealth of experience, business acumen and professional connections to strengthen our organization.
Kate Schneider
Vice President, Acquisition Integration and Technical Program Management, Mastercard
Kate has spent her entire career at Mastercard Worldwide where she started as an intern while completing her bachelor’s degree at St. Louis University. She also holds an MBA from Webster University. In her first 25 years at Mastercard, she held various finance roles participating in and leading some of the most pivotal moments in the company’s history from the merger with a European entity, to the company’s IPO, to a merger that set up a significant technology hub in Pune, India. After a brief break from Mastercard, Kate was recruited back to lead an acquisition integration and currently works with the Technology Strategy organization.
Kate is married to her high school sweetheart and has four children. While they were younger, she served as president of her children’s parochial school board and volunteered with the CYC Parish Athletic Association. Today, she serves on the executive board of the Archdiocesan high school Athletic Boosters. Kate and her husband love to attend fundraisers and galas to support their friends and family’s favorite charities.
Patrick Bowen
Senior Vice President, Simmons Bank
A lifelong banker, Patrick has spent most of his career working in the St. Louis community financing commercial real estate and small businesses, as well as churches and other nonprofit organizations. The banks Patrick has worked for through the years have supported his involvement with organizations such as the St. Louis County Economic Council, the St. Louis Zoo, Junior Achievement, Boy Scouts of America, Artscope, Immaculate Conception of Dardenne Parish and coaching a couple of softball teams. Patrick is a graduate of St. Louis Country Day School and the University of the South.
Don Kukla, former chairman of the Wings of Hope Board, introduced Patrick to Wings of Hope in February 2022. Having a lifelong interest in aviation and his private pilot’s license, Patrick was “sold” after a hangar tour and joined the gala host committee. He also recently finished his third stint as a SOAR into STEM mentor. Patrick and his wife, Susan, have four children — triplet daughters and a son — and live in the Lake St. Louis area.
Christian Rusteberg
Corporate Strategy Leader, Ameren
Christian is an experienced corporate strategy leader responsible for developing and implementing strategies that help Ameren achieve its long-term goals. He works closely with senior executives to identify market trends and opportunities, analyze business data and make recommendations for improving the company’s competitive position.
Prior to joining Ameren, Christian was director of Corporate Strategy at First Bank. He also held various leadership positions in operations, including leading process improvement efforts for bank operations, and was the bank lead for operational M&A activity.
Christian holds an MBA and bachelor’s degree in business management from Western Illinois University and is a certified Strategic Planning Professional. An active Wings of Hope volunteer, Christian has served as a volunteer field coordinator in Belize, Ecuador, Guiana, Antigua and Barbuda. He is a partner and co-founder of American Heroes, a national program that supports households with Armed Forces family members serving overseas, as well as police/firefighters and those who died in 9/11.
Christian lives in St. Louis with his wife, Melinda, and German Shepherd, Heidi, with whom he enjoys all his outdoor adventures.
Matt Temple
Senior Account Executive, UnitedHealthcare
Matt is a veteran in the employee benefits industry. Throughout his career, he has been selected to develop new markets and champion game-changing innovation that has effectively reduced the increasing cost of health care for employees and members. Matt earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri. His hobbies are fitness, ice hockey, personal development and spending time with family, especially his wife, Megan, and two daughters.