The St. Louis Regional Business Council welcomed 28 new leaders to the 2016-2017 Young Professionals Network (YPN) Leadership 100 last night at an induction dinner at the Forest Park Trolley Room.

Launched in 2008, the RBC’s seeks to attract and retain ethnically diverse professionals in the St. Louis business community. The YPN program provides young professionals with unique opportunities for business, social networking, professional development and community involvement. Now at 3,300 members, the YPN represents more than 700 companies in the St. Louis region.

“We are thrilled to have such a talented group of young professionals who are also engaged in our community,” said Kathy Osborn, executive director of the St. Louis RBC in a statement “The accomplishments of this year’s inductees and those of our returning Leadership 100 are truly remarkable and serve as a great indicator of our region’s continued growth and vitality.”

The new cohort represents 25 companies in the St. Louis region. They are entrepreneurs, lawyers, finance professionals, operation managers and senior executives. This year’s Leadership Cohort is: 60 % female and 40% male, 54% African American, 17% Caucasian, 11% Hispanic/Latino, 14% Asian and 4% Native American.

“I believe in the St. Louis region and the people who live and work here,” Fineza Tangua, AVP, project manager at Wells Fargo Advisors and one of the 28 new inductees said in a statement. “Leadership 100 will allow me to engage with current and future leaders to further my development.”

“Having been in St. Louis for 13 years, I’ve grown to love the city and hope to foster economic development between St. Louis and countries in Asia,” said fellow inductee Cuong Dang, founder and CEO of Enliven. Dang says he looks forward to helping create a more  healthy and prosperous city.

Here’s the full list of recipients:

Amita Shah, Risk Manager at Wells Fargo Advisors 

Ben Vliet Territory Manager at John Deere 

CaSonya Thompson, IT Reporting Lead Analyst at Centene Corporation Compliance

Chrissy Rogers, Director at Arcturus

Crystal Foster, Project Manager II at Centene

Cuong Dang, Founder and CEO of Enliven

Dan Kieffer, Talent Acquisition Manager at Slalom

Daniela Velazquez, Principal/Owner at Mavend Media LLC

Darius Chapman, Account Executive at Direct Incentive Sourcing 

Darryl M. Chatman, Of Counsel Attorney at Armstrong Teasdale LLP

Elizabeth Marengo, Manager, Organization Development at Nestle Purina

Eric Madkins, AVP Midwest Community Affairs Manager at Regions Bank 

Ernesto Segura, LLP Attorney at  Husch Blackwell 

Fineza Tangua, AVP, Project Manager of Manager Onboarding at Wells Fargo Advisors

Guerin Pichon, Managing Consultant at BKD

Jackie Behnen, Tax Manager at PwC

Jacob Marshall, Superintendent of Operations at Kinder Morgan

Janet Dayawon, Relationship Marketing Coordinator at Creative Circle

Jenifer Morris, Patient Accounts Representative at BJC Healthcare

Keisha Lee, Talent Acquisition Specialist at Enterprise Holdings, Inc.

Lindsay McClure-Hartman, Associate at Husch Blackwell LLP

Malissa Shaw, Account Manager at Distribution Management inc. 

Phillice Gregory, Senior Real Estate Agent at Ameren

Sarah McCallion, Communications Specialist at HOK

Shakaye Peters, Contracts Counsel at Ascension

Steven Holman, AVP – Account Executive at Lockton Companies

Thomas Taylor, Business Support Manager at U.S. Trust 

Yooni Lee, People Operations and Talent Acquisition Associate at Amitech Solutions