Executive Director Update

The AmeriCorps St. Louis Staff and Board of Directors announce that Kenan Ender is stepping down from his position as Executive Director.

Kenan on his departure: “Over the last couple of years we have built a great team that continues to develop, gain experience, and share responsibility to effectively and efficiently run this organization, and I aim to work with everyone in the interim for any needs in support of this transition. Thank you for your trust and support during our time together. It has been the greatest honor to be part of this organization and I will be forever proud of what it represents.”

Under Kenan’s leadership, AmeriCorps St. Louis has grown to include nine full-time staff, six part-time staff, and ten Board members. The organization was granted accreditation through The Center for Corps Excellence and received a national Service Project of the Year award from The Corps Network. Kenan has facilitated many new initiatives, partnerships, trainings, and best practices for our program, including the implementation of the organization’s first strategic plan, effectively charting the vision for the organization and setting us up for continued success in the future. We are grateful for his leadership and dedication to us and to National Service. 

Kenan has been with AmeriCorps St. Louis since 2014. He served for three years as an AmeriCorps Member until he was promoted to Program Director. In 2020, he took the helm as Executive Director in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and steered our organization steadily forward through one of our most challenging times. During his time with ACSTL, Kenan earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration with a focus on Local Government and Nonprofit Management. He served as a Board Member for the Missouri State Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster, earned a Certified Emergency Manager certification, and was selected as a FOCUS STL Emerging Leader. 

Ryan Nicholls, ACSTL Board Chair, shares: “Kenan jumped into the Executive Director role ready to work hard and continue building AmeriCorps St. Louis to be the best in the country.  He has exceeded our expectations as a Board. He has built an even stronger organization, diversified in many ways to meet all the challenges within the services we address. We will always be thankful to Kenan and his faithful service to AmeriCorps St. Louis.” 

The Board has put together a selection committee to initiate a nationwide search to find the best candidate for Kenan’s replacement. Kenan plans to remain with the organization until his successor is hired and transitions into the role. 

For questions regarding this announcement, please contact us at admin@americorps-stl.org or 314-772-9002.