Valerie D. Bell

Valerie D. Bell is an attorney and a public policy consultant. She is actively involved in efforts to strengthen the St. Louis region, particularly with respect to improving race relations, enhancing educational opportunity, and establishing a regional vision. In that connection, Ms. Bell has chosen to devote all of her professional time, on a pro bono basis, to initiatives and organizations that address these and other public policy issues. Ms. Bell is President of the Board of Trustees of John Burroughs School and Immediate Past President of the board of FOCUS St. Louis. She is on the national board of Parents as Teachers National Center, Inc. and also serves on the boards of the St. Louis Black Leadership Roundtable, the St. Louis Science Center, Grace Hill Settlement House, the St. Louis Public School Foundation, the St. Louis Diversity Awareness Partnership, the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), the St. Louis Community College Foundation, and the St. Louis Forum. In addition, she is a member of the President's Advisory Cabinet for the Girl Scout Council of Greater St. Louis.

Ms. Bell was Special Counsel to William Danforth in his role as Settlement Coordinator for the St. Louis school desegregation case, and worked closely with him as his advisor on all legal and public policy matters throughout the three year negotiation period. At present, she is an appointee to the task force charged with monitoring implementation of the settlement agreement. She has served as Co-Chair of the Regional Governance Policy Group, trustee of Fontbonne University, member of the Civic Progress Dialogue Committee, and Vice-President for Learning at St. Louis 2004. She graduated with the 1997 class of Leadership St. Louis. In July 2001, Ms. Bell was recognized with a Most Valuable Volunteer Award from the St. Louis Business Journal and Mastercard International. Recently, she was named a 2003 Woman of Achievement for her work in building diversity in the St. Louis region. She is frequently a panelist and speaker on issues related to race relations, education and regional economic development.

Ms. Bell is a graduate of Princeton University where she majored in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School and her Master in Public Administration degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

What Val has to say about NCCJSTL: My fervent belief in the inherent value of each human being, regardless of race, gender, religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation, among many other characteristics, is at the core of my commitment to NCCJSTL. This organization, through its emphasis on education, advocacy and conflict resolution has a profound, positive impact on individuals in their efforts to understand and respect one another. It is a privilege to be affiliated with an organization that not only aspires to lofty goals, but also is committed to taking the actions necessary to make those goals a reality.