The full story
Transform 314
Mission
The mission of Transform 314 is to educate, engage, and empower Black St. Louisans to drive the policy changes at the local level needed to create thriving communities.
A thriving St. Louis region for ALL communities.
Vision
Values
Community
The mission of Transform 314 is to educate, engage, and empower Black St. Louisans to drive the policy changes at the local level needed to create thriving communities.
Transparency
Residents deserve to know the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to the goings on in our communities. We also deserve to understand how decisions are made that impact us. Not just what decision-makers WANT us to know.
Accountability
We are collectively responsible for the current state of our region. This includes elected leadership, the business and philanthropic communities, schools, residents, and other stakeholders. Instead of pointing fingers and blaming each other, we have to have a shared understanding and agreement of what our individual roles entail, as well as what consequences come from when we do not follow through with our commitments for the betterment of our communities.
Collaboration
The issues facing our region are huge, and it is going to take all of us - residents, community and faith-based organizations, businesses, schools, elected leaders, governmental agencies, and other stakeholders - working together to tackle them.
Education
We don’t know what we don’t know, especially when it comes to how our local government operates; this is by design. Transform 314’s work is grounded in ensuring that St. Louisans have the information and understanding necessary to influence the processes that impact our communities.
Equity
There is no such thing as a “one fits all approach” when it comes to improving communities, especially considering areas that have been intentionally neglected. This means that some communities will need more investment, resources, and efforts than others to ensure the wellbeing of its inhabitants. This also means that we need to create systems that everyone can access and utilize to thrive.
Kelly McGowan
Founder & Executive Director, Transform 314
Kelly McGowan is a proud St. Louisan and health equity advocate. Armed with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from St. Louis University and a Master of Public Health from Washington University in St. Louis, Kelly worked as a Healthy Harlem Coordinator in the Harlem Children’s Zone where she spearheaded nutrition and fitness education among students in Central Harlem. After leaving New York, Kelly returned to St. Louis where she served as the WEDO Wellness Director at the Gateway Region YMCA (WEDO is an acronym for Women Empowered to End Disparities in Obesity). In her role, she worked with North County mothers and caregivers to create healthy changes in their schools and communities. Kelly has participated in various panels and has been featured in print and radio appearances addressing health equity efforts in the St. Louis region. Most recently, Kelly has founded Transform 314. Through this effort, Kelly is working to amplify community in local decision-making processes to ensure all St. Louis neighborhoods are designed for their inhabitants to thrive.
