St. Louis Public Library Foundation Elects Jean-Paul Montupet as Vice-Chair

The St. Louis Public Library Foundation has elected Jean-Paul Montupet of Clayton, executive vice president, Emerson, as vice chairman, and has named Phil Lombardo, chief finance officer, Wells Fargo Advisors of Frontenac, as a trustee. The announcement was made by John Dubinsky  president and CEO of Westmoreland Associates, LLC, and chairman of the SLPL Foundation Board of Trustees.

Officers for the coming year were elected as well. In addition to Dubinsky and Montupet, Lisa McMullin of Ladue, community volunteer, was named secretary and Robert G Guller, managing member, BEB Management, was named treasurer.  In further Foundation board action, Guller, McMullin and Erica Leisenring, community volunteer, were re-elected to third three-year terms as trustees.  Dorte Probstein of Ladue, community volunteer, and Joseph Rechter of Ladue, chief financial officer, Lowenhaupt Global Advisors, also were re-elected to second three-year terms.

Montupet is business leader of Emerson’s Industrial automation segment. He also is president of Emerson Europe and an advisory director to Emerson’s board of directors. Montupet joined Emerson in 1981 as director of development and North American operations for Leroy- Somer.

In 1990, he was named executive vice president of Emerson. He served as chief executive officer of Emerson Electric Asia Pacific from 1993 to 1995. He was a member of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) board of governors from 1993 to 2008. He also currently serves on the boards of directors for Partner Re and Lexmark International. He holds an MBA from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales, Paris, France, and attended the Harvard Business School’s International Teachers Program.

Lombardo leads the Wells Fargo Advisors Finance function, charged with accounting controls, regulatory reporting, financial analysis, management reporting, treasury and all business unit financial teams. He also supports and advises senior management in the improvement of short and long term performance of the firm, and provides analytical support required to enhance understanding of financial and operating results, decision making process and the effective evaluation of progress in achieving tactical and strategic initiatives. He joined Wells Fargo in 2007 and has served as Wells Fargo Advisors’ Chief Finance Officer since 2009.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from DePaul University.

Currently, the St. Louis Public Library Foundation is leading a $20 million capital campaign for the St. Louis Public Library, Central To Your World, to support the $70 million total restoration and revitalization of the main library, The Cass Gilbert-designed building, opened in 1912, stretches over a full city block between Locust and Olive Streets, and 13th and 14th Streets downtown. Alison Nichols Ferring and Thomas F. Schlafly, St. Louis Public Library Foundation board members, serve as the campaign’s co-chairpersons.

The St. Louis Public Library welcomes more than two million visitors annually. Central Library closed for construction in June 2010 and will reopen in late 2012, in time for its Centennial Celebration. Central Library will feature a 65 percent increase of space for public use, expanded children’s and teen rooms, a lower-level 244-seat auditorium and other amenities, including a café.  Book lending and all other library services continue to be available during construction through the St. Louis Public Library’s 16 other locations.  Recently, the SLPL Foundation staff mounted a SLPL card sign-up program at several downtown locations, signing up more than 600 new library card holders.

Central Library is among the largest construction projects in downtown St. Louis and is being funded through library resources, bond financing, tax credits and the St. Louis Public Library Foundation’s capital campaign.

The construction team includes CLR LLC, development consultant; Cannon Design, architect; and BSI Constructors, construction manager.

Information is provided by the St. Louis Library.