Meet the Board of Trustees
MSNT is governed by a nine member Board of Trustees and its operations are conducted by Staff under the direction of the Board of Trustees. Board members are appointed by Missouri’s Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. Six Board members are individuals who have a family member with a disability. Three Board members are individuals with expertise in business. Board members serve without compensation and are appointed to 3 year terms.
Cathy Steele
St. Louis
Cathy Steele is the Managing Partner of The Law Office of Cathy Steele, PC in St. Louis. She has practiced law in St. Louis for over 30 years. Cathy graduated from the University of MissouriColumbia, School of Law with a Juris Doctorate in 1981 and University of Michigan with an AB in Psychology in 1977. Her areas of practice include Wills and Trusts and Real Estate. As a volunteer in the St. Louis Community she has been involved in advocating for Families and Children. She is a Past President of the Board of Directors of Jewish Family & Children’s Service and a past volunteer child advocate for Voices for Children.
Sarah E. Giboney
Columbia
Sarah Giboney is a partner with Smith Lewis, LLP in Columbia, Missouri. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1994. She earned her J.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Law in 2000. Her areas of concentration include Estate Planning and Special Needs Trusts, as well as Corporate Transactional Work and Eminent Domain. Ms. Giboney has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Midwest Special Needs Trust since 2002 and previously served on the Boone County Family Resources Board of Directors, an agency that provides individually planned support services for developmentally disabled residents of Boone County, Missouri.
Letitia “Tish” Thomas
Rushville
Tish Thomas is the sister of a family member with developmental disabilities. In addition, she has worked for the University of Missouri for 30 years on contracts and programs related to mental illness, developmental disabilities and aging. She has a MS Degree in Recreation and Park Administration from the University of Missouri.
Donald Edinger
Kansas City
Mr. Edinger is a retired senior executive and attorney with over 30 years of wealth management experience. He most recently served as Vice-President and Regional Director for Missouri, Kansas, and Indiana Personal Trust at BMO Harris Bank of Kansas City. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President of UMB Bank. He is a member of the Missouri Bar Association. Mr. Edinger holds a Bachelor of Journalism and Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also holds a Master of Laws from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Gerald J. Zafft
St. Louis
Jerry Zafft recently retired as counsel to the St. Louis office of Stinson Leonard Street LLP where he specialized in estate planning, business law and taxation. He was instrumental in establishing the Midwest Special Needs Trust and has been active as a Trustee and/or officer since its creation. Jerry currently serves or has served on a number of civic and charitable boards, including Project, Inc., a sheltered workshop; Rainbow Village, which provides residences for agencies serving developmentally disabled residents of St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County; the National Benevolent Association; Woodhaven Learning Center and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. He served on the Missouri State Mental Health Commission, including a term as its chairman. Jerry has been recognized for his many years of service to the mental health community and has received numerous awards, among which is the Lifetime Legacy Award by the Missouri Mental Health Foundation.