Monique Thomas

Executive Director

Monique Thomas is a woman uniquely driven by purpose and the calling of her faith. She has supported multi-million dollar change management and capacity-building initiatives in both the community and corporate setting. As the Executive Director for Cornerstone Corporation, she leverages her background in urban planning/policy and experience with regional systems-change efforts to fulfill Cornerstone’s mission to love the whole person by championing choice and dignity. She completed her BA at Cornell University in Government with a focus on Urban Studies and her MBA/MPH at Washington University in St. Louis. Her orientation to equity is based on John 10:10: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Angela Mayes

Resident Champion and Operations Manager

Angela Mayes leads our Resident Services team, which includes all our asset and property management and anti-displacement services for families at Cornerstone Corporation. She holds a Certified Apartment Leasing Professional (CALP) credential and manages our 38 units. Prior to coming to Cornerstone CDC, she successfully performed eight years of national service through AMERICORPS, where she was a reading tutor, team leader, fundraiser, and mentor. Angela adds a lived experience to her advocacy and coaching work with residents as she recently transitioned out of low-income housing and public support just two years ago, completing two bachelor's degrees in Fine Arts while supporting her family. Angela was employed with the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis as a Community Engagement Specialist, her duties included scheduling the mobile health van at community events, developing partnerships with community organizations, assisting in operation of food pantry, and fostering workshops to engage and educate residents in numerous topics ranging from healthy eating to homeownership. She also supported Mission: St. Louis as a Community Engagement Specialist and SkillUp Case Manager where she worked with ex-offenders to find stable employment, case managing women who needed supportive services, and facilitated classes on job training.

estelle nettles

Housing Empowerment AmeriCorps VISTA

As our new Housing Empowerment AmeriCorps VISTA, Estelle will work within our housing and social services to support the development and design of unique programming for Cornerstone residents that looks at infusing a healing-centered approach to housing stability based on her lived experience. She is a mother of two living children, a deceased son, a grandmother of 14, and a great-grandmother of three. She has extensive experience in customer service, compliance, and reporting having worked nearly 20 years in accounts receivables for a multinational communications firm. Estelle has a big heart, a willingness to learn, an open mind, and great faith in God. She is one of our resident foodies and is a new resident in the West End.

Curtis Stuesse

Sr. Manager of Neighborhood Impact

Curtis Stuesse is a leader in community development, driven by a deep-seated commitment to creating sustainable change and fostering dignity in underserved communities. His journey began in post-Katrina New Orleans with Mission Year, where he witnessed firsthand the transformative power of community-centered rebuilding efforts.

As the Senior Manager of Neighborhood Impact at Cornerstone Corporation, Curtis leverages his extensive background in international development, venture philanthropy, and executive leadership to fulfill Cornerstone's mission of loving the whole person by championing choice and dignity. Prior to joining Cornerstone CDC, Curtis served as the Community Transformation Manager at the Light a Single Candle Foundation, where he oversaw a $35M+ portfolio focused on food security, sustainability, and economic development. His diverse experience includes roles as Chief of Staff at N2Growth and as an International Agribusiness Volunteer with the Peace Corps in Uganda.

Curtis also served in the U.S. Air Force as an Emergency Manager, focusing on crisis management and program management. He holds an MBA in Global Business from The Fletcher School at Tufts University and a BA in International Relations from Webster University. At Cornerstone CDC, Curtis champions holistic, long-term solutions that address the complex challenges facing our neighborhoods. His work focuses on supporting weCollab, the residents leading the West End/Visitation Park neighborhood plan, in fostering resilience, equity, and prosperity for community members, guided by the principle that true transformation comes from empowering individuals and communities to reach their full potential.

ANTWOINETTE AYERS

Manager of Community Development

Antwoinette Ayers holds a BS in Communication with an emphasis in Interpersonal Communication from the University of Missouri St. Louis and is a dedicated economic development professional with a strong foundation in community-led initiatives. Transitioning from her role as an AmeriCorps VISTA to her current position as Manager of Community Development at Cornerstone CDC, Antwoinette ensures that community voices remain central to decision-making and collaboration.

Her journey began in 2019 as a key member of the Winstanley Neighborhood Plan Steering Committee, where she interned with Rise Community Development to address Economic Mobility, Residential Vitality, and Social Well-Being. Antwoinette brings a focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) shaped by Crossroads Antiracism Organizing & Training, deepening her perspective on justice within community development and real estate. Additionally, she is trained in racial healing circles and transformation through the I Am East St. Louis Magazine Foundation partnership with SIUE’s Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Center, with a commitment to dismantling systems of inequity and fostering sustainable, inclusive communities.

Antwoinette has completed the ULI St. Louis REDI Program and the Fundamentals of Economic Development certification from UMSL. She is currently pursuing a Certification in Data for Social Impact from Washington University and is receiving training in the Nonprofit Management Essentials Program through The Kellogg School Center for Nonprofit Management.

As a Creative Director, published author, and community leader, Antwoinette continues to lead with vision and dedication to neighborhood revitalization, equity-centered initiatives and producing holistic communities.

RONDA BRADEN

Special Assistant to Executive Director | “In the Black” Project Coordinator

Ronda joins Cornerstone CDC supporting general operations and administration, as the special assistant to our Executive Director. An entrepreneur and owner of R.Braden Enterprises, Ronda brings over 30 years of operations and supply chain management in healthcare, nonprofit/church administration, and government. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Management, and Operations from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Jayda smith

Sr. Evaluation Intern | “In the Black” Fellows