Betsy Cohen is the Executive Director of the St. Louis Mosaic Project, a program of the non-profit World Trade Center-St. Louis within the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership. The St. Louis Mosaic Project is a public-private partnership whose goal is to attract and retain international people to St. Louis. It began with research in 2012 and was launched in 2013. The research showed that the region needs international people for their skills and cultures, to add to our population and diversity. This work is done through collaborations with hundreds of local organizations, universities, corporations, cultural groups, faith organizations, K-12 schools, immigration agencies, and government entities. There is a top goal: For the St. Louis region to be the fastest growing major metropolitan region for foreign-born people by 2025. This includes international students, immigrant entrepreneurs, reuniting families, international executives and refugees.
Betsy had an extensive corporate career in marketing at Nestle Purina before leading the St. Louis Mosaic Project. In her corporate career, she was one of the first women to be named a Vice President. She worked on national and international business issues. In addition, she ran a regional network for the St. Louis pet community. She is on the advisory boards for the St. Louis University Chaifetz School of Business and the Washington University McDonnell International Scholars Academy, and she sits on the Cortex Innovation Community committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Previously, she served on other community boards including the St. Louis Crisis Nursery. She served on the board of Welcoming America, the national nonprofit leading a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs, including immigrants. She is a recognized speaker on issues of multicultural inclusion. She was recognized as a Most Influential Businesswoman by the St. Louis Business Journal and as a Woman Business Leader by the YWCA. In 2021 she was recognized by NCCJ and Vitendo4Africa and in 2022 by Casa de Salud health center. She is the author of a book that launched in 2021 to help international people who are authorized to work in the US to find good employment. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and has her MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Betsy and her husband Dr. Bruce Cohen have two grown children-son Greg and his wife Lauren with three grandchildren in Atlanta and son Scott and his wife Emma with a daughter in Chicago.