BUILDING FUTURES TEAM

Trish returned home to St. Louis after 20 years building teams and securing investment to promote economic development and disrupt systemic poverty through innovation and education around the globe. She joined the Building Futures team in September 2022. Prior to joining the team, she founded the Future School of Fort Smith, a public charter high school centered on student voice and real world application, Think Future, a network of investors, thought leaders and students creating equitable access for opportunity in public education, Noble Impact, a social entrepreneurship education initiative, and Picasolar, an early stage solar energy company. In 2013, she was named one of Arkansas Times ”Visionaries of the Year’.

In her early career, Trish led vocational training for itinerant teens in Ireland at age 19, provided advocacy for homeless & immigrant families in San Francisco, taught secondary social studies on the US/Mexico border with Teach For America, pioneered the Sandy Bay Alternative School in the Honduran Bay Islands, and created community engagement guidelines for Room to Read’s school libraries program (Asia/Africa).

Felicia Kennedy is Founder/Chief Executive Officer of the FL Kennedy Group. Also, she is the contracted senior fundraiser/grants operations leader for Building Futures. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and a Master of Public Service for the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. Felicia is an accomplished professional with more than 30 years of leadership experience. She has expertise in program and project management, program evaluation, facilitating community dialogues, grant writing/management, and youth leadership development.  Also, she served in the Peace Corps from 2018-2020 in the Republic of Georgia as an English teacher. 

Since 1992, Felicia has served in many capacities for Youth Motivational Task Force at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. From 2009-2011, she was a founding board member and Vice President of the Board for Visions Academy Charter School in Newark, New Jersey. In the past, she has supported several youth focused leadership and development programs as either fundraising director, board member or strong advocate. Her life’s goal is to support youth development and success all over the globe.

Brayon received his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from Southern Illinois University of Carbondale (SIUC) where he majored in Cinema and Photography with a Minor in Art and Design. While at SIUC, he was active in the Photography Club and served as Treasurer. Brayon also attended the St. Louis Community College (Florissant Valley Campus) where he received his Associate in Fine Arts (AFA). While attending STLCC, he served as Vice President and President of the Photography Club. He was a member of the Student Government Association where he helped organize “Chalk For Peace” to stop violence in the community. Brayon enjoys working with the children that Building Futures serves, both in the schools and during the weekend classes held at the workshop.

Benjamin H. Kosberg, goes by Koz, started acquiring skills to fulfill the desire to live a life of creative accomplishments, with a hope to give back to others as much as possible. Such skills include carpentry work,ranging from hardwood flooring installation, framing, electrical, and overall residential home work, creative skills that include woodcarving, furniture building, playing musical instruments, singing, music arrangement, and writing. With a passion for learning, and the zeal of an educator. As a woodworker Koz has speciality in wooden carving epoxy inlay, examples can be found on social media pages as Kozzy Bear Creations.  Also a founding member of, and tuba player for, The Red and Black Brass Band. A New Orleans Style Brass Band started in the pandemic of 2020, and based in St. Louis, MO.