The Regional Business Council (RBC) has named its new president and CEO. The council’s board of directors announced Karen Branding, a 13-year veteran of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, will succeed Kathy Osborn, who is stepping down after 25 years.
Branding officially assumes her new role May 1, while Osborn transitions to founder and president emeritus, and will work on special projects for the nonprofit.
Branding served as senior vice president for External Engagement and Corporate Communications at the Federal Reserve, overseeing the bank’s strategies for promoting transparency and outreach, including external and internal communications, industry and government relations, community development, public outreach and the bank’s Economy Museum.
Prior to joining the bank in 2011, Branding was the associate dean of marketing and communications for Washington University’s Olin Business School. She was with Anheuser-Busch for 15 years, serving as chairman, president and CEO of its Busch Creative Services subsidiary; corporate vice president of Busch Entertainment Corp.; and director of corporate communications for the parent company. Her early career was in Washington, D.C., where she was a public policy analyst at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and U.S. Department of the Treasury.
In her new role at RBC, Branding will manage all day-to-day operations and continue to expand the scope and depth of the organization’s community initiatives and funding.
Osborn, who spent the past 25 years at the organization’s helm, announced her plans to step down last year. Under her leadership, the RBC has grown from an organization with just a handful of members to a multifaceted consortium working to unite and civically engage more than 100 executive partner members from the region’s largest employers.
