Programs and Partnerships Coordinator Shantalle Ruiz joined KAF in April 2024 as an intern and was promoted to her full-time role in June 2025. She was introduced to the Foundation and Music at the Intersection (MATI) by a friend. She began exploring the website and previous festival lineups and was inspired to see something so vibrant and community-centered happening right in the middle of the city.
While keeping an eye out for the next MATI announcement, Ruiz came across the opportunity for a Community Engagement and Impact Internship with KAF that immediately resonated with her. She’s thrilled to have grown that role into a full-time position and to be part of an organization that continues to evolve—expanding access to the arts, supporting artists at every level, and creating spaces where culture and community truly intersect. Ruiz holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Mass. and a Master of Social Work degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
What is your favorite part of your job at KAF?
My favorite part of my job is being able to combine my love for research, investigation, and creativity to find meaningful ways to measure social impact within the arts sector. That work takes me into communities across St. Louis and the surrounding region, where I have the opportunity to listen, learn and understand what art means to people in their everyday lives, and why the arts are such a vital pillar of this city’s history, culture and identity.
I also love the versatility of the Foundation. No two days look the same. From music festival programming to visual and literary arts, artist residencies, and workforce development, KAF supports artists and the broader arts ecosystem in so many ways. Being able to engage across these programs capturing impact through storytelling, surveys and community conversations makes the work both challenging and deeply rewarding. Each day invites new, creative ways to measure and honor the value of arts, culture and entertainment.
How do you feel your role directly supports the KAF mission?
My role directly supports KAF’s mission by helping ensure that our programs and spaces remain deeply aligned with community needs, accessibility and long-term impact. Through surveys and direct engagement with community members, festival-goers and everyday patrons, I gather data that helps us understand what is working well and where we can grow.
I also help KAF stay accountable to its values by looking closely at how our programs operate and evolve using evaluation, internal check-ins and data storytelling to connect community feedback with decision-making. This work often shows up in grant writing and reporting, where numbers and lived experiences come together to tell a fuller story of impact.
Bringing a social work perspective to this role allows me to keep people at the center of everything we do, ensuring that equity, access and community voice remain foundational as KAF continues to strengthen the arts ecosystem across St. Louis.
What do you love most about the St. Louis arts community?
As a Boston native and East Coaster, there really is no place like St. Louis—a true hidden gem. The arts community here is incredibly tight-knit and deeply rooted in culture, it genuinely feels like one big family. Whether someone works directly in the arts or not, creativity shows up everywhere, and people are deeply connected to how art shapes their lives and neighborhoods.
What I love most is the resilience and originality of this city. The creativity coming out of St. Louis is unmatched. I often find myself reminding friends and family back home just how many influential artists have roots here. St. Louis continues to create, evolve, and inspire in ways that deserve far more recognition.
What do you personally do (outside of work) to engage in the arts?
Outside of work, I stay deeply engaged with the arts in St. Louis as a proud board member of the Latinx Arts Network, where I support and advocate for the city’s growing Latinx creative community. As a Dominican-American, this work is especially meaningful to me and allows me to stay connected to my culture while uplifting artists whose voices and stories are often underrepresented.
I also stay connected to the arts by following artists and creatives across St. Louis, the broader region, and back home in Boston and New York. Staying engaged with these creative communities keeps me inspired, informed, and thinking creatively about how arts programming can continue to evolve, especially for younger and emerging audiences.
Who are some of your favorite St. Louis artists/musicians/creators that people should check out?
I don’t really have favorites, but I do love spotting artists we work with out in the world, like stumbling across Cbabi Bayoc’s and Brock Seals’ work along Delmar or catching a DJ at any given event in the city.
