Lakesha Mathis is the Director of the Greater St. Louis, Inc. (GSL) Diverse Business Accelerator. Mathis is an experienced business performance analyst and entrepreneur. Mathis has been a business owner for over 20 years, and currently owns and operates a transportation company. Prior to her work at GSL, Mathis served as a Senior Business Performance analyst at a local utility company. In this role, Lakesha helped the company realize over $2-million in savings year over year during her tenure with the company. These savings were the result of processes, policies, and procedures Mathis was responsible for creating, implementing, and managing.

Mathis understands what it takes to run a thriving business, and the unique barriers faced by women and business owners of color in St. Louis. Mathis brings this perspective to her work with the Diverse Business Accelerator, as well as to the collaborative relationships she has built over time through providing quality business services. Lakesha was a central force in the establishment of the Diversity Business Accelerator program, and under her leadership the program has grown from a pitch competition to a full-scale business accelerator which has supported over 40 business owners with 60 percent of DBA portfolio companies reporting increased revenues.

When she is not spending time with her family or supporting business owners, Lakesha enjoys quiet time, mindful minutes, reading, vacationing, and cooking.