Meet Our Thursday Morning Keynote Speaker:
Rev. Bethany Johnson-Javois
NLADA is pleased to announce the Reverend Bethany Johnson-Javois, President and CEO of Deaconess Foundation, as the Keynote Speaker for this year’s conference in St. Louis. The keynote will take place on Thursday, November 5.
The Reverend Bethany Johnson-Javois (she/her) is a nationally recognized leader working at the intersection of faith, philanthropy, and public systems accountability. A theologian, community health champion, and nonprofit executive, Reverend Johnson-Javois serves as president and CEO of Deaconess Foundation, where she leads the organization’s mission to improve health outcomes across Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois by addressing the structural drivers of health inequity while advancing new approaches to philanthropic accountability and community-centered power.
Grounded in faith and guided by a deep commitment to racial justice, Reverend Johnson-Javois advances long-term, community-rooted strategies that center communities historically invisibilized by public systems. Under her leadership, Deaconess integrates spiritual grounding, governance discipline, and public accountability to strengthen the systems that shape opportunity, health, and access to power while holding those systems accountable for equitable outcomes.
Prior to leading Deaconess, Reverend Johnson-Javois served on the foundation’s board of trustees and spent 12 years as CEO of the St. Louis Integrated Health Network, a regional intermediary focused on strengthening collaboration among safety-net providers. In that role, she worked alongside hospitals, federally qualified health centers, behavioral health organizations, and community partners to advance quality, affordable, and accessible care across metropolitan St. Louis. Her leadership strengthened regional alignment and helped advance innovative solutions that center the choices and agency of the communities who rely on the safety net for care. During her tenure, the organization was named Advocacy Organization of the Year by The St. Louis American.
Reverend Johnson-Javois has also played a pivotal role in shaping national conversations on justice, public health, and institutional accountability. In 2015, former Missouri Governor Jay Nixon appointed her managing director of the Ferguson Commission following the death of Michael Brown. Through extensive community engagement, the independent commission produced a landmark report containing 189 calls to action aimed at dismantling systemic inequities across education, courts, policing, health, economic mobility, and governance. The report continues to influence reform efforts and policy conversations across the country.
Across more than two decades of leadership in philanthropy, public systems, ministry, and nonprofit governance, Reverend Johnson-Javois is known for pairing moral clarity with operational discipline and for cultivating partnerships that move beyond transactional collaboration toward shared responsibility for community well-being and institutional evolution.
Her work is deeply anchored in faith. Reverend Johnson-Javois serves as pastor of Monument of Faith Church, Inc., where her ministry reflects the conviction that faith communities must play an active role in shaping just and life-giving systems. Whether preaching, speaking, or facilitating, she brings a prophetic voice that challenges institutions and leaders to align their values with transformative action.
Her leadership has been widely recognized. Reverend Johnson-Javois is the recipient of the Women’s Justice Award from Missouri Lawyers Media and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. She is also known for her work elevating the humanity and priorities of those served within Missouri’s public mental health system, for which she received the Silver Bell Award from Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri in recognition of outstanding community service, leadership, and values. Her honors also include the Living Legends Award, the Access to Equal Justice Award from Washington University School of Law’s Clinical Education Program, recognition as Advocate of the Year from the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Community, and selection as a St. Louis Business Journal Diverse Business Leader.
Reverend Johnson-Javois extends her commitment to governance excellence through service on the board of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. She previously served on the board of the Missouri Foundation for Health. Across these roles, she brings a consistent focus on strengthening institutions so they are accountable to the people and communities they exist to serve.
Whether in the pulpit, the boardroom, or the public square, Reverend Bethany Johnson-Javois leads with the conviction that systems fulfill their highest purpose when they honor the dignity, voice, and agency of the people.
NLADA Mutual Insurance Co., RRG
