ST. LOUIS — As a child growing up in Olivette, Joan Denison’s life was filled with voice lessons, auditions and singing performances with plans for a career in theater. Her talents made her a mainstay at many St. Louis night clubs, including the Chase Hotel and the Cheshire Inn.
Eventually, she made the trip to Los Angeles to take her chance at show business, doing some commercials and inking a contract with Warner Brothers.
Today, Denison is president and CEO of Covenant Place, a residential community for seniors and adults with disabilities. It wasn’t a traditional career route, she said, but one that capitalized on her abilities.
“When it comes to acting, listening, communication and empathy are very important,” she said. “All of those skills also are required in my current work.”
Tell me about your childhood. I grew up in Olivette and attended Ladue High School. I would sing in the choir and do all the musicals. I really had a family that loved Broadway and music, and encouraged me along that path. I went to college at the University of Illinois and earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and then it was back to St. Louis where I sang in night clubs around town — the Cheshire, the Breckenridge, the Sheraton in Westport. We would sing old standards, show tunes and other pieces of the time. It was an eclectic mix.
And then Hollywood called? I had a pact with my pianist. We said as soon as we saved up enough tips from our performances, we would move out to Los Angeles. Well, it came time and he decided to stay in St. Louis, but I went anyway. I packed up my old Datsun and drove across the country. There, I did what all actors do ... all kinds of odd jobs. Ultimately, I got an agent and started doing commercials. Then I signed a contract with Warner Brothers. Also, it was there that I met my husband, an actor who did TV and other things. We started thinking about children and, at the time, the schools in L.A. were challenging. The St. Louis pull was very strong.
What did you do back in St. Louis? I developed a company focused on business coaching, public speaking, communications and sales skills. I had that business for a couple of decades. One day, my husband and I met with a financial planner and the next day, he asked me to lunch. He said, “You could be doing financial education with all of the clients to help them with those needs.” I had to get my securities licenses but I jumped in and started working with them.
Helping others was the theme for your next career stop. It was a pivotal time for me and I loved being a person in a position to help. I got a call from Hadassah, one of the largest women’s organizations in North America. They needed an executive director for the St. Louis office. I took the job and was introduced to the nonprofit world. Eventually, I was promoted to director of annual giving and grassroots fundraising in New York. It was a glamorous job, but I soon realized that I would need to be in New York full time and I wasn’t sure if that was the right move.
Click here for the full interview.
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