Mona Vespa, President

Mona Vespa, President of GO! St. Louis, has been with the organization for over 15 years.  She began as the organization’s first intern while she was an undergraduate at Washington University, and then went on to work under GO! St. Louis founder, Nancy Lieberman, for several years.  After a brief hiatus living in other cities with her family, Mona returned in 2008 as the Youth Programs Director. She worked in that role until 2011 when she became the Director of Operations for the organization.  

In 2016, she was promoted to her current role as President.  Mona is honored to lead the team at GO! St. Louis after having worked in so many capacities for the organization during the last two decades.  She has an extensive knowledge in all aspects of event planning and operations, volunteer management, and building sponsor and community relationships. With her depth of experience, Mona believes that the St. Louis running and walking community is strong and united because of the rich collection of groups, clubs, stores and local races we have in the area.  

Mona holds a B.A. in French Language and Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. She has three children and lives in University City where she is lucky to live and run in Forest Park almost every day!

Kristin Werner, Operations Manager

Kristin Werner, Operations Manager, officially joined the GO! St. Louis team in 2016.  But even before she held an official position, Kristin spent countless hours volunteering and running in GO! St. Louis events, making her a perfect fit for the organization! 

Kristin manages the participant operations for the event including registration and data management, customer and participant service needs, website needs, working with vendors and participant amenities, and much more! 

Kristin is a dedicated local runner and enjoys mornings on Grant’s Trail and finding festive running attire to match every holiday and season that exists!  When she’s not running, Kristin enjoys reading and spending time with her family (including her dad, who is also a great GO! St. Louis volunteer and supporter!)

Karen Lester, Operations Coordinator

Karen Lester, Operations Coordinator, was brought out of retirement (for maybe the 4th time!?) to fill her position at GO! St. Louis, which she does with great enthusiasm.  Karen works on the Marathon Weekend Expo each spring, and also manages the organization’s volunteer groups. Karen also keeps everything at the GO! office organized and in good shape.  

Prior to working at GO! St. Louis, Karen spent her career with the U.S. Postal Service, where she worked in logistics.  Karen has been a lifelong runner, and loves sizing up the competition at local 5Ks. She lives in South City with her two cats, Parker and Sammy.

Karen Martinez, Art and Digital Media Manager

Karen Martinez, Art and Digital Media Manager, has been the creative force behind the brand and aesthetic at GO! St. Louis for over a decade.  Karen’s design work has been the source of all current (and many past!) GO! St. Louis logos, all of the event shirts and apparel, and much more.  Karen brings many years of experience in the design field both at in-house positions and as a consultant.
While Karen isn’t a runner herself, she is a wonderfully talented yoga instructor, and has worked with many an injured runner at the office to bring balance and flexibility to the world of runners.  Karen lives with her husband Ray and their two daughters in South City.