Jan (Wall) Misuraca
North 1976
Jan (Wall) Misuraca is the executive director, driving force and chief enthusiast of the Parkway Alumni Association. With leadership, intelligence and her heart in community service, she has nurtured the alumni association since its inception in 1992, helping it grow into a multi-dimensional keystone of the Parkway School District.
Prepared with many years of involvement in the Parkway schools as both a student and a parent volunteer, Misuraca brought a wealth of knowledge and nonprofit experience to the executive director position. Under her guidance, the organization has become the hub of alumni involvement for more than 65,000 graduates, as well as a rich resource of knowledge, financial support and encouragement for Parkway teachers and students. She has successfully established a credible and respected presence for the alumni association, enabling mutually beneficial programs for the association and the school district.
During her tenure at the helm of the organization, Misuraca has been instrumental in developing and implementing programs which reward the goals and achievements of Parkway students, graduates and teachers. Programs such as Granting Dreams, the Parkway Alumni Hall of Fame, and the Al Burr Make-ADifference Fund create both fundraising and friend-raising opportunities for the association. These programs thrive due to her leadership, enthusiasm and ability to bring the best out of the people who are working with her.
Dr. Al Burr, a member of the PAA’s Honorary Board, has seen Misuraca’s commitment to the association in action. “Jan possesses all of the characteristics of an outstanding leader,” he says. “Jan is trustworthy, bright, energetic, passionate, organized and persuasive,” he says. “As a leader, she always takes the high road. Everything she does is of the highest quality, whether it is a publication, a fundraiser, a celebration or a strategy.”
Misuraca is a local and national presenter on the benefits of establishing alumni associations, and has given guidance to many school districts as they built their alumni groups. In addition to her work with alumni, she is active in many charitable organizations, her favorite one being the St. Louis Ronald McDonald House, where she was a board member during its formative years.
Although Misuraca has received many recognitions and awards for community service, the one she has valued the most is being named a Pillar of Parkway in 2003. The award was a true reflection of her desire to build relationships for the benefit of the entire community.
Misuraca earned her B.S. in business administration at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1980. She continues to expand her knowledge by pursuing her master’s degree in nonprofit management at Washington University in St. Louis.
She resides in St. Louis with her husband, Vince. They have two children, Margaret and Vincenzo, who are both Parkway graduates.