Courtney Berg – Executive Director

Courtney Berg, Executive Director, joined Girls on the Run St. Louis in October of 2011. However, her introduction to the organization began the Fall of 2005 as a coach for St. Gabriel the Archangel School in St. Louis. After teaching high school self-contained special education in Northern California for three years, Courtney arrived in St. Louis to begin her Masters in Social Work at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University. An e-mail during orientation led Courtney to learn more about a program that “empowered girls through running.” The Girls on the Run team at St. Gabe’s was an enthusiastic, energetic group of girls that left a real impression upon Courtney; she focused her MSW studies upon culturally competent youth development programming and the impact of running as a therapeutic intervention.

Prior to joining Girls on the Run St. Louis, Courtney served as Director of Catholic Charities Southside Center for five years, overseeing the development and implementation of culturally competent programs and services at a community center serving more than 400 clients a month from across Eastern Missouri and Illinois. A bilingual (Spanish) Licensed Clinical Social Worker, her work focused upon meeting the needs of immigrant and refugee populations through comprehensives youth programming, mental health and social services. Courtney has served as an adjunct professor at the School of Social Work at Saint Louis University, as a community liaison for the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, and as a Spanish instructor at St. Louis Community College.

Courtney received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Michigan and her Master of Social Work from the George Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.

What’s your favorite GOTR moment?

I am having some great moments every day! Beginning work at Girls on the Run and getting to meet such incredible people who are committed to making a real difference in the lives of girls has been one of my favorite moments. However, watching the nearly 2,000 girls cross the finish line at our Fall 5k was amazing; the courage, pride and pure joy was beaming off of every girl.  Seeing the girls cheer their teammates, coaches and family members on race day was such a testament to the power of this amazing program and certainly one of my favorite moments for quite some time!

Guilty pleasure?

I love the tres leches cake at Diana’s Bakery on Cherokee Street. It will change your life!

Place you’d most like to visit?

Although I graduated from high school in St. Louis, my family now lives in Michigan. I would love to visit them and introduce my son to the beauty that is Lake Michigan and the north woods! Of course, I also would love to finally see where my Great Aunt lives on the island of Crete in Greece!

Do you have any hidden talents or hobbies?

Running with friends and finding new paths and routes throughout the St. Louis community has been such a joy. Perhaps my only hidden talent is my incredible ability to retain song lyrics and titles, a skill that comes in great demand during marathon training runs!