McKinney Out at SLACO, Internal Review Underway

Following ongoing conflicts between the board and staff of St. Louis Association of Community Organizations (SLACO), Executive Director Kevin McKinney is no longer serving as the nonprofit’s leader. Just days before Christmas, this publication received a tip that Mr. McKinney was reaching out to neighborhood leaders in an attempt to convince the organization’s board to reverse a decision to terminate his employment. Multiple requests for comment were sent to SLACO’s board leadership, but we were unable to initially confirm McKinney’s termination. After receiving another tip to contact SLACO’s legal counsel, the organization’s attorneys agreed to speak about the matter. In a phone conversation, SLACO’s representatives, Luke Jackson and Krystl Weigl of law firm Weigl Jackson, confirmed that McKinney’s employment was terminated at an executive committee meeting that was held on December 22nd.

Mr. Keith Antone Willis also played a prominent role in the recent controversies. Besides serving as SLACO’s Project Manager, Antone Willis’ personal companies played notable roles in both the controversial city contracting issue and the real estate dealings that initially drew the board’s attention to potential improprieties. Jackson confirmed that Antone Willis’ contract had ended and that May of 2025 marked the end of his tenure at SLACO.

When asked if the staffing changes had been the reason for the recent fundraiser cancellation, Jackson indicated that the decision to cancel the fundraiser was due to the board’s current focus on reforming internal protocols and controls. Jackson responded, “That was a recent decision. Basically, the board and corporation are focusing on investigating the ongoing issues. Rather than divert attention away from those efforts, to focus on this fundraising event, they decided to cancel it this year.”  When asked if the fundraiser would be rescheduled, Jackson was unsure. He said that the organization plans to continue fundraising and would possibly reschedule the event for later in the year. 

For his part, McKinney believes that his termination was unjust. “I was terminated by a small subset of the SLACO board without the full board or myself receiving any notice of their deliberations until after the decision was made. I was never allowed to discuss with the board what occurred in relation to our work with CDA. When other board members learned of my firing, several raised objections. I understand there are internal discussions that are ongoing, but I have not been privy to them. Whatever the outcome, I hope the city, CDA, SLACO, and other community partners will continue to look toward ways to facilitate making St. Louis stronger rather than allowing internal board disputes or difficulties with complex regulatory oversight result in harm to the organizations and communities that make up our city. I remain committed to transparency, accountability, and moving us forward,” stated SLACO’s former Executive Director.

SLACO’s representatives indicated that the organization would soon decide on an interim Executive Director, followed by a longer search for a permanent replacement. Jackson indicated that there has not been a specific timeline set out for hiring a permanent Executive Director. The representatives also indicated that permanent senior staff would likely be selected after the board had completed its review and updated policies. They also indicated that the board is actively looking to begin repairing any reputational damage caused by the incident. Given the organization’s long history, SLACO’s leadership is confident that the organization will be able to rebuild trust with the community and city government. “It’s a nonprofit organization that’s been around for 50 years. Its primary goal is serving the neighborhoods here in St. Louis, and, obviously, an important part of that is its reputation as an entity. On SLACO’s part, they are confident that they are taking all the actions necessary to repair any reputational harm and maintain those relationships moving forward,” stated Jackson.

The organization is continuing to undergo a review of protocol and policies. “They are undergoing a thorough review and investigation,” stated Jackson. This includes a review of the organization’s finances. SLACO’s representatives state that the organization is also committed to legal actions against anyone who may have liability related to misappropriation or other mismanagement of the organization’s funds. Weigl added, “The organization has several decades of adhering to its mission. The recent events, hopefully, over time, will be a very short chapter in SLACO’s history.”