June 26, 2025
Akberet Boykin Farr Brings a New Lens to Board Leadership
When Akberet Boykin Farr stepped into her role as Board Chair at City Academy, she made an unusual request: the 6th grade reading list. Boykin Farr then introduced a unique tradition of opening each meeting with a quote from a book on the list.
“I wanted to start each meeting with something that tied us to the school,” she explained. “It’s a way to connect with what the students are experiencing. The goal was to bring their voices and learning into the boardroom.”
Now nearly a year into her term, Boykin Farr has quoted from classics like The Iliad and The House on Mango Street, as well as contemporary works like Thick by Tressie McMillan Cottom. One recent board meeting opened with a line from Thick — “Schools were never just about books. They’re about belonging, identity, and the stories we tell each other.” Boykin Farr had no idea the 6th grade class was reading the same book that month. “Total coincidence,” she said, “but perfect timing.”
Another favorite quote — used to introduce a conversation about alumni engagement — came from The House on Mango Street: “They are too strong to keep me here forever. One day, I will go away.” For Boykin Farr, these lines aren’t just literary references. “They help set the tone,” she said. “Sometimes I choose something inspiring, sometimes something that reflects what City Academy is all about. It’s a reminder of our mission at the start of each meeting.”
Boykin Farr, who serves as Vice President of Diversity and Social Responsibility at Emerson, was introduced to City Academy through a colleague. “I didn’t go there planning to join the board,” she laughed. “But within a few months of my first visit, Don [Danforth] asked me to join, and I said yes.”
Her perspective on the school has deepened since that initial visit. “From the outside, you see academic excellence, strong placement, maybe fundraising,” she said. “But once you’re on the board, you see everything that goes into it — financial stewardship, family relationships, school culture, hiring. You realize just how much goes into creating this kind of success.”
That success, for Boykin Farr, is measured in more than test scores. “Success is the whole child,” she said. “It’s academic placement, yes — but also confidence, happiness, a sense of belonging, and a commitment to community. City Academy proves that’s possible, over and over again.”
As Board Chair, Boykin Farr has balanced her leadership role with a busy professional and volunteer schedule. In addition to City Academy, she serves on the boards of Saint Louis University, KIPP St. Louis, and the Urban League. “Each board teaches me something different,” she said. “Every time I go to a meeting, I leave feeling something new — hope, concern, energy. It keeps me learning.”
Asked about a favorite author, she doesn’t hesitate: Maya Angelou. “Her wisdom, her poetry — I go back to her a lot,” Boykin Farr said. “There’s something about seeing how life repeats itself with different circumstances. And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate how much her perspective as a woman of color speaks to my own.”
As her first year as Board Chair wraps up, Boykin Farr remains focused on connection. Through thoughtful quotes or strategic insight, she brings the same belief to the boardroom that she carries into every role: every child can succeed — and stories, both lived and written, have the power to lead the way.