STA Welcomes New Board Members
June 4, 2025
St. Teresa’s Academy is honored to welcome the following leaders from the Kansas City community to the STA Board of Directors. Their appointments are effective July 1.
Leo Andrew Benedict, M.D., FACS, is the trauma medical director with Saint Luke’s Trauma and Critical Care Specialists. He is the Edna and Wallace Greene, M.D., Endowed Professor of Surgery and associate program director for the UMKC General Surgical Residency Program. Dr. Benedict earned his medical degree from Stony Brook University School of Medicine in New York and graduated surgical residency from Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine. He completed a three-year basic science research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, as well as a health outcomes surgical scholar research fellowship at Children’s Mercy Hospital. In addition, he completed a surgical critical care fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He is an associate professor of surgery with the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and has practiced at Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City for the past seven years.
Dr. Benedict was inspired by his family to pursue a career in medicine. He was one of the first Black male physicians to graduate from his general surgery residency program. His focus remains on improving the outcomes for people from underprivileged and underserved communities and increasing diversity in healthcare.
He enjoys spending time with his wife, Frances, and two children, Ethan and Blake.
Angela Florez is an alumna from the St. Teresa’s Academy Class of 2003. She has more than a decade of experience in the public service and nonprofit sectors. Since receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Saint Louis University, she has dedicated herself to helping others, rapidly becoming an active leader in enhancing the lives of underserved communities in the Kansas City area. As Director of School Based Services, she serves as a liaison between Mattie Rhodes Center and Kansas City Public School District (KCPS). In this role, Florez collaborates with community partners to create and execute strategic plans, assist with resource development, and identify community needs within multiple schools. Additionally, she serves on the KCPS Hispanic Advisory Council and Mentorship Program.
Florez currently is a member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Kansas City Board of Directors. She previously served on the Temple Made Fitness Board of Directors, Suits for Hire Board of Directors, and is a 2025 graduate of the Centurions Leadership Program of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. As a heart attack survivor in 2024, Angela advocates and promotes healthy living while spreading awareness for heart disease.
She is a member of Visitation Parish where she serves as a eucharistic minister. She resides in Kansas City, Missouri, and enjoys spending time with her young nephew and traveling during the summer.
Jill McGee, M.H.A., has more than 30 years of volunteer experience serving various nonprofit boards in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, with broad experience and expertise in areas including leadership, collaborative problem solving, fund development and fundraising, crisis management, marketing and communication, and strategic thinking/planning. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in human biology and business from the University of Kansas, followed by a Master’s Degree in healthcare administration from the University of Minnesota.
Jill was a founding partner of Strategic Visioning, a consulting business for nonprofit organizations and small business associations. She previously served as Director of Advancement, Admissions & Marketing for St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School for seven years, and as an executive at Saint Luke’s Hospital for 10 years.
She has served on numerous nonprofit boards in Kansas City that focus on education, healthcare and breaking the cycle of poverty, including Cristo Rey KC, MOCSA and St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School, where she led an $8.5 million capital campaign. Additionally, she has held leadership positions with Visitation Church Parish Council and the University of Kansas Chancellor’s Task Force on Student Leadership and Involvement, among others. She also mentors young women in their first two years of college at KU.
She and her husband Tom reside in Kansas City. She enjoys traveling, grandparenting, Minnesota summers, and playing Mahjong with friends.