Nancy E. Rice is serving as Executive Director of Better Together and is also a senior member of the Pelopidas, LLC, team, where she brings extensive experience in public communications, political campaigns and grassroots management.  Throughout the past 30 years, Rice has played integral roles in a number of significant public developments. Her most recent campaign win occurred in November 2012, with the passage of a statewide amendment that returned local control to the St. Louis Police Department for the first time since the Civil War.

Rice served as senior aide and political director for Vincent C. Schoemehl during his three terms as Mayor of St. Louis.  During her tenure, she spent several years as Director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry and founded Forest Park Forever, the not-for-profit group that has raised millions of dollars to successfully restore Forest Park in St. Louis to its former glory.

She also spent seven years as the City of St. Louis’ Director of Intergovernmental Affairs.  In that capacity, she was responsible for the City’s municipal, state and federal lobbying efforts.  Significant initiatives undertaken during that period include two expansions of the City’s convention center, the first leg of MetroLink (St. Louis’ light-rail mass transit system) and the planned expansion of the City-owned airport, Lambert Field.

Rice resides in St. Louis with her husband.