Two alumni from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis have recently been named to high-impact public service positions in Texas and North Carolina, underscoring the school’s national influence in shaping public policy and advancing social equity.
Carl E. Josehart, AB ’84, MSW ’87, has been appointed to the Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board in Houston by Mayor John Whitmire. His two-year term began Aug. 1, 2025, and runs through Aug.1, 2027.
Josehart serves as chief executive officer of the Joan and Stanford Alexander Jewish Family Service in Houston and is a member of the Brown School National Council. A healthcare executive with more than 30 years of experience, he said he looks forward to using this opportunity to promote equity, inclusion and representation in Houston.
The Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board was created following the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida. It serves as a liaison between the LGBTQ community and the mayor’s office, providing policy recommendations on social, economic, and political issues affecting LGBTQ residents citywide.
In North Carolina, Katrina Knight, MSW ’99, has been appointed by Governor Josh Stein to the state’s Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless Programs. Her three-year term began Jan. 1, 2025, and runs through Dec. 31, 2027.
Knight is the executive director of the Good Shepherd Center in Wilmington, where she oversees a range of services for individuals experiencing homelessness, including shelter programs, a medical clinic, housing for veterans, and permanent supportive housing. She previously led the St. Louis Housing Resource Center, which served more than 10,000 households annually.
The North Carolina Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless Programs provides guidance to the governor, cabinet officials and state agencies on housing stabilization, services for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and strategies to reduce and ultimately end homelessness.
Dorian Traube, the Neidorff Family and Centene Corporation Dean of the Brown School, said these appointments reflect the deep commitment Brown School alumni have to advancing inclusive, equitable policies and improving lives across communities.
“Carl and Katrina represent the very best of the Brown School, leaders who bring deep expertise, compassion, and courage to some of the most complex challenges facing our communities,” Traube said. “Their appointments speak to the lasting impact of a Brown School education that is both high-touch and high-impact, grounded in equity, and committed to real-world change. As we enter our second century, we are proud to see our alumni shaping policies that promote dignity, access, and justice for all.”