Sandra M. Moore
Managing Director and Chief Impact Officer at Advantage Capital
Sandra M. Moore serves as Managing Director and Chief Impact Officer at Advantage Capital, a growth
equity firm with more than $4.1 billion invested. Advantage Capital focuses on high-growth, high-wage
businesses in communities where access to capital has been historically limited. Sandra is a member of
the firm’s investment committee and a direct advisor to the diligence and structuring teams. She also
plays a key role on the capital markets fundraising team, which has secured more than $730 million
during her eight-year tenure. Sandra built, and leads, the firm’s Impact team, implementing data-driven strategies to accelerate portfolio growth and measure community impact. She also oversees communications, branding, and
serves as the firm’s external representative, amplifying its mission and results to diverse audiences.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Sandra served as the president of Urban Strategies, a national nonprofit corporation dedicated to revitalizing distressed urban communities in partnership with for profit housing developers. Under her leadership, Urban Strategies gained national recognition for driving comprehensive land-use planning and development. The organization focused on creating thriving communities by incorporating schools, parks, service facilities, and strategic partnerships into redevelopment efforts. Sandra’s team played a critical role in stabilizing families during the revitalization process and successfully transitioning them back to vibrant, newly developed mixed-income, mixed-use communities.
Earlier in her career, Sandra served as CEO of the Missouri Family Investment Trust (FIT), a public-private partnership driving multi-system reform efforts under then-Governor Mel Carnahan’s administration. FIT, later renamed the Family and Community Trust (FACT), blended public and private capital from five state departments and seven national and regional foundations, including the Ford, Annie E. Casey, and Kauffman Foundations. Under Sandra’s leadership, decision-making for community improvement transitioned from state-level entities to neighborhood, community, and regional leadership teams. Both the strategic design and execution of this initiative were led by Sandra, resulting in impactful, community
driven solutions for low- and moderate-income individuals and families.
Prior to her tenure at FIT, Sandra was vice president of St. Louis 2004, Inc., a collaborative regional effort spearheaded by business, civic, and political leaders to transform the St. Louis regional economy and prepare it for sustainable growth in the 21st century. Sandra oversaw the development, design, and implementation of a 12-county civic engagement campaign that mobilized residents and voters across Missouri and Illinois in support of regional revitalization. She also led efforts to expand business involvement in civic planning, which laid the groundwork for the establishment of the St. Louis Regional Business Council, representing mid-cap businesses in the region.
Sandra’s leadership in this initiative culminated in the creation of the Sustainable Neighborhoods Campaign, which targeted specific neighborhoods for revitalization. Notable participants in this campaign included the Grand Arts District, Hyde Park, Forest Park Southeast, and Fox Park neighborhoods—all of which have since experienced significant growth and redevelopment following the Sustainable Neighborhood launching initiative.
In addition to her accomplishments in urban revitalization and regional development, Sandra served as director of the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DOLIR), where she was a member of Governor Carnahan’s cabinet. In this role, she oversaw five state divisions: the Division of Workers’ Compensation, the Division of Employment Security, the Division of Labor Standards, the State Board of Mediation, the Unemployment Appeals Board, and the Missouri Commission on Human Rights.
Sandra holds a J.D. from the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis, where she also earned a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from the College of Arts and Sciences.
She began her legal career as a staff attorney for Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, specializing in employment law. After more than three years advocating for indigent clients, Sandra was appointed as a federal Administrative Judge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). She became the first African American federal Administrative Judge in the state of Missouri, serving in this capacity for
11 years before joining the governor’s cabinet.
Sandra is dedicated to fostering growth, development, and empowerment for individuals and the communities they call home. She has held leadership positions on numerous local and national boards and committees, including a recent two-year term as President of the Missouri Historical Society Board, where she is the first African American to serve as board chair. Through her unwavering commitment, Sandra works to strengthen the fabric of her community and is widely regarded as a sought-after speaker and thought leader on these important issues.