TOM ALLEN

Office Manager

Since officially joining Bellefontaine in January 2025, I’ve supported its mission in my role as Executive Coordinator and now Office Manager—leading special projects like drafting SOPs, managing website and marketing content, publishing newsletters, and assisting with board meetings.

Bellefontaine is more than a workplace for me—it’s a passion. I first fell in love with the grounds during the 2011 “Bellefontaine in Bloom” event. After over eleven years as a Master Guide volunteer, I transitioned to full-time staff and a lot owner.

Before joining Bellefontaine, I honed diverse skills in luxury retail and wholesale sales, customer service, and administrative and operational roles in healthcare—particularly in project management, disaster preparedness, and community outreach.

What I find most rewarding is stewarding an over 175-year-old institution and helping to ensure Bellefontaine continues to inspire the St. Louis community. I see the cemetery as a sacred space—part memorial, part living connection between nature, community, and memory—and I enjoy bringing its history, sculpture, and landscape to life for visitors.

Outside Bellefontaine, I’m active in the 1904 World’s Fair Society and the Professional Tour Guide Association of St. Louis. I’ve volunteered as a docent at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Tower Grove House and the Sachs Museum, and I’m currently restoring an 1897 home. I also participate in historical reenactments with the St. Louis Mourning Society. My favorite spot on the grounds is Wildwood Valley Gardens, where I find peace in nature’s quiet beauty.