The 1996 film “Jerry Maguire,” about a high-powered sports agent navigating the business of professional athletics, motivated a young Leslie Gill to believe she would one day have a career in sports management.
“I always sort of had this vision that I would be a sports agent,” Gill said. “I was really interested in sports growing up, so, from a little girl, I watched the Jerry Maguires of the world and was like, ‘I can be the first female Jerry Maguire.’”
Instead, Gill’s career shifted into public service through both nonprofit and for-profit organizations, along with deep involvement in social welfare work, including serving as CEO of Annie Malone Children’s & Family Services, a longtime St. Louis nonprofit that supports children and families affected by abuse and neglect.
“There are so many women who are one missed car payment, one car breakdown or one medical bill away from being homeless,” Gill said. “That’s the reality, unfortunately and we are trying to change those trends and we’re seeing it happen.”
Today, Gill serves as president and CEO of Rung for Women, a St. Louis nonprofit she helped transform into a career accelerator that partners with employers, community colleges and workforce trainers to prepare women for higher-paying careers while providing financial coaching and long-term economic mobility support.
Since launching programs in 2021, Rung has assisted more than 600 women, focusing on high-demand fields such as manufacturing, technology and geospatial careers.
It is that work — along with years of community leadership — that led the St. Louis American Foundation to honor Gill as its Nonprofit Executive of the Year. Gill and other awardees will be recognized during the 24th annual Salute to Excellence in Business Luncheon on Thursday, Feb. 19, at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis.
Terry Harris, CEO of the Legacy Center STL in Normandy, said Gill’s impact was immediately clear.
“The most succinct thing I can say is that Leslie is right for St. Louis,” Harris said. “She’s extremely talented, she’s worked all over the country in nonprofits. She’s also intentional and very unapologetic about the mission in front of her.
“I’ve been in rooms with her with the governor, mayor and other (prominent) individuals, and she’s very unapologetic about the fact that she wants to see women in the St. Louis region make more money than they’re currently making. That’s Rung’s mission.”
Gill’s path into public service began right after her senior year of college, when she accepted a job with Tiffany & Co.’s management training program and planned to move to New York.
Before starting that position, she spent the summer in Washington, D.C., where she became involved in the mayoral campaign of Anthony Williams.
“I thought I would just go, hang out with friends, and have a good time,” Gill recalled.
After Williams won the election, he offered her a position in city government, launching what became a decade-long career in public service.
“It’s the capital city of the world and it was an amazing experience,” Gill said. “I got to meet tons of world leaders, and it really helped me look at the world from a different perspective.”
That experience eventually led Gill back to St. Louis and into nonprofit leadership roles with the Girl Scouts and College Summit, now known as PeerForward, before she became CEO of Annie Malone in 2016.
There, she said, she began seeing generational cycles of trauma and poverty.
“We were starting to see three generations of kids coming — from their mothers and their grandmothers — who had come to Annie Malone because of abuse and neglect,” Gill said. “I can remember thinking, ‘This is criminal … there has to be a better way.’”
That realization shaped her vision for building broader systems of opportunity — a goal that took form when she met Ali Hogan, founder of the nonprofit resale shop Rung.
“She was like, ‘Women need more than clothes … and you’re going to figure out what that means,’” Gill said.
Under Gill’s leadership, Rung for Women evolved into a career accelerator designed to move women toward financial stability and higher wages.
“There are so many women who are one missed car payment, one car breakdown or one medical bill away from being homeless,” Gill said. “That’s the reality, unfortunately and we are trying to change those trends and we’re seeing it happen.”
Community partners have taken notice.
“Leslie has created something for these women where they can excel, where they can find purpose, and where they know they’re valued as a woman,” said Angie Stewart-Brown of Southwestern Illinois College, which partners with Rung on workforce training. “I think that’s important.”
Briston Ashe, one of Rung’s earliest participants, said the program transformed her life.
“Just being in a community of positive people who were cheering me on; that meant so much to me,” Ashe said. “It helped me level-up in my professional life, which also went into my personal life…it was just an all-around positive experience.”
“When I think of Leslie, the term ‘a woman’s woman’ comes to mind,” Ashe added. “She’s a motivator who loves being of service to her community, and in particular, helping women excel in their lives and reach higher levels.”
Gill said being honored by the St. Louis American Foundation was especially meaningful.
“This is such an honor for me, having grown up in St. Louis, stopping to get the newspaper every Thursday. … Way back when I was in high school, I would read the American cover-to-cover.
“The American is deeply embedded in my DNA, but I never imagined being honored in this way. I’m excited, I’m a little nervous, but I’m extremely happy to be recognized.”
The St. Louis American Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Business Awards Luncheon will take place on Thursday, February 19, at Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For tickets or more information, visit www.stlamerican.com.