Name: G. Maurice Rankin
Position: Chief Operations Officer, St. Louis ConnectCare
St. Louis connection:
Born the oldest of four children in St. Louis, Mo. to Gerald and Barbara Rankin (Both also St. Louis natives); moved away and completed high school in Washington state and returned to St. Louis after completing a seven-year enlistment in the U.S. Army.
Journey to success:
Born to two very young teenage parents, I grew up watching my family struggle to make ends meet. Both parents dropped out of high school and worked several odd jobs to feed and clothe four children.
I decided at an early age that I would not only finish high school, but I would be the first on either side of my family to go to and complete college. My plans were temporarily derailed during my senior year when I too became a teenage parent. After completing one semester in college, I took on the responsibility of raising my 8-month-old daughter as a single parent.
The cost of tuition, fees, baby food and diapers didn’t all quite fit into my budget, so I made a decision to enter the U.S. Army. I completed a tour in the Middle East during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm as a combat medic with the 101st Airborne Division.
Upon arriving back to the States, I wanted to advance my knowledge and career in the medical field. I completed the Army’s Licensed Practical Nurse program and worked as an Army nurse/assistant ward master at Walter Reed Army Medical Center until the completion of my service obligation.
After leaving the service, I kept the promise that I made to myself and completed college. After brief employment with the Social Security Administration, I started to miss working in the health care field. I took a position with St. Louis ConnectCare as a business manager in May of 2000, and advanced through the ranks to my current position.
Being raised one or two blocks from ConnectCare, my tenure here has allowed me to service those in the exact same community where I grew up. There’s no better feeling than reflecting back and knowing that the work you do makes a difference in your own neighborhood.
Education: Attended college at the University of the District of Columbia and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and received bachelor’s of science degree in Business Management
Community Leadership: Member and past basileus (Tau Gamma Chapter) of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Served as co-leader of the Colorectal Cancer community partnership for PECAD (Program for the elimination of Cancer disparities). Served as co-chairman of the Integrated Health Network’s Specialty Care Workgroup. Board member of the St. Louis ConnectCare Ambulatory Surgery Center. Served as chairman of Project Giveback – St. Louis chapter. Served as company’s project manager for The Healthy Heart Project. Board member for Village Care of St Louis. Past VP of the Single Parent Support Group. Past VP of the National Pan Hellenic Council at SIUE.
