Stephanie Regagnon
Regagnon, now interim executive director of the Yield Lab Institute, has notched a notable career in plant sciences. She’s been at the forefront of innovative collaboration, helping recruit and retain companies at the 39North Innovation District (before it became a nonprofit) and spearheading the Cultivar initiative, which seeks to link ag ecosystems here with those in South America.
Gabe Gore
Gore spent his first two years as St. Louis circuit attorney righting the rudderless ship of which the governor had appointed him captain. Now in his first term after election, he’s shoring up the office for long-term success, making recruitment, retention, and training top priorities. There was talk of Gore ascending to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, but a Republican ascending to the White House meant the city is almost certain to have the smart-on-crime Gore as its top cop until 2029, if not beyond.
Susan Gobbo
STL International Women Spouses / Expat Group
Gobbo, a native of Brazil, launched the STL International Women Spouses/Expat Group in 2016 to support foreign-born women who have relocated to the St. Louis region for their spouse’s or partner’s career. Sponsored by the St. Louis Mosaic Project, the group includes more than 900 women—many with advanced degrees—from 98 countries, who go on outings to understand St. Louis culture and find belonging.
Meridith McAvoy Perkins
In McAvoy Perkins’ six years at the helm of Forest ReLeaf, the nonprofit has become a force in the regional ecosystem. Its mission—planting and nurturing trees across the metro area, with a focus on under-resourced neighborhoods—took on new urgency after the May 16 tornado. Thanks to its work, even neighborhoods decimated by the cyclone weren’t starting from scratch. The saplings they’d planted in recent years withstood gale-force winds even as older trees did not, jumpstarting the next tree generation.
Linda Nguyen
Nguyen was an outsider when she moved here from San Francisco in 2013 to pursue a master’s degree in social work at WashU, but now she’s all about St. Louis. As executive director of the Community Builders Network, she works to boost the capabilities of neighborhood organizations that are leading change at the very local level. While Nguyen believes these entities have immense power to shape the city, she also sees the big picture and recognizes that it could take years—if not decades—for her work to bear fruit.
Jim McCarter
McCarter’s aim is to turbocharge St. Louis’s biotech sector. As BioGenerator’s new leader, he’s spreading the word not only about his group’s startup-fostering infrastructure but also its fruits heretofore. BioGenerator companies have received more than $2.7 billion in capital from over 250 venture-capital and private-equity sources, which represents 60:1 leverage on the $44 million that BioGenerator has itself invested—and 85 percent of the outside capital has come from other cities and states.
Casey Millburg
When Mayor Cara Spencer came into office this April, she kept her predecessor’s director of policy on board for good reason. Thanks largely to Millburg, the city got $100 million in state tornado relief, not one-quarter of that. Millburg has built relationships and trust in Jefferson City and at city hall; she’s seen as a voice of calm deliberation and reason in a building prone to contretemps. In addition to crafting good policy, she’s equally adroit working with the board of aldermen and the comptroller’s office—key players in city government whose buy-in is crucial for anything to get done at the municipal level.
Jason Purnell
Purnell has dedicated his career to helping St. Louisans live better, healthier, and more prosperous lives. Since becoming president of the James S. McDonnell Foundation in 2023, Purnell has led a major transformation for the nonprofit as it pivots to focus its efforts on St. Louis. The organization pumped $1 million into the city’s Guaranteed Basic Income program, provided $8 million to help UMSL build its new engineering school, and helped create a $1.5 million fund for local students. After the May 16 tornado, the foundation earmarked nearly $3 million for relief efforts.
Ryan McClure
As executive director of Gateway Arch Park Foundation, McClure shepherded the $380 million project to better connect Gateway Arch National Park with downtown, along with renovations at the visitors’ center and Old Courthouse. In recent months, McClure & Co. have made clear that their mandate is far from finished: They’re spearheading an ambitious project to redevelop the long-shuttered Millennium Hotel and beginning a discussion about removing the highway that cuts through downtown.
Samantha Stangl
As the head of House Everyone STL, Stangl wants to be a service provider for service providers. Her group doesn’t directly administer aid to unhoused people on the street, but rather, it seeks to help those who do, not only by funneling private philanthropy their way but also by urging them to reimagine St. Louis’ approach to homelessness. HESTL is the backbone organization for Bridge to Home, a regional effort to go beyond shelters and build a regional rehousing apparatus.
A-List Table of Contents
READERS’ CHOICE WINNERS
Arts & Entertainment
Automotive
Beauty
Food & Drink
Health & Wellness
Home & Garden
Shopping & Services
Weddings
EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNERS
Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Food, Drink & Nightlife
Shopping, Service & Family
Wellness, Beauty & Lifestyle
Keep up with local business news and trends
Subscribe to the St. Louis Business newsletter to get the latest insights sent to your inbox every morning.
