Invest STL has emerged as a force for equitable development and community resilience. After last year’s tornado, Eskridge quickly mobilized resources to launch the Northside Resilience Fund, which provided $3,000 in cash assistance to North City families. That effort and others earned her a spot on Time’s Time100 Next list, which honors global rising stars. Yet Eskridge is quick to credit others. “There are hundreds of neighborhood associa- tions, block units, and resident collectives across St. Louis,” she says. “These are every- day people who have decided to organize with their neighbors to forge vibrant and tightly knit communities with little support or recognition, yet we all benefit from their commitment and service.”
Hear more from Eskridge on The 314 Podcast.
2026 QUESTIONNAIRE
What advice would you give to the next generation of St. Louis entrepreneurs or leaders? Have good counsel. Know and keep close those who you can trust to help you hold a mirror up to yourself with care and curiosity. Understand that nothing meaningful comes from just you. Find your people and let them stretch you as you work together to shape big moves. Remember to breathe and laugh and be in awe of the people and spirit here.
What do you do when you’re feeling stuck or uninspired? My brain is weird, but I’ve learned it pretty well. When I’m stuck, I toss a challenge to my brain for it to churn on in the background. In the meantime, I’ll go about life and focus on other things. In due time, something in a book I’m reading, a podcast I’m listening to or even a random thought shared by my kids will stick out as a key to whatever I’m seeking and unlock the flow I need to get unstuck. Answers and inspiration are everywhere. I just have to remind myself that things come when I’m ready to see them.
Who in your company (or industry) deserves more recognition for their impact? The Invest STL board of directors is really incredible. None of what we’ve been able to advance would be possible without their thoughtful partnership. They are not rubber stampers– they wade in the wide and deep with me as we craft direction for the organization. I have grown and our work has evolved exponentially because of our working relationship going on seven years. I am sincerely grateful for my board, as individuals and as a unit, for making this the best job in town.
What’s a local organization, nonprofit, or initiative that more people should know about—and why? There are hundreds of neighborhood associations, block units and resident collectives across St. Louis. These are everyday people who have decided to organize with their neighbors to forge vibrant and tightly knit communities with little support or recognition, yet we all benefit from their commitment and service.
2025 QUESTIONNAIRE
PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
What has you most excited about the future of your company or industry? For Invest STL’s future, I am most excited about closing our doors in 2042 with our intentions of helping to shape a community and economic development industry that is responsive to the needs and will of residents fully realized. We’re not a forever endeavor. In 2022, we committed to giving our best to fulfill our mission in a generation’s time. The prospect of staying laser focused, building critical partnerships and infrastructure, and fulfilling our intentions in earnest on that timeline is incredibly motivating and exciting.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why? It’s critical that the greater public and other industries begin to recognize the community and economic development industry as a cornerstone to our region’s stability and future prosperity. While much of the industry carries a non-profit tax status, that does not mean these aren’t businesses creating immense value for our region while also filling the void left by other industries and government. Recognition of the value of this industry would create a standard of dignified pay and support for its workforce and broader influence in decision-making for our region that ultimately would yield a more just and equitable St. Louis.
What’s the toughest business challenge you’ve had to overcome (excluding the pandemic) and why? The toughest challenge has been supporting stakeholders– investors, civic leaders, and others– to understand that meaningful, sustainable neighborhood transformation doesn’t occur overnight. It’s very patient work, and the return on investment typically isn’t primarily a financial one. Luckily, we have had the fortune of building partnerships with individual, corporate, and institutional stakeholders who are willing evolve their expectations and learn alongside us.
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MENTORS & PEERS
To whom or where do you go for sound business advice? I have an incredible network of colleagues here in St. Louis and across the country that I call on frequently for advice. But in a pinch, my go-tos are honestly my mother and father. Between them, they have vast experience and expertise in investment banking and accounting; real estate; public policy and public administration; nonprofit management; and building, managing, and closing businesses. I know I can count on them to tell me what I need to hear and not just what makes me feel good or what is easy.
Do you have a business mentor? If so, who and why? I find that having a single mentor is not as valuable as having a kitchen cabinet with varied expertise and perspectives that I can draw from. Instead of one person, I have about a dozen mentors ranging from economists to urban planners and designers, policymakers, creatives, movement leaders, and organizational strategists coming from a rich mix of backgrounds that I learn from and challenge myself with regularly.
What piece of advice has had the most significant impact on your career? The advice I received very early on that has impacted my career the most has been to always be open to multiple paths in my career journey and don’t be set on a specific way that my career must unfold– instead, focus on what am I called to do. Heeding that has led me to a career that I don’t think I could’ve have imagined while I was in school but has been wildly fulfilling and just keeps getting better and more challenging in the best ways.
If you could have dinner with any two area business leaders, who would you choose and why? Put names in a hat, and pick two with your eyes closed—I’ll be intrigued by whomever. Everyone has something I can learn from, and I love a chance meeting.
Who is the most interesting under-the-radar/emerging business leader in St. Louis and why? There are too many to pick just one. There’s a trio of frame-breaking consultants I love to work with that are the best at stretching our thinking and holding space for very hard yet generative discussions. Rebeccah Bennet and Leslie Peters each lead their own firms and have extensive local and national client lists, but I still feel their leadership commands more spotlighting here. Whitney Benns is newer to St. Louis, but she’s quickly making an imprint on how companies like mine build internal culture and external partnerships that are rooted in mutual respect, accountability, and rigor. While they’re each CEOs of their own consultancies, they are quietly shaping a better class of business leaders across the region and beyond. They’re also wonderful, witty, and wise. It’s a gift to know them.
What is one thing you would change about the St. Louis metro area business environment and why? Small businesses (for profit and non profit alike) are the innovators, hustlers, and heartbeat of our economy. They are a significant detail to what makes St. Louis, St. Louis. I would elevate small businesses and their leaders to have more influence in our business/civic leadership space so it’s not dominated by large corporations whose ties, and therefore commitment, to St. Louis can easily be compromised or severed by external interests.
BACKGROUND
Where were you born? St. Louis
What was your childhood aspiration? I had a few. My favorites: to *be* Diana Ross or president of the country by age 13 (according to my 1st grade essay).
What was your first job, and what did you learn from it? Technically, my fist job (though I don’t remember being paid) was as a server in my family’s BBQ restaurant when I was maybe 7 or 8. I learned then how far a smile and a few kind words can go to make people feel at home in my presence (was great for tips, too!). Looking back, I really appreciate the grit and guts my parents modeled for my siblings and me by investing in their dreams and not just leaving them as wishes on a page.
What educational degrees do you hold, and where were they earned? Bachelor of Architecture from Tuskegee University in Alabama, Master of Science in Urban Planning from Columbia University in New York
HOBBIES & INTERESTS
If you were not in your current profession, what would you be doing and why? I have a list, in no particular order: bookstore owner, multimedia artist, economist, civil rights lawyer, neighborhood grocer, beachfront bar owner.
What is your favorite St. Louis-area restaurant, and what do you typically order there? I love raving about our food scene when I’m with visitors or I’m travelling;the per capita quality is unmatched. Picking a favorite restaurant is like choosing a favorite between my two kids– not gonna happen. Though lately, I have been craving My Marie (Haitian joint on Cherokee). The flavors are so good in a very informal, warm environment.
What is one item you recently crossed off your bucket list? Although I was born and raised in St. Louis, I’d never been atop the Arch. I don’t like heights or being trapped in small spaces. I was tricked by a loved one not too long ago and ended up in the tram. The view was WOW—and I never have to do it again.
What is one book you think everyone should read (or podcast everyone should listen to) and why? I highly recommended anyone who loves St. louis and learning about its history, how it operates, and the many brilliant people forging its future to listen to the ‘Under the Arch’ podcast hosted by Blake Strode and Kayla Reed. They are experts at balancing the heavy and hilarious and always induce a few hmmms.
What’s your hobby/passion? I have many but don’t have much time to tend to them. Right now, I’m most consistent about tending to my produce and flower garden.
What is your most prized possession? My home that I share with my two children. When we bought it, it had no roof, few floors, and no MEP systems. It was a 100-plus-year-old shell that we’ve given a second life to. I look forward to it being in our family for generations to come.
What would people be surprised to learn about you—a fun fact? With a little warm-up, I have a respectable lefty pitch and you’ll want me to be your short stop on your neighborhood diamond.
What is your go-to karaoke song? Any duet with my sister, preferably a Prince, Janet, or Spice Girls jam.
