Investing in St. Louis’ Future
The Fellows Experience, an initiative of Greater St. Louis, Inc., is a premier nine-month leadership development program designed to equip professionals across sectors with the skills, networks, and civic perspective needed to help create more and better jobs in the St. Louis region.
When organizations invest in leaders through The Fellows Experience, they strengthen their leadership pipeline, expand cross-sector relationships, and deepen their connection to the future of the St. Louis region. The program develops professionals who return to their organizations with broader perspective, stronger networks, and increased capacity to lead, influence, and drive impact.
Whether nominated by an employer, peer, or through self-nomination, Fellows represent professionals who are already making meaningful contributions within organizations, businesses, and communities and are ready to expand their leadership across the region.
Through immersive, high-impact sessions and intentional cross-sector collaboration, The Fellows Experience develops leaders who advance opportunity across the 15-county metro.
Together, we are building a more competitive, connected, and future-ready St. Louis.
Program Overview and Impact
The Fellows Experience is designed to strengthen leadership capacity through immersive learning, cross-sector relationship building, and regional engagement. Through monthly in-person sessions, Fellows expand their perspective, deepen their influence, and build connections that strengthen both their organizations and the St. Louis region.
Program themes include strategic leadership, influence, civic engagement, leadership presence, organizational impact, and regional connectivity. The experience also includes assessment tools, a Day of Service, regional engagement opportunities, and a closing graduation ceremony.
Participants join a growing network of more than 1,200 Fellows Experience alumni nationwide, representing leaders across business, nonprofit, government, education, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and community leadership.
For many Fellows and sponsoring organizations, one of the most valuable outcomes is the cross-sector network developed through the experience, creating lasting relationships that support collaboration, opportunity, and regional leadership.
Program Schedule and Commitment Duration: January – September 2027
Format: Sessions take place monthly in person at Greater St. Louis, Inc. and locations throughout the St. Louis region, creating space for deep relationship building and regional engagement.
Time Commitment: 7.5 hours per session + civic engagement opportunities.
The Next Cohorts: The 21st and 22nd Cohorts of the Fellows Experience will begin in January of 2027. Explore the nomination pathways below to nominate yourself, a colleague, or a leader within your organization.
Pathways to Participation
ORGANIZATIONS & EMPLOYERS
Nominate a talented, mid-career professional from your team.
When you invest in a Fellow, you invest in future-ready leadership. Participating employers report stronger employee retention, increased internal mobility, enhanced cross-sector insights, and better alignment with regional economic growth goals.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Nominate yourself.
Whether you’re advancing within an organization, scaling your own business, or leading community initiatives, the Fellows Experience expands your leadership capacity, connects you with influential peers across sectors, and deepens your stake in the region’s future. You’ll return to your work more strategic, better networked, and more committed to St. Louis’ growth.
PEERS
Nominate someone whose leadership deserves recognition and development.
Peer nominations often come from colleagues, mentors, or community partners who recognize untapped potential.
Criteria and Commitment
What We’re Looking For
We’re seeking mid-career professionals who demonstrate leadership impact and are ready to deepen their influence across the St. Louis region. Ideal candidates will have an established professional trajectory — whether in corporate, nonprofit, small business, creative, freelance, or community-focused work — and show genuine commitment to strengthening St. Louis.
A track record of making things happen in your field or organization. This might mean you lead a team, you’ve built a business, you manage complex projects, you organize community, you’ve advanced within your organization, or you’re recognized as someone who gets results and influences others.
Essential Experience
Your professional journey should demonstrate meaningful leadership responsibility—typically several years of proven impact in your current sector or field.
Education and Qualifications
We value demonstrated competence and impact. A college degree is one pathway, but we welcome equally candidates whose experience, skills, and accomplishments demonstrate equivalent professional readiness.
Our Commitment
The Fellows Experience was founded on the principle that leadership potential exists across all backgrounds and experiences. We actively seek to develop professionals whose perspectives and lived experiences have been historically underrepresented in regional leadership — because diverse leadership strengthens us all.
Program Investment
All Fellows must secure program funding of $5,000 by Dec. 20, 2026, to hold their seat in the 2027 cohort. This investment can happen in several ways:
- Your employer or organization can sponsor your participation, demonstrating their commitment to your development.
- You can self-fund your participation as an investment in your own leadership growth.
- You can secure sponsorship from another organization or partner — a mentor, community organization, or business associate — who believes in your leadership development.