Leslie Gill

The sector has become a pillar of business opportunity that leaders want to develop in the region.

Nearly 120 women are starting a program this month that helps them secure higher-paying jobs and achieve personal goals.

The U.S. workforce has roughly 2.2 million fewer women in it today than in January. In September alone, 865,000 women left their jobs — four times more than men.

For more than 20 years, St. Louis native Leslie Gill has been focused on getting women what they need, whatever that may be. When she worked for Annie Malone Children & Family Services, that could mean shelter, clothing or food. Now, as president of the new nonprofit Rung for Women, it’s about providing what she terms “holistic self-sufficiency.”