Dr. Cheryl Watkins-Knott, MBA
YWCA Metro St. Louis President and CEO
Dr. Cheryl Watkins-Knott is a champion for women, an innovator, a serial entrepreneur, and a strategic leader with a proven track record of creating, managing, and growing businesses in corporate, non-profit, and start-up environments.
Under her leadership, YWCA has earned accreditation as an Outstanding Provider by Social Current/Council on Accreditation; the National Program of Excellence Accreditation from the National Head Start Association; and the YWCA USA Association Excellence Award for Mission Impact in the field of Women’s Empowerment. The agency also received the international Purple Ribbon Award for Outstanding Multi-Agency Partnership (supporting survivors of sexual and domestic violence) from Alliance for Hope International. Additionally, the agency earned the FOCUS St. Louis What’s Right with the Region Award for Demonstrating Innovative Solutions for its Successful Pathways® Department of Labor registered apprenticeship. YWCA is also partnering with St. Louis Innovation Districts to support employee childcare and address the lack of early education in those neighborhoods. Since 2021, Dr. Watkins-Knott has increased the agency’s annual budget from $29 million to $36.3 million.
A physician by training with an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Dr. Cheryl Watkins-Knott left medicine for business after developing expertise in strategy and seeking opportunities to improve organizations’ market positioning, profitability, operational efficiency, and overall performance. Her medical training and business acumen have proven to be a powerful combination.
Early successes include being part of a leadership team that grew a Swedish start-up from $60,000 to $60 million in five years, as well as leading and expanding a $100 million division of Merck in a Vice President/General Management role.
Dr. Watkins-Knott joined BioSTL in 2013 as an entrepreneur-in-residence and mentor to startups in the region, while also leading efforts to encourage women and minorities to develop STEM-focused businesses as Director of the STEM Entrepreneurial Inclusion Initiative. This program was one of only 10 out of 500 applicants nationwide to receive funding in its pilot year from the Blackstone Foundation. In its first five years, the program received 10 national best practice recognitions (including recognition from the Obama White House) and resulted in 200 businesses being assessed and eight companies being founded, which collectively attracted $50 million in capital to the region. Her leadership earned her the St. Louis Regional Chamber Arcus Award and LaunchCode’s Inaugural Moonshot Award.
Dr. Watkins-Knott served as an Executive on Loan to Harris Stowe State University (HSSU), where she supported senior leadership in developing HSSU as an Entrepreneurial Center of Excellence focused on supporting, educating, developing, and scaling minority entrepreneurs in our region. She also served as an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at Northwestern University Law School.
Dr. Watkins-Knott brought her innovative spirit and entrepreneurial expertise to YWCA Metro St. Louis in 2021. YWCA is the oldest and largest women’s advocacy organization in the region, ranks among the top 20 nonprofit agencies by revenue, and receives the sixth-largest United Way allocation in the region. YWCA serves more than 10,000 individuals and their familiesannually through Crisis and Housing Services, Head Start Early Education, and Economic Empowerment programs.
In 2022, St. Louis Magazine recognized her on its list of 100 People Shaping St. Louis. She was named one of St. Louis’ Most Influential Business Women, class of 2023, by the St. Louis Business Journal, and was again recognized by St. Louis Magazine on its 2023 list of Women Who Make St. Louis Great. In 2024, she received the Colonel Clifton W. Gates Award for her valuable contributions as a Community Champion from the National African American Insurance Association St. Louis Chapter (NAAIA) and was honored at the Urban League Guild Salute to Women in Leadership. Most recently, she was named to the St. Louis Business 500 by St. Louis Magazine in both 2025 and 2026.
Dr. Watkins-Knott has lent her expertise to numerous organizations and nonprofits in the region, including the Academy of Science St. Louis (Board of Trustees); Goldfarb School of Nursing (Board of Trustees); Cortex Innovation District (Board of Directors, Inclusion Committee); Innovative Technology Education Fund (Board Member); The Magic House (Education Advisory Board Member); St. Louis Civic Pride Foundation (Board Member); WEPOWER Elevate/Elevar Accelerator (Advisory Board Member); Society of Physician Entrepreneurs (Advisory Board Member); Harris-Stowe State University (STEM Advisory Board Member); and BALSA Foundation (Advisory Board Member).