Meet the local executives and organizations setting the standard for inclusive leadership in THE Greater ST. LOUIS business community.

By St. Louis Business Journal

Story Highlights

• Business Journals named eight individual champions and four organizations for diversity and inclusion efforts in 2026.

• Susan Gobbo founded groups supporting internationally educated women and families after relocating from Brazil.

• John Drumgoole at USA Mortgage dedicated his career to expanding homeownership for underserved communities.

When it comes to the work of diversity, equity and inclusion, most of us tend to think about race and gender. It's the simplest way to think about DEI: how many people of color are represented, and how many men versus women are included? But DEI goes much further than that. This year's list of Champions for Diversity & Inclusion is a perfect example.

Sure, we've got people, companies and nonprofits tackling race and gender issues, but we also have Susan Gobbo, who founded the International Spouses/Expat Women Group and co-founded International Mentoring St. Louis. After moving here from Brazil, she wanted to transform the experience of internationally educated women and families throughout the region. We also have someone like John Drumgoole of USA Mortgage who has dedicated his career to breaking down barriers that have historically limited homeownership opportunities for underserved and underrepresented communities.

There are so many other amazing things this year's champions for diversity and inclusion are doing. Keep reading to find out what inspired their efforts and what parts of DEI they believe are overlooked and underappreciated.

Read more about these change makers here