Gail Awan And The Future of Charity in The Carolinas
I spent the weekend reflecting on charity here in the Carolinas. I found myself wondering, who’s next? Who will take up the mantle? Who will carry the baton forward?
My thoughts turned to Gail Awan.
Gail is that rare person who puts you at ease the moment you meet her. For those of us who have the privilege to watch her work, her life is a continual act of service. She seeks out needs and meets them. She makes promises and keeps them.
She reminds me why I chose this work in the first place.
CEO of the Urban League of the Upstate
Since becoming President and CEO of the Urban League of the Upstate in 2021, Gail has guided the organization with vision and compassion. Her leadership has expanded the League’s reach across
ten counties in South Carolina, with programs focused on education, employment, housing, health, and quality of life.
Her impact is not limited to metrics or programs. The Urban League has always been about people, and Gail leads with that in mind. She sees opportunity inside her team, in the young professionals she mentors, and in the families she serves. She invests deeply in people’s growth, believing when individuals are strengthened, communities flourish.
Her leadership style is grounded in progress. Gail celebrates impact, amplifies the voices of others, and turns every milestone into a community moment. When she walks into a room, energy rises. When she takes the podium, hope follows. She makes leadership look less like pressure and more like purpose.
Recognition and Influence
Gail has received numerous recognitions and honors for her excellence and community leadership, including being named to Greenville Business Magazine’s Most Influential list (more than once!) National Urban League has issued her multiple awards for her achievements in the Carolinas. She oversees several key initiatives, including The McClaren Institute for Health & Quality of Life in Greenville, The Jane Edna Hunter Empowerment Center in Anderson, and Studio 9.22, a workforce development program for the film and television industry in Spartanburg. With her doctorate in Management and Decision Science, Dr. Gail Wilson-Awan is a Schott Foundation Fellow and has been part of prestigious leadership programs such as The Riley Institute’s Diversity Leaders Initiative, Prisma Health’s Medical Scholars, and Leadership Spartanburg. She also serves on several boards and commissions such as the Tryon International Film Festival and the South Carolina Commission on National and Community Service.
Gail does not chase accolades; she attracts them because her work speaks for itself.
The Joy of Knowing Gail
Gail is my friend and has been faithful to me. When I appear at a social event among 500 guests she treats me like I’m the most important person there. She then hops on stage and will have a ballroom of donors laughing and crying before the night is through. At NANOE events, she brings the same enthusiasm to a leadership summit as she does to a board meeting. Her joy is contagious, her optimism unwavering.
What I admire most is how she combines strength with warmth. Whether she is encouraging a young fundraiser, celebrating a team milestone, or sharing a quiet word of reassurance, Gail reminds us that leadership is not just about outcomes…it is about relationships.
Gail Awan – Charter Member of NANOE
Since NANOE’s founding in 2015, Gail has believed in our mission to strengthen and credential nonprofit executives who lead with excellence. She has been a consistent voice for growth, innovation, and integrity. When she joined our Board of Directors, she brought not just her experience, but her heart.
Gail is proof that leadership and joy are not opposites. They are partners. She reminds us that laughter belongs in boardrooms, that gratitude belongs in strategy meetings, and that every act of service, no matter how small, contributes to something sacred.
In celebrating Gail Wilson Awan, we celebrate the best of what NANOE stands for: courage, compassion, and community. Here is to her continued leadership, her laughter, and the light she brings wherever she serves.
In the Carolinas, and in the Jimmy LaRose Universe, Gail gets the baton.
Gail Wilson-Awan And The Future of Charity in The Carolinas was first posted at NANOE
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