Recognizing Black innovation: Surgeon-turned-nonprofit leader

In honor of Black History Month, Kellogg is sharing the stories of Black innovators and entrepreneurs in our community who are launching businesses that shape the world around us.

In this second installment, we spoke with Dr. Cheryl Watkins ’94 MBA, who began her career as a physician and surgeon. Today she is the president and CEO of the YWCA Metro St. Louis, where she and her team provide crucial services including early childcare education, women’s crisis services and career readiness and entrepreneurship programs while advancing racial justice for more than 10,000 women and families annually.

Her career of more than three decades has spanned corporate leadership and entrepreneurship across a variety of industries, with a common thread of dedicating herself to making the biggest impact possible. 

Early on in her education, earning an MBA hadn’t been on Watkins’ radar, at least not during her time as an undergraduate student. Her goal was to attend medical school and become a doctor. “I never took a business class in my life, but a friend had advised me, after acceptance to Kellogg but before attending, to at least take an accounting class,” she said. It was a conversation she would think back to several years later, that propelled her introduction to gaining and building strong business acumen.

“I wanted to go back to business school to better understand the significant shifts happening within the healthcare industry, especially for physicians,” she explained. “Insurance companies were changing the way they reimbursed hospitals, and the hospital systems were in shock. I hadn’t received a business education during medical school, so this was a daunting task.”

Watkins quickly realized that a different type of thinking was going to be needed to move forward in her career. “That’s what led me back to school: I needed to understand the whole healthcare market.” And so, she applied to Kellogg — the only business school she considered. “Going to Kellogg was the best decision ever,” said Watkins.

During her time at Kellogg, Watkins focused on finance, knowing that at one point down the road, she wanted to pursue entrepreneurship. Marketing and strategy were also areas she fell in love with. “There was a lot of memorization in medicine, it was all black and white,” she explained. “But marketing and strategy dealt with nurturing creative skills, and I love the fact that in business there is a lot of grey and room for creativity.”

After graduating from Kellogg, Watkins joined healthcare products company Baxter International in a leadership development program. She then went on to various leadership roles at large corporations as well as start-ups. She also started her own consulting business and credits the coursework, professors and relationships with her classmates at Kellogg as having helped get her ready for life in the corporate sector. “Kellogg prepares you to work collaboratively in group environments — you learn how to be engaged and work efficiently and effectively with others in order to make positive impact,” shared Watkins. 

Embracing change and learning to pivot  

In 2021, Watkins joined YWCA Metropolitan St. Louis (one of the top 20 largest nonprofits in the region by revenue employing over 250 employees) as the president and CEO, an opportunity she originally wasn’t going to pursue. Having previously worked in the nonprofit space, she wasn’t sure if it was the direction she wanted to pursue again at that point in her career. “I reflected on the opportunity after my call with the recruiter and thought that with the various industries and career experience I enjoyed, I could bring real opportunity and impact to empower women and create programs that would provide economic sustainability for them and their families,” she explained. “I had also previously served on the YWCA Board several years prior, so I knew they were doing great work.”  

Weighing her options, she thought carefully about what her next step would be.  “It’s important to take calculated risks, or you’ll never know what you can achieve,” said Watkins. “I always look for ways we can improve or innovate and encourage my teams to do the same — challenge the way we think and look for innovative solutions. 

Over these last few years, she has championed YWCA’s mission of empowering women and eliminating racism. “We are creating a new vision and a new strategy,” she explained. “We are putting people back into the workforce in the high-growth areas in St. Louis, and we are leading the conversation around childcare because childcare is not just a local issue, it’s a national issue. We want to help women stand up businesses, and having appropriate childcare is a big part of that.” 

She and her Executive Leadership Team are continuing to find ways to create even more revenue streams and truly align with the needs of the region she serves. “I tell my team that if it doesn’t work, we pivot. Failure is not failure; it is actually getting closer to success. You can learn from that and move forward.” 

Collaboration is the bedrock of effective teamwork 

Knowing how to work effectively in a team environment has truly made a difference in her career, she says. Whether she was working at large organizations or startups, her ability to collaborate, which she learned at Kellogg, set her up for long-term success. “You must be able to listen with intent and make good decisions, but also be able to work with different people to find solutions,” Watkins states. “Kellogg is very solution-oriented, and I think that has really made a difference in my career.” 

Her Kellogg experience provided her with a foundation for lifelong learning as well. “I learned so much by thinking outside the box,” she said. “I encourage everyone to connect with professors while in school but engage others inside and outside your organization, as well as in and outside your industry.  Ask many questions, be observant of markets and solutions and never stop learning. 

In a career that has taken her in many different directions, Watkins says leading a nonprofit has been one of the most rewarding opportunities. “What I am doing now, I absolutely love because we are serving people. It’s all about servant leadership. You serve people, and you will see your ROI in so many ways!” 

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