Gail Awan, Ph.D.

Gail Wilson Awan, Ph.D., has served as president and CEO of the Urban League of the Upstate since 2021, advancing equity, opportunity, and quality of life across a 10-county region. Under her leadership, ULUS has strengthened its impact through major initiatives such as the McClaren Institute for Health & Quality of Life and the Jane Edna Hunter Empowerment Center in Anderson. She also launched the ULUS Entrepreneurship and Career Development Center (ECDC) in Spartanburg, which houses Studio 9.22, a film and television workforce program. Awan is the 2025 recipient of the Carol Burdette Leadership Award. She serves on several boards, including the South Carolina Commission on National and Community Service, the Polk County Film Initiative, and the National Association of Nonprofit Organizations & Executives. A Schott Foundation Fellow, she is the author of two books.