TAMPA, Fla. — A local organization dedicated to empowering women to re-enter the workforce is mourning after longtime Executive Director Katie McGill died "suddenly and unexpectedly" on Saturday. She was 62 years old.
Dress for Success Tampa Bay did not say what led to McGill's sudden passing but shared that the entire organization will remain committed to carrying on her legacy of service.
"Her legacy will live on and on in all of the lives that she has impacted in the most positive of ways," a statement from the organization read, in part. "Katie’s empathy, conviction, and tenacious spirit helped to empower women and so many when they thought they had no hope and no power of their own. Her legacy will continue on well in the years to come because of her kind and compassionate spirit."
McGill is remembered as a "phenomenal woman" and "dedicated leader" who devoted decades of her life to serving the Tampa Bay community with warmth and kindness for all those who knew her.
She led Dress for Success for more than 16 years, working each day to provide women with the physical and emotional tools to succeed in a new career.
“We make sure that we are not just giving them a suit. We are giving them hope and that could be a mock interview, someone might need resume help," McGill told 10 Tampa Bay in 2019. "We do dress rehearsal and we send them out to a company and they interview them for us before we get them ready. They have to do an elevator pitch. We are giving them all the tools they need in order to be successful."
In addition to her role at Dress for Success, McGill spent years volunteering with the Hillsborough County Women’s Correctional Facility and the Crisis Center of Tampa and founded Black Teen in Effect to keep youth out of trouble. She was even named the Tampa Bay Lightning's Community Hero in 2017 for her life of service.
"The difference McGill is making among local disadvantaged women now and during her past 25 years of stewardship and volunteering is quantifiable and is making a tremendous difference in making Tampa Bay a better place to live," the team wrote in a news release at the time.
After Dress for Success shared the news of McGill's passing online, nearly 150 people flooded the comments with memories of how McGill impacted their lives.
"Ms. Katie was the kindest and most patient mentor I've ever worked with. Her voice always sounds like she was smiling. She cared about people and she wanted everyone to win," Charie Ree commented.
The organization is expected to share information about funeral arrangements in the coming days.
