Meet the new leader of the Board of Trustees as he looks to the future of Gateway Arch Park Foundation, while paying homage to its past.

Jim Lally has lived in St. Louis his whole life, and the Gateway Arch has been the centerpiece to many of his lifelong memories. From that feeling of home as he would return from road trips and catch a first glimpse of that stainless steel curve to telling friends to meet at the south leg on a packed day at Fair St. Louis in the eighties, Lally has always found community and hometown pride in view of the Arch.

“It’s hard not to think about the Gateway Arch as part of many big points in our lives. It’s been a gathering place for years,” said Lally as he reminisced. “This is our city’s national park, and it’s been a longstanding anchor for our city.”

His memories of the Arch remain with him as he stepped into his role as Gateway Arch Park Foundation Board Chair in Fall 2025. Not only is it a gathering place he frequented over the decades as a St. Louis resident, but it’s also now a place that he has championed and stewarded since he first joined the Board of Trustees in 2021.

Lally also brings with him 23 years of experience with Enterprise Financial Services Corp, based in St. Louis, serving as its President and CEO since 2017. Enterprise encourages all of its employees to be involved in and show up for their communities through charitable donations, volunteerism, and serving on local boards.

A banker at his core, Lally recalled wanting to be involved with Gateway Arch Park Foundation after assessing the risks and finding this was an organization he could get behind.

“When I first met Ryan McClure and the rest of the Foundation team, I knew immediately it was a high-quality organization,” he said. “As bankers, we assess our risks and ask ourselves, ‘How good is the team and can they execute on the plan?’”

“High-quality teams make it happen. I see that, every time I’m involved with Ryan McClure and the staff at the Foundation, whatever the focus, the team gets the task done. It’s that passion of the team that is fuel for the board.”

Lally is assuming his role at an important and transformational time for the Foundation and its mission to support Gateway Arch National Park and surrounding areas. After the Foundation led and completed the CityArchRiver Project that reimagined this corner of downtown and after transitioning to its role as the official conservancy and philanthropic partner of the Park in 2017, the Foundation keeps pushing forward to steward and innovate in and around the Park.

“As the new chair, it gives me great inspiration to continue the awesome work of those that came before us. The leaders of CityArchRiver created the mission, raised the private funding, and created momentum,” said Lally. “And now, we carry that momentum forward.”

“This is still a young organization, but in a very short time, it has become a leader in shaping our region and what our downtown looks like. As it relates
to what’s in the future, there’s just so many great opportunities that we are already part of, from the former Millennium Hotel site redevelopment to the potential expansion of the Park across the river into East St. Louis.”

Both passion and philanthropy have the power to transform and create this momentum Lally speaks of. As the philanthropic partner of Gateway Arch National Park and surrounding areas, the Foundation is vital to the continued growth and success of the Park and our region, and Lally says it’s time to invest.

“Gateway Arch National Park is one of our region’s greatest resources, and we have to make sure that whatever we do, that it continues to be a beacon for all. We must leave it better than we found it, and that includes everything around it,” he said. “Getting involved with the Foundation is a chance for someone to be involved with the conservancy for this beacon and create great impact for downtown.”

When asked if he has seen philanthropic support make a tangible difference in Gateway Arch National Park, Lally said, “No question. If not for the generosity of all supporters, we would not have the experience we have today in the Park. Whether it’s walking the grounds or visiting the museum beneath the Arch or the galleries in the Old Courthouse, you see the impact of philanthropy over and over again.”

As Lally looks ahead to the future, he knows that the organization has accomplished so much in a short time, but there’s much to do yet. As a conservancy of a public space, the Foundation’s work is never truly complete, to ensure it remains to be vital and well-resourced for generations to come.

He’s prioritizing three things, including carrying forth the legacy of his predecessors to care for and steward Gateway Arch National Park, finding new ways the Foundation can go above and beyond for our hometown national park, and support and see through the parts of the special projects—such as the Millennium redevelopment and the potential East St. Louis park expansion—that are within our purview.

Lally expressed his gratitude to current and past donors, without whom none of this work would be possible. “Your work and generosity is making such a great difference,” he said addressing our supporters directly. “If I could ask for one thing, it would be to bring someone down to see the Arch that hasn’t been down in years. That experience will transform them into wanting to be part of our future because when you see it, you see the impact of what we’re doing.”

He also notes that as the Foundation grows, the need for philanthropy grows too. He calls on those who are not yet involved to join and support: “You’ve got great pride in who we are as a city. This is our symbol. This is our national park. This is our welcome to the rest of the world. Supporting this organization is one way you can participate to make sure this space is maintained and continues to evolve.”

“Our legacy as contributors to and stewards of this great treasure is to create access to this space for all and to make sure this place is cared for so that other generations will continue to enjoy it.”

With Lally as our newest Board Chair, the Foundation looks toward our future with great confidence. Under his leadership, our mission will continue to thrive so that future St. Louisans will continue to make lifelong memories and find community under the glow of the Gateway Arch.