On August 7, 2025, Little Bit President and CEO Miranda Walker Jones was honored as one of the St. Louis Business Journal’s Most Influential Business Women of 2025 during a luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel. The annual award celebrates “remarkable women who excel in careers in business,” according to the Business Journal.

With 30 years of experience in education, government, and nonprofit leadership, Miranda has consistently championed initiatives that uplift youth, empower families, and build stronger communities. During her 17 years helping to lead operations and programming for Better Family Life, she designed and executed community programs, summits, and other events that served 8,000 students annually. For the past 20+ years, she has served on the Board of Directors for the Jennings School District, and as President for the last four years, has guided the district towards full accreditation and financial stability, with a current annual budget of over $37 million.

Since taking the helm of The Little Bit Foundation in 2021, Miranda has:

• Led the organization through a devastating flood and subsequent rebuild of operations at a temporary location and then new permanent headquarters in Maryland Heights
• Formed a new strategic plan to deepen Little Bit’s impact and and outreach, including expanding across the river into East St. Louis, where she was born and raised
• Built staffing capacity to manage services for an additional 12 schools and 3,000 students
• Awarded micro-grants to 20 local youth-serving organizations, thanks to a new partnership with Centene Foundation

“I’m a product of East St. Louis and through my story I have the chance to inspire students from across our entire region, as well as give back to the community that helped make me who I am today,” says Miranda. “I am just so proud to do this work, along with my team and our many partners, and blessed to do what I love.”

Read Miranda’s profile in the St. Louis Business Journal here.