“Pursuing higher education felt both meaningful and necessary. As the oldest of seventeen children, I knew my choices would matter beyond just me.”
For Logan Gill ’12, responsibility, self-motivation and collaboration weren’t just keys to success—they were a way of life. Raised in Milwaukee, Logan grew up in a bustling household with his eleven brothers and five sisters, all homeschooled by their parents, Bonnie and Wilson Gill Jr.
“My parents emphasized discipline, follow-through and taking ownership of your commitments. If something needed to be done, you did it—often alongside others—and you learned quickly how to manage your time and pull your weight.”
As the first in his family to pursue college, Logan was drawn to MSOE for the principles it shared with the Gill family. “MSOE represented a place where hard work was expected, practical skills were prioritized and outcomes mattered,” he said.
In 2007, Logan began his MSOE journey. Although initially drawn to engineering for its clear, practical problems, he soon realized he was just as interested in how people collaborate to solve them and became a business management major in his junior year. The rigor of MSOE’s curriculum aligned closely with his family’s values, reinforcing the foundation his upbringing had already laid for success.
“Looking back, those early lessons didn’t make the work easier, but they made it manageable. MSOE rewarded the same habits we were raised with, and that alignment made it possible not just to survive the workload, but to grow through it.”
As a student, Logan thrived in MSOE’s small classroom model. “One of the most important lessons I took from MSOE was learning how to work through complexity without waiting for perfect clarity. Across classes and projects, the expectation was to stay engaged, take ownership and keep moving forward, even when the path wasn’t obvious.”
That sense of ownership took Logan far beyond the classroom. He was involved in many student organizations on campus, and his senior design project took him and his classmates overseas to make an impact. “We installed a fully functional aquaponic system in Jacmel, Haiti, a year following the 2010 earthquake. It was challenging, humbling and deeply meaningful, and it showed me how technical and business skills can come together in service of something bigger.”
After graduation, Logan began his career at a small local marketing agency before joining Kohl’s Corporation in 2014. Today, he manages a team of marketing project managers, helping guide cross-functional teams behind the scenes to bring their visions to life. One project he is particularly proud of is the “Kohl’s Mom” campaign.
His team has also been instrumental in building the company’s personalization and retail media network workflows. “What I enjoy most is the balance of strategy and execution: working with talented teams, navigating complexity and helping turn ambitious ideas into something tangible and effective,” he said.
Logan’s leadership in Black excellence reflects a deep commitment to building community, honoring legacy and creating opportunity for others. For the past three years, he has served as a chapter leader for Kohl’s Black Business Resource Group (BRG), significantly growing member engagement and evolving the BRG's strategy, programming and leadership structure to reflect business priorities—helping to build an increasingly engaged, connected and innovative workforce.
That same commitment extends back to MSOE, where Logan has remained actively involved as a member of the W. Wallace Cannon, Jr. Society Leadership Council since 2024. Established in honor of MSOE’s first African American graduate, the society focuses on mentorship, connection and support for Black students and alumni—ensuring the path forward is stronger for the next generation of engineers, nurses and business professionals.
“Being part of a group connected by MSOE but shaped by different paths and perspectives has been both inspiring and humbling,” Logan said. “It’s a reminder that growth doesn’t stop at graduation and that there’s real value in continuing to learn from one another.”
The Gill family legacy at MSOE extends far beyond Logan himself. Since his graduation, four of his siblings have joined the ranks of MSOE alumni, with five more currently pursuing their degrees. Each has chosen their own path—from nursing to computer engineering—yet all carry forward the same values of resilience, curiosity and dedication that have come to define the Gill family presence on campus.
“Word travels fast in a large family, especially when something works,” Logan reflected. “Seeing how MSOE prepared students to think critically, apply what they learned and enter the workforce with confidence made it a natural choice for those who came after me.”
Even though Logan’s time on campus has concluded, he’s been supportive of his siblings when navigating their own MSOE journeys, offering guidance on professors, workload balance and the rigorous curriculum. “More than anything, I try to be a sounding board,” he said. “MSOE is demanding, and sometimes it helps just to hear that struggling is normal and manageable. If I can help normalize the experience or offer reassurance from having gone through it, that feels like enough.”
Through his professional leadership, dedication to MSOE and commitment to his family’s legacy, Logan embodies the power of education, mentorship and community—reminding us all that the impact of one person can ripple across generations.