2026 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: SARITA RHODES-VIVOUR

Rhodes-Vivour oversees strategic operations and performance of the medical-surgical, step-down and ICU units at VHC Health, a 453-bed hospital. She leads 16 departments and more than 800 full-time employees.

Rhodes-Vivour launched her career as a critical care nurse in Alabama. Previously, she worked at The George Washington University Hospital, where she worked as the director of medical surgical nursing and in the intensive care unit where she specialized in the care of open-heart surgery patients and critically ill individuals. She earned her master’s in nursing from GWU.

FIRST JOB: My first job was as a hostess at a country cooking restaurant called Po Folks in my hometown of Enterprise, Alabama, a small town of about 28,000 people. Growing up in a rural area, I learned early on the value of hard work and doing things right every single time. That job taught me consistency, responsibility and how to show up for others. Those lessons have stuck with me ever since.

PROUDEST PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: Passing my National Council Licensure Examination. This year marks my 20th year as a nurse, and when I look back, that moment still stands out as the one I’m most proud of. Every day, I anxiously waited for the mail to see if I passed. Back then, the size of the envelope told you everything. If it was large, you passed (because your certificate would be inside). If it was small, you didn’t. I still remember seeing that large envelope and running through the house in pure excitement. It was such an important moment for me because at that point in my life, I really needed a win. My mother was seriously ill, and I was also working as a clinical tech at a local hospital after college.