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Recent Articles from Alissa Skelton
SUSAN HORNE
From her local government service to building statewide networks of people and organizations, Susan Horne knows how to connect people. Horne has been involved in Lead Virginia since its inception — first as a member of its steering committee and as a board member and then as a member of its second class in 2006. […]
AMY McDANIEL WILLIAMS
In 2011, Amy McDaniel Williams learned she had breast cancer. The hard-driving finance lawyer realized she needed to slow down and take care of herself. “The diagnosis made me realize that every day is a gift,” she says. In 2015, she created a supportive fitness community for cancer survivors, launching Amy’s Army of Cancer Warriors, […]
KIM ROY
By age 10, Kim Roy knew she wanted to build skyscrapers. Now she leads Hitt Contracting, a $3.3 billion commercial construction business that builds structures across America. Roy is passionate about recruiting women into her firm to help diversify the next generation of leaders in her industry. Women comprise about 10% of the construction workforce […]
TRACY FITZSIMMONS
Tracy Fitzsimmons thinks regionally. Through her involvement on GO Virginia’s Region 8 council, secretary of Loudoun Education Foundation and vice chair on the board of Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. (aka Shentel), she has connections throughout the Shenandoah Valley and into Northern Virginia. She also focuses on regional connections in her role as the first woman president […]
LAUREN SWEENEY
Lauren Sweeney founded Richmond-based creative agency Dotted Line in 2014 when she was 26 years old — building on insights from her family. “I come from a family of small business owners,” she explains, “so a lot of the language that I heard growing up around the dinner table was … the typical topics you […]
JAYME SWAIN
Jayme Swain is the first woman to serve as president and CEO of VPM and the Virginia Foundation for Public Media. She leads a 100-person team that creates content and programs for a network of public media television and radio stations and digital properties serving Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, a notable achievement in […]
KAREN WIGGINTON
Karen Wigginton is a passionate mentor who encourages women to dream big. Her secret to success, she says, is boldly taking on leadership roles that push her outside of her comfort zone. Since 2013, Wigginton has overseen marketing and sales strategies for Sunnyside Communities, which has three senior living properties in Virginia. It was a […]
LORETTA CATALDI
When Loretta Cataldi started out in the real estate business 25 years ago, only a handful of agents were women. “Not very many doors were open,” she says, “so I had to climb in through the windows.” That determination has taken her from being an executive assistant to principal and managing broker at Divaris Real […]
CATHIE J. VICK
Cathie J. Vick was the first woman to join the Port of Virginia’s executive leadership team eight years ago. Vick had no direct experience in the male-dominated maritime industry, so she almost didn’t apply for the job, but a male colleague encouraged her to try. “Just having my job is shattering the glass ceiling,” Vick […]
CONNIE CONNELLY O’BRIEN
Early in her career, a client at the ad agency where Connie Connelly O’Brien worked threatened to take their business to another firm. Determined to fix the situation, she spoke with the client and learned that they did not feel heard, and quickly offered a solution. “By really listening to the problem they were trying […]
