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BUFFY BAREFOOT
BUFFY BAREFOOT President — Virginia Beach, TowneBank, Virginia Beach Buffy Barefoot describes herself “as a pretty steady Eddie.” During her 27-year career in finance, she has worked for only two companies, and she credits her steady rise to staying in her lane, keeping her nose down and doing the best job she could. “En[...]
DEBORAH JOHNSTON
Deborah Johnston’s father inspired her career path. When she was a child, he encouraged her to pursue a job in nursing for the opportunities it could afford her. “He said, ‘You’ll always have a job. You could join the Air Force and travel the world. But no matter what happens, you’ll always have a job, […]
JYLINDA JOHNSON
Jylinda Johnson sees the world for what it could be. That’s why she thrives in a role that requires her to solve complex problems facing the federal government. Johnson oversees a 2,000-person team for General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of Reston-based Fortune 500 global aerospace and defense contractor G[...]
GWEN HURT
Gwen Hurt spent more than 15 years working in the tech industry. Then, unexpectedly, days after being laid off from her job in 2013, Hurt and her daughter were in a car accident. During their months of recovery, Hurt decided to start her own winemaking business in 2014. Her daughter suggested she name it for […]
JENNIFER HUNTER
Education and mentorship are important to Jennifer Hunter. “If you want to create change and create opportunities … you’ve got to bring people to the table,” she says. “And that means supporting folks, equipping them, preparing them and then pulling them to the table with you.” Outside of mentoring others, she wa[...]
NANCY HOWELL AGEE
NANCY HOWELL AGEE President and CEO, Carilion Clinic, Roanoke Nancy Howell Agee calls herself “a bit of a unicorn” because, as a woman and a nurse, the odds of her ever heading a health care system were poor. When asked about obstacles she faced along the way to becoming CEO and president of Carilion Clinic […]
MARY ANN GILMER
Workforce development and community betterment are key goals of Roanoke-based Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. And Mary Ann Gilmer, the nonprofit’s chief strategy and people officer, is furthering its mission through GoodCare, a medical workforce training program. The program connects Roanoke Valley residents to workforce t[...]
CATHY UNDERWOOD
Cathy Underwood says her greatest strength is her ability to build relationships in the construction industry. She’s done that while working her entire 22-year career for Branch Builds, a subsidiary of The Branch Group, a Roanoke-based construction company. As president, Underwood leads Branch Builds’ commercial construction[...]
JOANIE EILAND
Joanie Eiland recalls wishing she had a woman mentor in the early days of her career — so she became one. “I think we process things differently and experience things differently. And there’s nobody to talk to,” Eiland says. On mentoring others, she calls it a joy “to be there for the firsts — whether […]
JESSICA BUTTERWORTH
There are male-dominated industries, and then there’s Jessica Butterworth’s office, where she is in charge of 145 engineering workers for Colliers’ Real Estate Management Services (REMS). Every last one is male. “It’s very different to be a female lead of engineering,” Butterworth says, in a gentle understatement. He[...]
NAKIA MADRY-SMITH
Few people can say they sing in a choir with Pharrell Williams. Or that they’ve performed on Netflix, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “Good Morning America” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” But Nakia Madry-Smith has done all those things. Yet, she still finds time to connect with the community, representing Old Domin[...]
Taking the reins
To quote the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. … It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” In Year Two of our Virginia Business Women in Leadership Awards, we received more than 300 nominations — exceeding last year’s nominations by m[...]
