Nancy Barker made a bold move in 1989 when interviewing for a position at VHB’s Rhode Island office. She proposed that the Massachusetts-based civil engineering consulting and design firm launch a Virginia office. They took her up on it.

“What started as a three-person operation has grown today into a vibrant mid-Atlantic region with more than 450 employees and more than $100 million in annual gross revenue across multiple disciplines,” Barker says.

In 2007, Barker was named regional manager, the first woman to hold that role at VHB. “It wasn’t just a title — it was a shift in representation, and it allowed me to lead in a way that brought new perspectives to the forefront,” she says.

In her role, Barker keeps a lot of plates spinning, overseeing operations for VHB’s transportation, real estate, institutional, energy and state and local government markets from Maryland to the Carolinas while also guiding the firm’s federal strategy.

Early in her career as an environmental scientist, Barker took time to meet with experts. She read wetlands regulations word for word. “This helped catapult my career because I knew the ins and outs of these regulatory requirements,” Barker says.

As a leader, Barker wants the team members she manages to put in that kind of extra effort and to remain curious. “I don’t expect perfection, but I do expect preparation, thoughtfulness and a commitment to excellence,” she says.

 

2025 Virginia Women in Leadership Awards honorees

 

In 2023, Old Dominion University launched the Monarch Internship and Co-Op Office and tapped Barbara Blake as its executive director to meet a goal of 100% student participation in work-based learning.

“I view internships as more than résumé-builders,” Blake says. “They are launchpads for career confidence and financial stability. My work focuses on scaling access to these opportunities across disciplines, income levels, and student identities.”

Previously, Blake was the chief administrative officer of ODU’s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy. During that time, she led and published research on the impact of the opioid crisis on Virginia’s workforce and labor market. She also contributed to an initiative funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in partnership with the University of Virginia, which focused on addressing the opioid crisis in Virginia.

“While my role centered on the economic and workforce impact, the experience deepened my belief that cross-functional leadership is essential to solving our most urgent challenges,” she says. “Issues like opioid addiction, food insecurity, and care infrastructure require the coordinated efforts of medical professionals, economists, educators, social workers and policy advocates working together to design lasting solutions.”

Blake earned her undergraduate degree from High Point University and her master’s in international studies from the University of Leeds before completing her doctorate in higher education administration at George Washington University.

2025 Virginia Women in Leadership Awards honorees

For several months after Telly Tucker stepped down as Danville’s director of economic development in 2020, Corrie Teague Bobe stepped up as interim director. Following a competitive national search, officials decided they’d already found what they were looking for and hired Bobe for the permanent role.

Since then, Bobe has worked to develop and market more than 5,600 acres of industrial land and more than 750,000 square feet of commercial property. Under her leadership, the Danville region has secured major investments, including Tennessee-based Microporous’ planned $1.3 billion battery separator manufacturing facility at the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill and the $800 million Caesars Virginia casino and resort, which opened in 2024.

Bobe also pushed for the creation of a tourism division in the economic development department, an idea that came to fruition in 2022. “This strategic move allowed us to better leverage both existing and emerging assets in the region to support entrepreneurship, create higher-wage job opportunities and diversify the local tax base,” she says.

A marketing management graduate of Virginia Tech, Bobe joined the city payroll in 2009 as a marketing and research manager for the economic development department. She was later named project manager. In 2015, Bobe was promoted to the department’s assistant director.

Bobe’s nominator praised her determination to enhance the region’s quality of life: “She is devoted to improving lives and building brighter futures for each small business owner, resident, family, entrepreneur and visitor.”

2025 Virginia Women in Leadership Awards honorees

Anna Bonet moved from Barcelona to Virginia in 2021 to lead Spanish toll-road management company Abertis’ first U.S. company, Elizabeth River Crossings, which operates the downtown and midtown tunnels that run between Norfolk and Portsmouth through a public-private partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation.

During her tenure at Elizabeth River Crossings and in her previous role as CEO at Autopistas, another Abertis company, Bonet has worked to make sure female employees aren’t overlooked.

“I have been very fortunate to build teams primarily led by women,” she says. “Back in Spain, when I was CEO, 50% of my executive team was female, and here it is 62%. In addition to that, at the company level, 54% of our employees and 51% of our managers are also female. It is extremely rare in the infrastructure industry for women to be the majority.”

Bonet has also worked to build relationships with the community.

In 2023, Elizabeth River Crossings donated $400,000 to the expansion of Tidewater Community College’s Skilled Trades Academy. Bonet attended a September 2024 ribbon cutting for the expansion, which allowed the college to increase program offerings by 56% and enrollment capacity by 86%.

Bonet earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Universitat de Lleida and a master’s degree in economic and financial management from Esade. Both universities are located in Spain.

2025 Virginia Women in Leadership Awards honorees

After serving on the VHC Health Board of Directors, Sharon Brickhouse Martin joined the not-for-profit, 537-bed health system as its vice president of health services integration in March 2023. Her responsibilities include leading and coordinating strategic initiatives and ensuring successful project completion.

Collaborating with female physicians, Brickhouse Martin helped create VHC’s Charlotte Stump Benjamin Center for Women’s Health, where women can receive a range of services including gynecology, breast health, urogynecology, genetic counseling and obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine. With a multidisciplinary team, Brickhouse Martin transformed a concept into a fully operational, 26,000-square-foot facility in just nine months. Since opening in November 2023, the center has delivered over 65,000 patient appointments, expanding access to women’s health services.

Additionally, Brickhouse Martin is president of Brickhouse Martin Healthcare Engineering, a professional services firm “with a mission to work with providers to sustain improvements and manage change using proven engineering analyses.” She founded the firm in 1991.

Brickhouse Martin earned her undergraduate degree in industrial engineering and operations research at Virginia Tech, where she also completed a master’s degree in engineering administration. Then-Gov. Ralph Northam appointed Brickhouse Martin to Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors in 2019. She served through 2023 and now sits on the university’s Alumni Association Board.

As a leader, Brickhouse Martin believes in investing in individuals. “Everyone has immense capability, and it’s our responsibility as leaders to create environments where people feel empowered, valued and equipped to succeed,” she says.

2025 Virginia Women in Leadership Awards honorees

In an industry plagued by workforce shortages, Birmingham Green, a nonprofit operating senior living facilities in Northern Virginia, enjoyed a 94.9% staff retention rate in the first quarter of 2025. In a 2025 article for McKnight’s Senior Living, Denise Chadwick Wright, the organization’s CEO since 2017, explains that Birmingham Green accomplished this through early engagement, leadership development and a culture of purpose-driven work.

In her piece, Chadwick Wright stresses that the first 90 days of an employee’s tenure is critical for retention, which is why the organization’s onboarding process includes personal meetings with the CEO. “Personalized support during this period fosters connection, builds trust and helps new hires feel seen and valued,” she writes.

In Newsweek’s 2025 America’s Best Nursing Homes list, Birmingham Green was the No. 1 nursing home in Northern Virginia among facilities with 150 or more beds and No. 2 in Virginia in the same category. In 2021, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News named Chadwick Wright an honoree in their Women of Distinction program.

Chadwick Wright serves as board chair for The Human Services Alliance of Greater Prince William and sits on the board for the Virginia Health Care Association and the Virginia Center for Assisted Living. She earned a degree in business administration from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in health administration from Eastern University in Pennsylvania.

2025 Virginia Women in Leadership Awards honorees

In May, Andrea Copeland became the first Black president and CEO in the 112-year history of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The day Copeland learned she would be the chamber’s leader, she sat in her office “wearing the weight” of the news.

“That mantle is major, and I don’t take it lightly,” she says. “The calls I received from Black senior citizens in their 70s, 80s and, yes, even their 90s who were overjoyed learning about this announcement reminded me of the trails those before blazed for me.”

Copeland had put her name in the hat for the role in 2023, but she didn’t get the job.

“Disappointed? Yes, she was,” says nominator and sister Shannon Copeland. “But she didn’t let that stop her. She kept learning and growing and serving.”

Copeland started at the chamber in 2007 as a volunteer. In 2012, she became director of Leadership Charlottesville, where she remained for eight years.

In 2020, the chamber named Copeland committee engagement director. Three years later, she was promoted to chief operating officer.

Copeland earned a degree in human services counseling from Old Dominion University. She completed the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organization Management program in 2023 and finished the Certificate in Chamber Management program offered by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives in 2024.

2025 Virginia Women in Leadership Awards honorees

Since taking her current role in 2022, Kelly Roenker Cordova has guided major efforts at Virginia Wesleyan University, including the $200 million “Transformation Now!” capital campaign, the relocation of the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art to VWU’s campus and the integration of Sentara College of Health Sciences into the university. As part of her role, Cordova also serves as associate secretary to the university’s board.

“A key strength of my leadership is the ability to identify forward-looking opportunities that keep our institution relevant, mission-driven and competitive in a rapidly changing landscape,” she says. In 2026, the university will be renamed Batten University for philanthropist Jane Batten, whose family has supported the university for decades.

Beginning her career at VWU supporting the senior vice president and president from 2015 to 2020 through various roles in the university’s Center for Advancement, Cordova joined the office of the president in 2020.

“Kelly exemplifies the very best of Virginia Wesleyan University — visionary leadership, strategic insight and an unwavering commitment to service,” VWU President Scott D. Miller said in a statement.

Previously, Cordova spent six years working as international program manager for Operation Smile, a Virginia Beach-based medical nonprofit that provides free cleft surgeries for children around the world. There, she managed a team of 15 program coordinators and participated in international medical missions.

In addition to a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University, Cordova earned an MBA from VWU.

2025 Virginia Women in Leadership Awards honorees