At the age of 5, Susan Pilato knew she wanted to own her own business. She realized that goal at the age of 25, when she and Donna Counts launched what is now known as PC&A Business Environments, a commercial furniture dealership and interior design business based in Norfolk.

A new opportunity presented itself with a business client that insisted on its office desks being made of wood. When the desk manufacturer they had used closed, Pilato couldn’t find another option.

“We discovered that no other commercial manufacturer produced genuine solid wood furniture,” Pilato says. “Our only alternatives were wood veneer over particle board or medium-density fiberboard.”

In 2018, Mantra Inspired Furniture was born. The company sells sustainable, solid wood furniture that is made in America.

Pilato sits on the advisory council of NeoCon, the leading annual event for the commercial design industry. This summer, Pilato joined the board of Business + Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association, the governing body for North America’s commercial furniture industry.

Pilato is also active in the community. Among other work, she is vice chair for the Norfolk Airport Authority. She sits on the board of Envision Lead Grow, a Norfolk-based nonprofit that encourages women to be entrepreneurs, and co-hosted a podcast with the nonprofit’s founder, Angela Reddix.

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In February, Amber Price stepped into a new position at Sentara Health, overseeing nursing practice and care across the Hampton Roads health system. She also serves as executive sponsor for Sentara’s women’s health team and the women’s employee resource group.

A certified nurse-midwife, Price has delivered more than 1,000 babies. She has numerous degrees including a doctorate in nursing practice from Johns Hopkins University.

Price joined Sentara Health in 2022 as president of the Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center. Among her accomplishments in this position,

Price designed spaces for people with sensory needs, a group that includes people with autism, PTSD, early onset dementia and other conditions. This led to the hospital becoming first in the state to earn KultureCity’s Sensory Inclusive Certification.

Prior to joining Sentara, Price was a vice president with HCA Healthcare and chief operating officer of TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Tennessee. Before that, she was the administrator at The Women’s Hospital at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital in Henrico County.

Price also stays busy with efforts in the community, including serving as a board member of the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce. She was the keynote guest at the chamber’s Power of Women event in March.

“More than just a speaker, she personally sponsored multiple tables so that young professionals and women with limited financial means could attend,” Price’s nominator says. “This is who Amber is — she invests in others.”

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Today Rand Construction reports an annual revenue of more than $600 million and has regional offices across Texas, Atlanta, Denver and Salt Lake City, in addition to its Alexandria headquarters.

But back in 1989, when Linda Rabbitt founded the company, Rand didn’t seem destined to be a success. She was one of few female executives in the construction industry, and Rabbitt hadn’t expected to be an entrepreneur.

Instead, she’d followed her mom’s advice and worked as a teacher until she got married to someone who could provide for her. But when Rabbitt later decided to leave an abusive marriage, she needed a way to support her two daughters.

Rabbitt took a job as a secretary at KPMG, the professional service firm. With a ferocious work ethic, Rabbitt moved up to become director of marketing. She was approached by another woman who wanted to launch the first female-owned construction company in the Washington, D.C., area.

By the time Rabbitt started Rand Construction, she’d parted ways with her co-founder. Today it’s the largest woman-founded, woman-owned commercial general contractor in the United States. The company specializes in high-end commercial interiors, building renovations, and restaurant and retail construction.

Rabbitt serves on the boards of the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., and HEROES, a nonprofit supporting the families of law enforcement officers, firefighters and federal agents who gave their lives in the line of duty in the greater Washington, D.C., community.

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Angela Reddix has so many titles you couldn’t possibly squeeze them onto a business card.

In 2006, Reddix, who has a doctorate in business administration, launched ARDX, a Norfolk health care management and IT consulting firm. With clients that include government agencies, small businesses and nonprofits, the business specializes in health and policy regulation, big data analytics, technology solutions and cybersecurity risk management.

“Dr. Reddix has been a trailblazer,” her nominator says, “in transforming health care and human services for vulnerable populations through federal government contracting.”

When not running ARDX, Reddix works to improve the lives of women and girls.

In 2016, she created Envision Lead Grow, a nonprofit that teaches women and girls about financial literacy, entrepreneurship and leadership. Reddix also runs ELG Management, an initiative that provides guidance to women on how to find success as federal government contractors.

In 2024, Reddix opened Mustard Seed Place in Portsmouth, a “modern-day girls’ club” where women can network and attend events about careers, personal finance and wellness. Mustard Seed Place is also home to several “women-centric businesses,” including the recently opened YWCA South Hampton Roads’ Equity and Justice Center and YWomen Prosper Empowerment Academy.

In December, Reddix plans to unveil another project at Mustard Seed Place — The Museum of Black Women Innovators, which will feature immersive exhibits, interactive experiences and programming.

Reddix is also the author of business books, including “Envision Lead Grow: Release the Boss Within.”

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After joining Chartway in 2020, Rebecca Riordan championed an effort to refresh the federal credit union’s competency model.

“We have eight competencies — grounded in agility, accountability, inclusion and innovation — that serve as a blueprint for how we lead and grow,” Riordan explains. “From hiring and coaching to performance development, they help our team members connect what they do with why it matters.”

Riordan also led the charge at Chartway to create resource groups for women, Black, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander and LGBTQ+ employees, as well as a group for working parents. More than half of Chartway’s employees participate in a resource group. During Riordan’s tenure, the credit union received the Juntos Avanzamos designation, which recognizes credit unions committed to serving and empowering Latinos and immigrant communities.

“Rebecca has led transformative initiatives that reflect her forward-thinking vision and her deep commitment to empowering people at every level of the credit union,” Riordan’s nominator says.

Early in her career, Riordan worked as a regional training manager for the Jordan Marsh department store chain. She later joined Steinbach, another department store, as senior human resources manager.

For close to two decades, Riordan was vice president of Country Curtains, a multichannel direct-to-consumer company, followed by her tenure as senior vice president of HR at Massachusetts-based Greylock Federal Credit Union.

Riordan earned a degree in business administration from State University of New York at New Paltz.

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Kelly Schlageter joined CNSI, a McLean-based health care tech company, as chief marketing and communications officer in 2019, and helped steer its merger with Kepro in 2022 that created Acentra Health.

Throughout the integration process, Schlageter helped unify employees.

Now, in her role as chief people officer, Schlageter oversees human resources and communications. She’s also the executive sponsor for Acentra Health’s corporate social responsibility program and leads Acentra Health Cares, the company’s employee-led corporate social responsibility program. In 2024, Acentra employees gave more than 3,000 volunteer hours and $332,000 in contributions to support charities globally.

“It’s inspiring to see employees at every level embrace our values and lead the way in giving back to the communities where we live and work,” Schlageter said in a February statement about the effort.

In addition to her other responsibilities, Schlageter sets aside time each week to mentor others. “I see mentoring as part of my job,” she says.

Earlier in her career, Schlageter led marketing and communications at Inova Health System. She also worked for 14 years for Sprint.

A longtime advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, Schlageter founded Equality Fairfax, a gay advocacy organization, in the early 2000s. She also sits on the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce board.

Schlageter has a master’s degree in German from Bowling Green State University.

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Monica Schmude grew up in a small town in the Midwest. Her mom ran a small business, while her dad juggled farming and a factory job, where he was known for a decades-long record of not taking a sick day.

“The values in our home were simple but enduring: Work hard, stay grounded and show up for others,” Schmude says.

Schmude earned a degree in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. As a first-generation college graduate, she felt like she didn’t have a blueprint for her future. However, given her prestigious 30-year health care career, Schmude clearly figured it out.

Since 2023, she has led Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in Virginia, which has about 8,000 employees and serves more than 3 million members. In her role, Schmude is responsible for the strategic direction, performance and growth of Anthem’s commercial business in the commonwealth.

What drives Schmude, even on the long days, is a desire to make things better: “I’m fueled by purpose — the purpose of advancing Anthem’s mission to improve the health of humanity by addressing the physical, behavioral and social drivers of health,” she says.

Previously, Schmude spent almost 13 years at Cigna Healthcare in different leadership positions, including serving as president of its mid-Atlantic market.

Schmude is chairman of the Virginia Association of Health Plans board and is a member of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Virginia Chamber boards.

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In 2018, Cynthia Spanoulis became head of Virginia Beach’s aquarium and marine science center, as well as its foundation, which partners with the city in funding the attraction that drew more than 625,000 visitors in fiscal 2024.

It’s an important job. The aquarium delivers more than $265 million in economic benefits annually, and employees care for thousands of animals that live at the aquarium.

Under Spanoulis’ leadership, the aquarium opened the Darden Marine Animal Conservation Center, a facility for the Stranding Response Program, which coordinates responses for all marine mammals and sea turtles that come ashore in Virginia. She also led development and construction for the renovation and expansion of the aquarium’s South Building, which opened in 2024.

This summer, Spanoulis was elected vice president of the 2025-27 World Association of Zoos and Aquariums Council.

Before coming to the aquarium, Spanoulis joined the City of Virginia Beach’s economic development department as a strategy and performance coordinator in 1996. In that role, which she filled for more than 16 years, her responsibilities included marketing, media, budgeting and special projects. In 2012, she became deputy director of the aquarium.

Spanoulis earned a degree in political science and urban affairs and a master’s in public administration from Virginia Tech.

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In her work as head of the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors, Abby Tammen believes in leading with a mindset of curiosity and collaboration.

“I listen to understand, not just to respond,” she says. “And I encourage everyone at the table to contribute their perspectives. I share relevant insights when helpful, but I also acknowledge that I don’t have all the answers.”

CAAR serves more than 1,300 real estate professionals and affiliate members throughout Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson.

After more than six years on the job, Tammen continues to be energized by a single question: “What services and products best support our members? That guiding principle has helped me adapt to changing needs, anticipate industry trends and lead with purpose.”

Tammen oversees day-to-day CAAR operations, as well as all programs and products. She manages a team of 10 and provides support to the association’s board.

Before being tapped to lead CAAR, Tammen served as the association’s senior director of programs and MLS operations.

In addition to the trade association, CAAR has other business entities: residential and commercial multiple listing services, a licensed real estate school and the Hillsdale Conference Center, which offers 3,500 square feet of meeting space.

At the start of her career, Tammen worked for the National Association of College Auxiliary Services, a professional trade association supporting professionals in higher education segments like food services, bookstores, housing and transportation.

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This year, Cathy Underwood celebrates her 25th anniversary with Branch Group, an employee-owned construction firm headquartered in Roanoke.

The first woman to interview with Branch’s estimating department, Underwood joined the company in 2000 as an estimator. In 2007, Branch tapped Underwood to guide the company with an effort to offer clients an alternative project delivery system called construction management at risk. Under this approach, a client who wants a new facility built can contract with a construction manager during the design phase, and that person oversees the project to completion.

In 2010, Underwood became vice president of the company’s construction management subsidiary, which is now called Branch Builds. In that role, she was involved with efforts that included the $107.5 million Montgomery County Public Schools’ three-school, public-private partnership project. In 2020, Branch named Underwood president of Branch Builds, the first woman in the role.

In her current position since 2023, Underwood collaborates with the Branch Group’s leadership to set the company’s strategic direction.

“I get the opportunity to work with all three of our business lines and think about things through the bigger picture,” Underwood says.

Active in the community, Underwood sits on several boards, including the Roanoke Outside Foundation. She was campaign co-chair for the Roanoke Regional Partnership’s 2022 fundraising effort called Thrive 2027, which surpassed its $3.6 million goal by more than $400,000.

She earned a master’s in biological systems engineering from Virginia Tech.

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