The Top 50 Richmond Women Leaders of 2026
Richmond’s professional women lead in a uniquely “interconnected” metro: a capital city that sets statewide policy, a headquarters hub for major employers, and a region where philanthropy, housing, public health, and workforce pipelines can be influenced by one strategic partnership (or one exceptional operator) at a time.
The leaders below are the women shaping what gets funded, built, staffed, healed, taught, and scaled across the Greater Richmond metro-from boardrooms to courtrooms, from the grid to the classroom, from housing placement to economic development.
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#1 Abigail Spanberger
As governor, Abigail Spanberger is the single most consequential decision-maker for the Richmond metro’s operating environment-budgets, infrastructure, workforce, public safety systems, housing policy, and the overall “business climate” signals that influence investment. Her swearing-in as Virginia’s first woman governor also marks a generational shift in who holds top-level power in the Commonwealth-an influence that shows up not just in policy but in what leadership pathways feel possible for the next wave of women.
#2 Ghazala Hashmi
The lieutenant governor’s role is a policy and coalition lever-bridging the legislature, the governor’s agenda, and statewide priorities that land heavily in Richmond because Richmond is where so many systems are run and funded. Hashmi’s statewide leadership is especially influential in a region where education and workforce outcomes are tightly linked to employer growth, and where statewide decisions quickly ripple into local implementation.
#3 Maria Tedesco
In a metro where growth depends on smart capital-business expansion, commercial real estate, and community development-Maria Tedesco’s seat at one of Virginia’s major banks matters. Her influence shows up in how capital flows locally and how the region’s business community is served at scale; she also brings national visibility to Richmond as a banking leader through her industry leadership roles.
#4 Corynne S. Arnett
In any modern metro, economic growth is constrained or enabled by the “systems” underneath it-especially energy reliability, affordability, and regulatory strategy. Corynne Arnett sits at that intersection for Dominion, overseeing regulatory and customer functions that determine how quickly (and how responsibly) the region’s energy future evolves-impacting households, major employers, and long-range economic competitiveness.
#5 Regina J. “Gina” Elbert
Talent strategy, labor dynamics, and legal posture are often the hidden drivers of whether major employers thrive and whether a region stays attractive to top performers. Regina Elbert leads legal and HR at Dominion-one of the metro’s most influential institutions-shaping governance, workforce strategy, and risk management decisions that ripple through the broader business ecosystem.
#6 Sue Davies
Markel is one of Richmond’s signature corporate brands, and Sue Davies’ HR leadership has outsized “network effects”: who gets recruited, developed, promoted, and retained-and how culture and leadership pipelines are built-impacts hundreds (and indirectly thousands) of careers across the region. Her recognition as a YWCA Outstanding Woman honoree also reflects her civic visibility and influence beyond the walls of one company.
#7 Sarah Lane
CarMax is one of the metro’s best-known corporate success stories, and marketing leadership there is not just advertising-it’s consumer trust, product positioning, and brand strategy at national scale. Sarah Lane’s influence shows up in how Richmond is represented in the broader marketplace: as a place where major brands are built, not just housed.
#8 Liz Mountjoy
Strategy and M\&A leadership is where growth paths are set: what a company buys, builds, exits, or doubles down on-and what markets it invests in. Liz Mountjoy’s role at Performance Food Group positions her as a key architect of growth decisions for a major Richmond-based enterprise, shaping jobs, supplier ecosystems, and regional corporate momentum.
#9 Tammy Neale
Housing is an economic development issue, a workforce issue, and a quality-of-life issue all at once. As CEO of Virginia Housing, Tammy Neale influences how housing affordability tools are deployed and financed-support that directly affects what is possible for families and employers across Greater Richmond. Her recent performance metrics-financing and unit creation-translate into tangible supply and stability.
#10 Jacqueline Rogers
Real estate investment and development shape the texture of a city: office conversions, mixed-use growth, and where capital gets placed. As COO/CCO at Capital Square, Jacqueline Rogers influences how investors, partners, and communities understand and engage with large-scale real estate strategies-while also overseeing operational functions that determine how effectively growth is executed.
#11 Jayme Swain
Public media leadership in Richmond is civic infrastructure: trusted news, education, arts, and a platform that can convene cross-sector partnerships. Jayme Swain leads VPM’s reach across Central Virginia-and the development of a major new headquarters signals long-term investment in downtown and community accessibility. Her influence is cultural, informational, and economic.
#12 Katherine O’Donnell
The visitor economy is part brand strategy, part business development: conventions, sports tourism, culinary visibility, and “why would someone choose Richmond?” storytelling. As the region’s tourism CEO, Katherine O’Donnell helps translate Richmond’s assets into measurable economic activity-jobs, tax revenue, and national attention that benefits local businesses far beyond hotels.
#13 Cari Tretina
Henrico is a major engine of the region’s employment base and corporate footprint. Leading its economic development authority means shaping the pipeline of new projects and expansions-site selection, employer partnerships, and the “welcome mat” that determines whether deals land here or elsewhere. Tretina’s timing and role are particularly consequential as growth competition intensifies.
#14 Martha Shickle
Regional planning is where long-term constraints are either solved-or quietly baked in. PlanRVA’s work touches transportation, land use, resilience, and cross-jurisdiction coordination. Martha Shickle’s influence shows up in the regional “rules of the road”: how plans become projects, and how localities align around shared growth pressures.
#15 Fran Randall
Professional services leaders often shape the region through a thousand high-impact decisions: guiding mid-market companies on tax, compliance, and growth strategy; advising entrepreneurs; and building trusted networks of influence. Fran Randall’s leadership in a major advisory firm makes her a behind-the-scenes force in how businesses scale (and stay healthy) across the metro.
#16 Jennifer West
Richmond’s business community relies on sophisticated legal leadership-employment, litigation, corporate transactions, and risk management. As president of a prominent Richmond firm, Jennifer West helps set the tone for how business disputes are handled, how employers navigate change, and how local enterprises protect value while they grow.
#17 Dalal Salomon
Law is influence-especially in a capital region where regulated industries and complex transactions are the norm. Dalal Salomon’s firm leadership places her in the middle of decision points that shape outcomes for companies, executives, and community institutions, while also expanding what top legal leadership looks like in Richmond.
#18 Angela Patton
Workforce and leadership pipelines don’t start at graduation-they start with confidence, access, and mentorship years earlier. Angela Patton has built youth leadership programming that strengthens the region’s future talent and civic leadership capacity, especially by creating space for girls to develop voice, agency, and career imagination.
#19 Beth Vann-Turnbull
Housing instability is one of the most expensive problems a metro can fail to solve-driving costs in healthcare, schooling, and public safety. Beth Vann-Turnbull’s leadership in housing-focused services is “systems work” on the ground: stabilizing families and strengthening community capacity in ways employers and neighborhoods feel directly.
#20 Dr. Vanessa Walker Harris
Public health leadership shapes the everyday outcomes that determine whether communities thrive-maternal and child health, preventive services, and the infrastructure that supports families. Dr. Vanessa Walker Harris’ influence matters in the most practical way: healthier communities are more employable, more stable, and more resilient.
#21 Clare Miller
As chief human resources officer, Miller strengthens Atlantic Union Bank’s talent strategy by investing in teammate development, engagement, and a culture that supports high performance at scale. Her track record modernizing core people processes and building award-winning workplaces helps a leading regional bank compete for talent and deliver better outcomes for customers.
#22 Julie H. Gustavsson
Gustavsson is the operational engine at Keiter, translating strategic vision into execution across technology, recruiting, and firmwide systems that keep client service consistently strong. Her process-improvement mindset and leadership in building scalable infrastructure elevate one of Richmond’s most influential professional-services firms.
#23 Catherine McGhee
McGhee brings decades of transportation engineering and innovation expertise to Virginia’s top mobility decisions, shaping how projects improve safety, reliability, and economic competitiveness. By advancing data-driven operations and cross-agency collaboration, she turns infrastructure strategy into real-world results for businesses, workers, and communities.
#24 Caprice Bragg
Bragg helps steer VMFA’s long-term strategy and stakeholder relationships, ensuring the museum remains financially strong, widely accessible, and mission-aligned. Her seasoned nonprofit leadership and governance expertise amplify a signature cultural institution that also functions as a tourism and creative-economy powerhouse for Richmond.
#25 Lynne Hughes
Hughes built Comfort Zone Camp into a nationally recognized model for grief support, giving children and families a place to heal while raising the bar for compassionate programming. By scaling a free service that mobilizes volunteers and partners, she has created enduring impact rooted in Richmond and felt far beyond it.
#26 Monica Schmude
Schmude leads Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia with a focus on affordability, quality, and community health, priorities that influence employers, providers, and families statewide. Her proven record of market leadership and collaboration helps drive better health outcomes while strengthening the systems businesses rely on.
#27 Paula Pando
Pando’s leadership at Reynolds Community College strengthens one of the region’s most important economic levers: workforce development that aligns training with employer demand and opens pathways to opportunity. Her strategic focus on student success helps ensure the Richmond metro has the talent pipeline needed to grow, attract investment, and compete.
#28 Traci DeShazor
DeShazor brings a results-driven, equity-centered approach to state administration, improving how government delivers core services and stewards large-scale operations. Her experience leading complex initiatives and building trust across communities strengthens the policy and operational foundation that the business climate depends on.
#29 Wendy Kreuter
Kreuter leads Jewish Family Services with a partnership-first mindset that turns compassion into scalable programs, from elder support and counseling to foster care and refugee resettlement. By strengthening families and stabilizing vulnerable populations, she helps build a healthier, more resilient Richmond workforce and community.
#30 Danita Rountree Green
Rountree Green uses storytelling and facilitation to help communities confront hard truths and move toward healing, strengthening trust and civic capacity across the region. Through Coming Together Virginia, she equips organizations to do lasting equity work that supports more inclusive institutions and stronger economic opportunity.
#31 Lisa Zajur
Zajur expands opportunity for Virginia’s Hispanic community through innovative language, culture, and leadership programs that connect education to real mobility. Her work improves workforce readiness and wellbeing, building bridges between families, schools, and employers while strengthening Richmond’s long-term growth.
#32 Hollee Freeman
Freeman is an education innovator who pairs decades of experience with creative communication, bringing inclusive learning and STEM thinking to broader audiences. By inspiring students and equipping educators locally and beyond, she elevates the talent foundation that drives Richmond’s future economy.
#33 Elizabeth Kostelny
Kostelny led Preservation Virginia with vision and disciplined execution, safeguarding historic assets while expanding whose stories are centered in public memory. Her work protects cultural capital that fuels tourism, neighborhood identity, and smart reinvestment, creating enduring civic and economic value for the region.
#34 Daphne Maxwell Reid
Reid pairs a celebrated entertainment career with sustained local engagement, using her platform and creative work to champion Richmond’s arts ecosystem. As a multidisciplinary artist and community board leader, she helps expand cultural visibility and momentum that strengthen the region’s creative economy.
#35 Amanda Lynch
Lynch has translated years in public education into thought leadership on trauma, healing, and belonging, helping institutions support people through disruption and recovery. By convening cross-sector networks and building practical frameworks for trauma-informed systems, she is shaping a stronger, safer region for families, schools, and workplaces.
#36 Nannette Shor
Shor’s decades of volunteer and fundraising leadership have strengthened Richmond-area institutions, showing how strategic giving can multiply community impact. By pairing hands-on civic service with professional expertise in development, she has helped organizations raise resources, expand programs, and sustain long-term growth.
#37 Eleanor Goode
Goode has been a driving force behind major advances in pediatric care in Richmond, helping rally support for the Children’s Hospital of Richmond Children’s Tower and the family-centered environment it provides. Her ongoing advocacy continues to elevate children’s health infrastructure, an investment that benefits families, employers, and the region’s vitality.
#38 Linda Tissiere
Tissiere leads YWCA Richmond at the intersection of safety, equity, and women’s economic empowerment, advancing programs that help individuals and families stabilize and thrive. Her leadership strengthens the social infrastructure that supports workforce participation and makes the region more competitive and inclusive.
#39 Amanda Wheeler
As owner and chief executive of Riverstone, Wheeler has built a resilient, service-driven company known for disciplined operations and strong client relationships. Her entrepreneurial leadership creates jobs, develops local talent, and demonstrates how Richmond-grown businesses can deliver outsized impact.
#40 Angie Miles
Miles elevates regional dialogue through VPM News and its Focal Point coverage, bringing clarity and context to issues that shape the economy and quality of life. By building audience engagement and public trust, she strengthens the civic information ecosystem that businesses rely on to operate, invest, and lead.
#41 Anna Hsu
Hsu co-founded Computer Upgrade King and helped grow it into a high-performing ecommerce business known for customization, reliability, and customer-first service. Her leadership shows how Richmond entrepreneurs can compete nationally in technology while creating skilled jobs and pathways in a fast-moving industry.
#42 Liz Doerr
Doerr is a behind-the-scenes force for growth at Sandbox, helping organizations sharpen strategy, strengthen operations, and scale sustainably. By bringing disciplined financial and execution support to founders and teams, she increases the odds that promising ventures become durable, job-creating businesses.
#43 Stephanie Grana
Grana combines client-centered legal excellence with statewide influence, having served at the highest levels of the Virginia State Bar while maintaining a standout practice. Her leadership strengthens confidence in the region’s legal and civic institutions and sets a powerful example of mentorship and professional impact.
#44 Annette Bennett
Bennett has built and led multiple healthcare enterprises, translating clinical expertise into operational excellence across research and patient services. By expanding access to advanced therapies and supporting innovation in clinical trials, she contributes to Richmond’s growing healthcare and life-sciences economy.
#45 Courtney Paulk
Paulk’s role as president of Hirschler reflects both legal excellence and the ability to lead a modern, high-performing professional-services organization. Her work guiding complex matters for clients while shaping firm strategy directly influences how businesses manage risk and pursue growth in the region.
#46 Greta Harris
Harris has made affordable housing a practical, scalable reality by building Better Housing Coalition into a mission-driven organization with measurable neighborhood impact. Her leadership helps stabilize families, strengthen workforce access, and catalyze community investment that ripples through the entire local economy.
#47 Jennifer Hunter
Hunter shapes how a major employer engages employees, communities, and stakeholders, aligning corporate communications with meaningful citizenship and long-term trust. Her leadership helps channel corporate resources and influence into civic outcomes that strengthen Richmond’s social and economic fabric.
#48 Karen Marshall
Marshall leads corporate marketing for a major foodservice organization, translating a complex distribution business into clear value for restaurants, schools, healthcare systems, and hospitality partners. Her work supports customer growth and brand leadership while reinforcing the operational backbone that keeps the food economy moving.
#49 Katie Studer
Studer pairs rigorous legal work with committed community leadership, including board service that supports Richmond’s arts and cultural organizations. By bridging corporate counsel and civic engagement, she strengthens the partnerships and institutions that make the region attractive to talent and investment.
#50 Chandra Hurst
Hurst helps entrepreneurs and small businesses navigate financing and growth through hands-on coaching and practical guidance, expanding access to capital and stronger business fundamentals. Her civic and committee leadership amplify that impact by connecting financial expertise with the networks driving inclusive economic development.
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