The Top 50 Raleigh Women Leaders of 2026
Raleigh isn’t just a fast-growth city-it’s an ecosystem. Banking and capital, higher education, health systems, technology, real estate, and civic infrastructure all move together here. The leaders who matter most are the ones who can “translate” across those worlds: building partnerships, scaling organizations, opening doors for talent, and turning big regional challenges (housing, workforce, health access, broadband, entrepreneurship) into measurable progress.
Below is an editorial, impact-first ranking of 50 of the most influential women shaping the greater Raleigh metro-a mix of senior corporate executives, founders/owners, and powerhouse leaders in law, tech, healthcare, philanthropy, education, real estate, and government.
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#1 Hope Holding Bryant
In a region where capital formation often determines which ideas become companies-and which companies scale-Hope Bryant sits in one of Raleigh’s most consequential seats. As vice chairwoman, she leads the bank’s General Bank, including the branch network, wealth management, and key lines like treasury management and insurance-touchpoints that directly affect entrepreneurs, families, and mid-market businesses across the metro. Her role also signals something bigger: Raleigh’s ability to influence financial decision-making well beyond North Carolina.
#2 Janet Cowell
Raleigh’s “business climate” is increasingly a “city-systems” story: housing supply, transportation, public safety staffing, and quality-of-life investments. Mayor Janet Cowell has put those levers at the center of her agenda, including a stated focus on affordable housing, transit projects, and neighborhood livability-issues that shape whether employers can recruit and retain talent. In a growth era, the mayor’s office isn’t ceremonial; it’s operational influence.
#3 Adrienne Cole
Adrienne Cole runs the region’s biggest “connector” organization-where corporate strategy, small business realities, and public policy collide. The Raleigh Chamber’s influence shows up in how the region competes for jobs, how it frames workforce and transit priorities, and how it aligns stakeholders who rarely sit at the same table. In practical terms: when Raleigh is trying to move faster, this is one of the seats that can convene (and unblock).
#4 Julie Smith
Raleigh’s economic future is inseparable from NC State’s ability to partner with industry, convert research into applied outcomes, and build talent pipelines. Julie Smith leads the division coordinating government relations, industry collaborations, and economic development work-exactly the cross-sector muscle a high-growth region needs. Under her leadership, NC State highlights major partnership outcomes (including industry research funding and student hiring through Centennial Campus) that translate directly into jobs and innovation capacity for the Triangle.
#5 Aimee Sapp
Leadership in higher education is workforce strategy in disguise. As Meredith’s president, Aimee Sapp is steering one of Raleigh’s signature institutions-especially meaningful in a metro where women’s leadership pipelines matter across every industry. Her early tenure has emphasized growth, financial strength, and partnerships-exactly what a city like Raleigh needs from a mission-driven institution that sits at the intersection of education, civic leadership, and women’s advancement.
#6 Van Eure
Hospitality is part of Raleigh’s “identity economy”-tourism, business travel, conventions, and the brand of the city itself. Van Eure owns and operates The Angus Barn, an iconic Raleigh destination with deep roots, and she’s been recognized for the kind of long-run leadership that turns a local institution into a regional asset. Her influence is cultural and economic: jobs, vendor ecosystems, and the way visitors remember Raleigh.
#7 Jennifer Chase
SAS is one of the region’s global anchors, and marketing leadership at that scale is both business and brand strategy for the Triangle. Jennifer Chase oversees global brand awareness, demand generation, and customer engagement-and her remit spans go-to-market teams, communications, digital, and events. In a market where tech talent competes nationally, the visibility and storytelling of a flagship company like SAS has spillover effects on recruiting, partnerships, and the region’s innovation narrative.
#8 Kristen Soler
Advance Auto Parts is a major Raleigh corporate presence, and talent strategy is a business strategy-especially in a period when retail and supply chain companies are rebuilding for resilience. As CHRO, Kristen Soler sits at the center of workforce design, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness-decisions that shape thousands of jobs and the corporate culture of one of Raleigh’s best-known HQ employers.
#9 Lorie K. Rupp
Risk leadership is often invisible-until it isn’t. Lorie Rupp oversees enterprise risk, operational risk, credit risk, and legal/compliance oversight. That scope matters not just to the bank’s stability but to the broader region’s economic confidence, especially when fast growth can amplify exposure. She’s also a clear example of how Raleigh-based institutions shape national-scale risk and governance standards.
#10 Jane Doggett
Real estate leadership influences what kind of city Raleigh becomes: where companies can locate, what office districts thrive, and how major developments reshape corridors. Jane Doggett’s market leadership combines deep commercial real estate experience with civic engagement-she’s also been recognized for leadership that extends beyond transactions into community impact (including healthcare philanthropy leadership). In a growth metro, that blend is powerful.
#11 Claudette LeBlanc
“Operations” is where strategy becomes real-service delivery, customer experience, scaling teams, and repeatable execution. As COO, Claudette LeBlanc oversees RapidScale’s operational engine across service delivery, support, architecture, and managed services. Her recognition as a Women in Business award honoree underscores what Raleigh’s tech scene increasingly values: builders who can scale outcomes, not just ideas.
#12 Stephanie Sessoms
Health systems are among the biggest employers in any metro-and in Raleigh, they’re also central to workforce stability, access to care, and regional resilience. As CFO, Stephanie Sessoms influences how WakeMed invests, expands, manages resources, and sustains service lines under industry pressure. In a city growing as fast as Raleigh, healthcare financial leadership is a quiet-but decisive-force.
#13 Barbara Griffith, MD
As president of Duke Raleigh Hospital, Dr. Barbara Griffith helps shape a major share of local healthcare delivery, workforce experience, and patient access in the Raleigh metro. Hospital leadership matters to every employer that worries about benefits costs, care availability, and the health of the workforce-and it matters to families who want reliable, high-quality care close to home.
#14 Lori O’Keefe
Philanthropy isn’t just funding-it’s strategy, convening power, and the ability to scale solutions. Lori O’Keefe leads Triangle Community Foundation and sits at the nexus of donors, nonprofits, and community needs. In a region balancing rapid growth with equity and affordability pressures, the ability to align resources behind effective, measurable initiatives is real influence.
#15 Jama Campbell
Few organizations move resources statewide like SECU Foundation, and Jama Campbell’s leadership centers on partnerships that bridge nonprofits, communities, and large-scale funding. Her work is regularly framed in cross-sector collaboration-exactly the kind of behind-the-scenes leadership that determines whether big community initiatives become sustained, durable programs.
#16 Amy Batten
Business growth depends on deal-making, governance, and the legal architecture behind expansion-and Smith Anderson is one of the Triangle’s best-known business law platforms. As chair of the management committee, Amy Batten influences how a key regional firm supports entrepreneurs, growth companies, and established employers through transactions, disputes, and strategy. When you want to understand who “helps the region execute,” look at leaders like this.
#17 Elizabeth Sims Hedrick
Legal influence isn’t only courtroom visibility; it’s how complex sectors stay compliant and move forward-real estate, healthcare, regulated industries, and high-stakes business matters. As a partner in a major firm with a Raleigh presence, Elizabeth Sims Hedrick represents the kind of senior legal leadership that shapes decisions long before they become public headlines.
#18 Tracy Doaks
Connectivity is economic development. MCNC’s work sits close to the infrastructure layer that supports education, research, and organizational connectivity across the state and region. As CEO, Tracy Doaks represents a blend Raleigh is increasingly known for: tech-adjacent leadership tied to public benefit, institutional partnerships, and long-run capacity building.
#19 Ginger Young
You can’t build a talent economy without literacy and early learning. Ginger Young founded Book Harvest to expand book ownership and literacy support for families-work that becomes workforce development over the long arc. Her leadership is influential because it turns a social outcome into an economic one: helping more children arrive at school ready to learn, and helping parents become part of the solution.
#20 Sonja Ebron
Raleigh’s influence isn’t only corporate-it’s also problem-solving innovation. Sonja Ebron leads Courtroom5 with a mission centered on empowering people navigating the legal system, and her work sits squarely at the intersection of tech, access to justice, and consumer empowerment. That combination-mission \+ scalable platform-reflects a modern kind of leadership many professional
#21 Mary Beth Thomas
Mary Beth Thomas has helped strengthen North Carolina’s life-sciences economy by guiding programs that connect promising research and emerging companies with the capital, expertise, and commercialization support they need to grow. By expanding the pipeline from innovation to jobs, she amplifies the Triangle’s reputation as a world-class biotech hub with durable, statewide impact.
#22 Anna Lynch
As founder and CEO of Lynch Mykins, Anna Lynch built a respected structural engineering practice known for solving complex building challenges with rigor and creativity. Her work strengthens the region’s development pipeline by helping projects move from design to reality with safety, efficiency, and technical excellence.
#23 Corey Dall
Corey Dall has shaped First Bank’s visibility and community footprint by pairing strategic marketing leadership with a strong commitment to local engagement and corporate citizenship. By aligning financial services with purposeful partnerships and giving, she helps convert institutional strength into tangible support for entrepreneurs and growing communities.
#24 Amy Carroll
Amy Carroll’s leadership at TradeMark Properties has helped guide commercial real estate decisions that influence where companies locate, hire, and expand across the Triangle. Her blend of market insight and client-first strategy strengthens a homegrown firm’s reach while shaping the workplaces and corridors that support long-term regional growth.
#25 Evelyn Sanders
Evelyn Sanders is recognized for building Southeastern Healthcare of North Carolina into a mission-driven provider that delivers critical care and support to communities that are often underserved. Her steady expansion of access and services creates measurable social and economic impact by improving health outcomes while supporting stability for families and the local workforce.
#26 Kristin Sutton
Kristin Sutton has earned trust as a long-time commercial banker in the Triangle, helping business owners and real estate leaders structure financing that supports sustainable growth. Her mix of technical expertise and deep community involvement makes her a valued connector who turns capital into new projects, stronger balance sheets, and durable local businesses.
#27 Dr. Amanda Edwards
Amanda Edwards leads advanced practice providers at WakeMed while continuing frontline work in pulmonary and critical care, elevating both clinical outcomes and operational excellence. Her visible, hands-on leadership during pivotal public-health moments demonstrates how strong healthcare management translates into healthier communities and a more resilient regional workforce.
#28 Erica Leatham
Erica Leatham has played a behind-the-scenes but decisive role in Triangle growth by steering land acquisition and entitlement strategy that enables major residential development. Her ability to navigate complex planning and stakeholder landscapes helps turn raw land into well-planned communities, supporting housing supply and the region’s continued economic momentum.
#29 Sally Webb
Sally Webb built The Special Event Company into an internationally respected production powerhouse, proving that a Triangle-based firm can compete at the highest levels of the global events industry. Her decades of innovation and leadership—including adapting quickly to virtual and hybrid experiences—have created jobs, attracted major clients, and elevated the region’s creative-services economy.
#30 Michelle Rhino
Michelle Rhino has helped grow Lee & Associates in the Raleigh-Durham market by combining commercial real estate expertise with operational leadership that supports high-performing teams. By advising companies on location strategy and space decisions, she directly influences how the region attracts investment, scales employers, and shapes its business districts.
#31 Lisa Jones
Lisa Jones has led Girl Scouts - North Carolina Coastal Pines with a focus on expanding opportunity and building a stronger leadership pipeline for girls across a wide, diverse service region. By growing programs, securing community support, and reinvesting in outdoor and camp experiences, she delivers lasting workforce and civic impact that extends well beyond the nonprofit sector.
#32 Lisa Freiden Hammond
Lisa Freiden Hammond has brought enterprise-scale leadership to Allscripts, helping a complex healthcare-technology organization align people, strategy, and performance. Her work strengthens the company’s ability to innovate and serve providers by building the talent and culture required to deliver reliable health IT at scale.
#33 Kelly Chtcheprov
Kelly Chtcheprov has held influential leadership roles at Labcorp, helping connect the organization’s science and services with the policymakers and partners shaping the future of healthcare. By translating complex issues into clear strategy and action, she strengthens Labcorp’s credibility while supporting an environment where innovation and access can thrive.
#34 Sara Lawrence
Sara Lawrence is recognized for driving innovation and economic development work at RTI International, including creating platforms that help communities pursue more inclusive growth. Her ability to bridge research, practice, and collaboration gives leaders actionable tools to create jobs and opportunity, extending the Triangle’s influence far beyond North Carolina.
#35 Priscilla Ramseur, DNP, RN
As Chief Nursing Officer at Duke Raleigh Hospital, Priscilla Ramseur leads the nursing and patient-care enterprise with a focus on quality, safety, and a high-performing team culture. Her stewardship of frontline talent and care delivery strengthens one of the region’s essential institutions, making healthcare more reliable for families and employers alike.
#36 Debra Slone
Debra Slone co-founded Courtroom5 to give people without lawyers a practical, tech-enabled toolkit to navigate complex civil cases with confidence. By applying deep information-science expertise to an urgent access-to-justice gap, she is building a scalable model that improves lives while showcasing the Triangle’s strength in mission-driven innovation.
#37 Elaine Marshall
Elaine Marshall has helped shape North Carolina’s business climate for decades by leading an office that directly touches company formation, filings, and key public services. Her steady modernization of systems and commitment to accessible government has improved the ease of doing business statewide—an impact felt daily by entrepreneurs, employers, and investors.
#38 Angie Stewart
Angie Stewart is a results-driven economic developer who helps companies evaluate, commit to, and expand in North Carolina—work that translates into real jobs and long-term tax-base growth. Her ability to coordinate stakeholders, infrastructure, and opportunity makes her a key builder of the broader Triangle economy as growth accelerates into surrounding counties.
#39 Leslie Walden
Leslie Walden is known for coupling corporate leadership at Fidelity Investments with sustained mentorship and civic engagement across the Triangle. By advancing education and workforce initiatives and building partnerships that open pathways into good careers, she strengthens the talent engine that keeps the region competitive.
#40 Deborah Acker
Deborah Acker guides the Shelton Leadership Center at NC State, expanding leadership development programs that shape executives, public servants, and emerging leaders across the region. Her work multiplies impact by improving how organizations make decisions, build teams, and serve communities—an essential ingredient in a fast-growing market like Raleigh.
#41 Tabitha Blackwell
Tabitha Blackwell leads Book Harvest’s Durham work to strengthen early literacy by getting books and reading support directly into the hands of children and families. Her focus on scalable, community-rooted programs helps reduce opportunity gaps and builds a stronger long-term talent pipeline for the Triangle’s economy.
#42 Kasiva Caroline Muli
Kasiva Caroline Muli provides strategic human-resources leadership at Advance Auto Parts, helping a major employer attract, develop, and retain talent in a competitive labor market. By building inclusive systems and strong people operations, she elevates organizational performance while contributing to the region’s reputation for modern, people-first corporate leadership.
#43 Mary Mack
Mary Mack brings deep operational and governance expertise to Martin Marietta Materials’ board, informed by senior leadership experience in large-scale consumer and small-business financial services. Her perspective strengthens strategic oversight for a company central to infrastructure and construction—sectors that directly shape the Triangle’s growth, investment, and resilience.
#44 Michelle Bullock
Michelle Bullock’s corporate HR leadership at Martin Marietta Materials supports the people systems behind a company that keeps the region building—linking talent strategy to day-to-day performance in a critical industry. By strengthening hiring, development, and organizational effectiveness, she helps ensure the workforce capacity and culture needed for safe, dependable execution at scale.
#45 Meera Udayakumar
Meera Udayakumar provides clinical and strategic leadership at UNC Health Rex, guiding quality and innovation in how care is delivered across the community. By championing patient-safety outcomes and forward-looking care models, she helps a major regional health system meet rising demand while supporting the area’s overall economic vitality.
#46 Susan Moore
Susan Moore leads UNC Rex Physicians with the credibility of an experienced clinician and the strategic focus required to scale high-quality care across a growing region. Her ability to align physicians, operations, and patient experience strengthens access and continuity of care—an essential foundation for a metro competing on talent and quality of life.
#47 Eva Garland
Eva Garland has earned recognition in the life sciences for guiding companies through growth, partnerships, and commercialization with a clear focus on execution and impact. Her work strengthens the Triangle’s biotech ecosystem by helping innovative teams turn promising science into products, investment, and high-quality jobs.
#48 Jessica Neil
Jessica Neil has been recognized for leadership in the pharmaceutical services arena, helping organizations deliver specialized development work that supports efficient, high-quality routes to market. By driving operational excellence in a high-stakes industry, she contributes to the Triangle’s standing as a place where life-science companies can scale with confidence.
#49 Laura Potter
Laura Potter’s scientific leadership has helped advance innovation in life-science R&D, pairing disciplined discovery with product-focused strategy that moves ideas toward real-world outcomes. By steering research programs toward commercialization-ready solutions, she strengthens a cornerstone sector for North Carolina and helps keep the Triangle at the forefront of biotech talent.
#50 Juli Kim
Juli Kim serves as a bridge between state government and the philanthropic community, turning shared priorities into practical, cross-sector partnerships that deliver results. Her relationship-building and coordination help move resources where they can make the most difference, amplifying the impact of both public programs and private giving across North Carolina.
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