Women We Admire is pleased to announce The Top 50 Women Leaders of Providence for 2024. As the capital and largest city of Rhode Island, Providence is a hub of economic diversification with thriving industries in education, technology, business services, healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, and finance. This year’s awardees have driven significant growth and innovation in these industries, reinforcing Providence’s legacy as the Beehive of Industry.
First, we congratulate Keris Clark, Vice President of Sales and CVS Team Leader at Procter & Gamble. Clark leads a national sales team responsible for delivering nearly $1 billion in annual retail sales and works with top retailers like Walmart, Target, CVS, Ulta, and Costco.
We also honor Heather Wright, Purpose and Inclusion Senior Director at PwC. Wright leads strategy development for employee engagement programs, leveraging technology and flexibility to enable employees to give back in meaningful ways. Her efforts have led to record-breaking participation and contributions.
Lastly, we recognize Kathy O’Donnell, Senior Vice President and Head of Public Affairs at Citizens. In this role, O’Donnell oversees the bank’s signature programs, including Champions in Action, which she helped design. The program provides financial contributions and volunteers to lesser-known nonprofit organizations. Since its inception in 2002, the program has invested over $11 million in more than 380 nonprofits.
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 50 Women Leaders of Providence for 2024.
1. Diane Wilbur
Head of Leadership Development, Fidelity Investments
Diane Wilbur is the Head of Leadership Development at Fidelity Investments. She first joined the team in 2020 as a VP. Fidelity’s mission is to strengthen the financial well-being of their customers and deliver better outcomes for the clients and businesses they serve.
At Fidelity Investments, Wilbur is responsible for developing an industry-leading strategy to advance all people managers, enabling them to reach their highest potential in coaching and developing associates. Her focus is on implementing a unified and scalable framework designed to positively impact team effectiveness across the global Fidelity footprint. Previously, Wilbur was a certified Gallup & Body Language Coach. Before that, she was a CEO, executive coach, speaker, communication, and leadership consultant at Soft Skills Training Group. Earlier in her career, she worked with KPMG US as a staff auditor.
Wilbur earned a Master of Science in Business Administration in Accounting and Taxation from Bentley University’s McCallum Graduate School of Business and an undergraduate degree in business administration, accounting, and finance from Bryant University.
2. Karlyn Scott
CFO, Enterprise Analytics & Data Strategy, CFO, Aetna Chief Medical Office Organization, CVS Health
Karlyn Scott is the CFO for Enterprise Analytics and Data Strategy and Aetna Chief Medical Office Organization for CVS. She first joined the team in 2013 as the director of finance and analytics and then served as the Center of Excellence finance director before being appointed CFO in 2021. CVS Health is the leading health solutions company, delivering care like no one else can.
Scott is an experienced financial director with a demonstrated history of success in the retail and B2B industries. She is skilled in corporate finance, financial planning and analysis (FP&A), capital management, executive messaging, team building, and leadership. Scott began her early work in 2003 as a margin manager at US Foods. From there, she eventually rose to director of finance, asset analytics, and insights at Staples Business Advantage, her most recent position before joining CVS Health.
Scott graduated from Northeastern University with an MBA and from College of the Holy Cross with an undergraduate degree in psychology.
4. Heather Wright
Purpose & Inclusion Senior Director, PwC
Heather Wright is the Purpose and Inclusion Senior Director at PwC. At PwC, their purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. They’re a network of firms in 152 countries with over 327,000 people who are committed to delivering quality assurance, advisory, and tax services.
In her role, Wright leads strategy development for employee engagement programs, focusing on creating opportunities to develop thriving, purpose-led teams. She uses technology and flexibility to enable employees to give back in ways that are meaningful to them, resulting in record-breaking participation and contributions. Additionally, she leads a cross-functional group of professionals in rapid response mode to support employees, communities, and the business during challenging times.
Before joining PwC, Wright was a graphic designer at Deloitte & Touche. Earlier in her career, she worked with Payette Associates as a graphic designer. Wright graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with an undergraduate degree in art history and studio art.
8. Jess Hutchinson
Senior VP, Rhode Island Market Executive, Bank of America
Jess Hutchinson is the Senior Vice President and Rhode Island Market Executive of Bank of America, one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individuals, small- and middle-market businesses, and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management, and other financial and risk management products and services.
Hutchinson is skilled in recruiting, talent acquisition, and onboarding. Her expertise extends to employee relations, performance management, and training. She also has experience in leadership, coaching, and time management. Additionally, she is proficient in human resources, customer service, and relationship management.
With over 18 years of relevant experience, Hutchinson has served Bank of America for the majority of her career. She started in 2006 as an officer and senior recruiting coordinator and added the responsibilities of an internal mobility specialist in 2013. From 2014 to 2020, she was a VP and corporate recruiter for different regions. For the next two years, she served as VP and talent mobility advisor and then as a Rhode Island market executive, accepting her current SVP role in December 2022.
11. Keris Clark
VP, Sales, CVS Team Leader, Procter & Gamble
Keris Clark is the Vice President of Sales and CVS Team Leader for Procter & Gamble. She first joined the team in 2004 as an account manager. P&G is one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies and home to iconic, trusted brands, including Always, Charmin, Braun, Fairy, Febreze, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Oral B, Pantene, Pampers, Tide, and Vicks.
As the market strategy and sales director for P&G’s skincare business in North America, Clark leads a national sales team responsible for delivering nearly $1 billion in retail sales annually. This includes working with top retailers like Walmart, Target, CVS, Ulta, and Costco. In 2018, Clark led the sales team to deliver strong growth on Olay after seven years of decline, using her strong analytics, operational excellence, and relationship-building with retailers.
Over her 15-year career, Clark has become an expert in building and mobilizing effective and diverse work teams to deliver results. Diversity and inclusion is a longstanding passion area for Clark who is actively involved in Inroads, a national nonprofit organization that gives multicultural college students the skills and experiences to succeed in corporate America. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Studies from Yale University and a Master of Business Administration from New York University, where she was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, a top academic honor society.
13. Erin Pensa
Head of Communications, Michaels Stores
Erin Pensa is the Head of Communications at Michaels Stores. As the leading creative destination in North America, Michaels Stores operates over 1,300 stores in 49 states and Canada and online at Michaels.com and Michaels.ca.
Pensa is a global communications leader with over 20 years of experience in designing and leading breakthrough strategies to build corporate reputation, drive customer acquisition, and secure stakeholder endorsement across various industries, including retail, beauty, fashion, healthcare and wellness, home, and entertainment. She excels at collaborating across complex organizations to create holistic communications strategies that change perceptions, drive preference, and deliver business results.
Pensa began her early work in 1999 as an account executive at DeVries Public Relations. From there, she went on to Cone, before eventually rising to vice president of communications at Conn's HomePlus, her most recent position before joining Michaels Stores. Pensa graduated from Boston College with an undergraduate degree in communications.
16. Corrie Freudenstein
VP, Information Systems, Atlas Copco
Since 2018, Corrie Freudenstein has been the Vice President of Information systems at Atlas Copco. She previously served as the vice president of customer experience, where she focused on embedding customer-centricity and implementing transformation strategies, and a head of marketing responsible for budgeting, talent development, and improving e-commerce sales.
Freudenstein has diverse work experience spanning various industries and roles. Early in her career, she was an assistant front desk manager at the Village Inn Hotel and Conference Center, a senior tour staff and manager at the Boston Beer Company, and a research analyst at Auctive Inc. In 2010, Freudenstein joined the Rogers Corporation, where she performed research, developed databases, and contributed to customer acquisition efforts. From 2011 to 2014, she worked at Brady Corporation in various marketing and research roles. Until 2017, she worked at Brokers' Service Marketing Group (BSMG) as the vice president, director of marketing and business intelligence, and later as the director of marketing and communications.
Freudenstein earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing and Business Management from Northeastern University. She then went on to pursue an MBA in Marketing and Information Systems Management at the University of Connecticut School of Business. Additionally, Freudenstein holds certifications in Project Management Professional (PMP) from PMI, as well as Advanced Business Certificates in Project Management and Strategic Marketing from the University of Connecticut.
View the complete list of awardees.
17. Lisa Vura-Weis
Managing Director & Partner, Boston Consulting Group
Lisa Vura-Weis is the Managing Director and Partner of Boston Consulting Group, a global consulting firm that partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities.
Vura-Weis has 20 years of experience. Before joining Boston Consulting Group, she was a vice president of HR operations at FM Global. Before that, she was a project leader at The Boston Consulting Group. Earlier in her career, she worked with the New York State Attorney General's Office as an economics research analyst.
Vura-Weis graduated from Columbia Business School with an MBA and from Princeton University with a Master of Public Affairs in Economics and Public Policy. She went to Harvard University for her undergraduate degree in economics.
19. Sarah Delekta
Senior VP, Recruiting Manager, Robert Half Finance & Accounting
Sarah Delekta is the Senior Vice President and Recruiting Manager at Robert Half Finance & Accounting. Robert Half, the world’s first and largest specialized talent solutions firm, connects opportunities at great companies with highly skilled job seekers.
With over 25 years of experience at Robert Half, Delekta has built and leveraged strong relationships in the Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts markets. Her focus is on direct hire placement of operational accounting, human resources, and administrative professionals. She works closely with both clients and candidates throughout the job search process and welcomes the opportunity to connect with you or your referrals.
Before joining Robert Half Finance & Accounting, Delekta was a division director at OfficeTeam. Earlier in her career, she worked with ESPN. Delekta graduated from Green Mountain College with an undergraduate degree in English.
20. Kathy O'Donnell
Senior VP & Head of Public Affairs, Citizens
Kathy O’Donnell is a Senior Vice President and the Head of Public Affairs at Citizens. She joined the bank in 1995 as a public relations manager. She was promoted to vice president and director of public relations in 2000 and named vice president and director of the Rhode Island Public Affairs group in 2004.
O’Donnell leads local Public Affairs teams throughout the country and serves as a key public affairs resource for Citizens’ senior executives. She manages Citizens’ charitable contributions, philanthropic activities with a focus on workforce development and financial empowerment, local execution of national partnerships, executive engagement and thought leadership, community convening and outreach, volunteerism, board service, community content, and local sponsorships. Additionally, she oversees the bank’s signature programs, including Champions in Action, a program she helped design, which provides a financial contribution and volunteers to lesser-known nonprofit organizations. Since its inception in 2002, the program has invested more than $11 million in more than 380 nonprofits.
Before her time at Citizens, O’Donnell worked in the nonprofit sector. She serves on the board of directors for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and the Keri Anne O’Donnell Memorial Fund. She is a former board member of Day One and chaired the Development Committee of Children’s Friend & Service in Providence. O'Donnell has a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Journalism and Communication Studies and a minor in Psychology from the University of Rhode Island. She completed the Leadership Rhode Island Omega Class and the Babson College Advanced Leadership Development Program. She is an active member of URI’s Harrington School of Communication and Media Executive Advisory Board and the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Committee, and she serves on the College’s Foundation Board Nominating Committee.
21. Carol Townsend
Senior VP, Director, Operations Risk Control Analyst Team, RBS Citizens, N.A.
Carol Townsend is the Senior Vice President and Director of the Operations Risk Control Analyst Team at RBS Citizens, NA, an American bank holding company, headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. She first joined the team in 2000 as an SVP and director of consumer loan and mortgage servicing.
Townsend is a highly accomplished, results-oriented, and customer-focused business leader with a solid track record of devising and implementing solutions that enhance efficiency, customer satisfaction, and productivity. She is adept at evaluating current processes, developing and implementing innovative solutions, and recommending programs that automate processes in the fields of banking, mortgage, operations management, technology, and business transformation.
In her current position, Townsend is responsible for risk control testing for Business Services Operations. Her role includes reengineering the risk control inventory and testing process with a focus on key risks, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the testing process, and redesigning the organization to better support control testing processes. Previously, Townsend was a senior vice president and director of the consumer finance systems team at Citizens Bank.
22. Melissa Carter
Vice President, Stantec
Melissa Carter is the Vice President of Stantec, a global leader in sustainable engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting. With more than 20 years of experience, Carter has worked on a range of water and wastewater infrastructure projects. Her focus is currently on wet weather-related projects to reduce or eliminate sewer overflows that impact the water quality of natural waterways. Melissa’s advocacy of sustainable infrastructure further informs her work to positively impact the communities supported by her projects.
Carter’s goal is always to fulfill the needs of clients and the community. She recently developed an operation and maintenance policy for a client’s pipeline penetrations of a local levee system. This had to be done on a tight timeline using non-invasive and non-destructive technology for the local community to maintain its flood protection system accreditation. Before joining Stantec, Carter was a consultant at Project Technologies Group. Before that, she was a watershed manager at the City of Atlanta. Earlier in her career, she worked with Nicholson Professional Consulting as a project engineer.
Carter graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with an MS in Environmental Engineering and an undergraduate degree in civil engineering.
23. Nicole Harper
Head of Global New Business Development, Swarovski
Nicole Harper is the Head of Global New Business Development at Swarovski. Founded in 1895 in Austria, the Swarovski team designs and sells the world's finest crystals. Harper’s responsibilities include global market development and market expansion, project management, market research, and competitive analysis.
With over 12 years of experience in global markets and a background in fashion, hospitality, and luxury goods, Harper combines her skills, experience, and knowledge to be both results-oriented and creative in this dynamic market. Her core competencies include strategic planning, market research, new business development, sales, project management, competitive intelligence, business intelligence, team building, strategic marketing, and brand marketing.
Harper started at Swarovski in 2006 as a market segment manager assistant and was promoted multiple times, serving as a junior marketing manager, a market and competitive intelligence manager, and a new business development manager. Harper graduated from Johnson & Wales University with an undergraduate degree in marketing.
26. Heather Warner
Chief of Children's Mental Health, Department of Children, Youth & Families
Heather Warner is the Chief of Children's Mental Health for the Department of Children of Youth and Families. She first joined the team in 2018 as the administrator of children and family services. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families is the state child welfare, children's mental health, and juvenile corrections services agency that promotes the safety, permanence, and well-being of children through partnerships with family, community, and government.
Previously, Warner was an assistant administrator of community and planning services for the department. Before that, she was a director of intake at Rhode Island Care Management Network, and earlier in her career, she was their lead utilization management clinician.
Warner earned a PhD in Forensic Psychology from Alliant International University-Fresno, a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Boston University, and an undergraduate degree in sociology from Framingham State University.
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27. Irene Bock
Wealth Management Advisor, Senior VP, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
With over 10 years of experience in the financial services industry. Irene Bock joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2015, and is now serving as a Wealth Management Advisor and Senior Vice President. Founded in 1914, Merrill is one of the largest wealth management businesses in the world.
Bock works with individuals and families to chart clear paths toward their financial goals, streamlining multiple aspects of their personal and professional wealth. She is skilled in distilling the issues that clients face in pursuing their aspirations, including consistent cash flow in retirement, estate planning services, tax minimization strategies, higher education funding for children and grandchildren, long-term care, charitable giving, or a unique goal that reflects their priorities. Bock is privileged to serve as a committed advisor, confidante, and guide, harnessing the extensive resources of her team and the wider enterprise to help advance the long-term well-being of each client.
Bock served in the United States Navy and is the recipient of the Southwest Asia Service Medal. After her tour of duty, she earned her BS in Business Administration from California State University, San Bernardino. She is proud to be part of the Hispanic Latino Business Council at Bank of America. Bock is a Certified Financial Planner, certified by the CFP Board of Standards, Inc. She also holds the Certified Divorce Financial Analyst designation.
28. Violaine Cola
Strategic Partnership Marketing Director, Schneider Electric
Violaine Cola is the Strategic Partnership Marketing Director of Schneider Electric, a global industrial technology leader bringing world-leading expertise in electrification, automation, and digitization to smart industries, resilient infrastructure, future-proof data centers, intelligent buildings, and intuitive homes.
With over 15 years of experience in communications, marketing, digital marketing, change management, events, and customer journeys, Cola currently leads strategic marketing for the Schneider Electric-AVEVA engagement. Results-oriented and performance-driven, she focuses on several aspects of the marketing plan, including crafting unique value propositions, developing co-branding activation plans, and executing tactics that leverage all marketing touchpoints. Her overall goal is to drive business growth through marketing-influenced orders.
Cola graduated from ESSCA with a Master’s degree in Business Administration and Management. She has an undergraduate degree in journalism.
29. Marissa Ruff
Vice President, Seven Hills Foundation
Marissa Ruff is the Operational Vice President at Seven Hills Rhode Island, an affiliate of the Seven Hills Foundation. Seven Hills Rhode Island is a comprehensive health and human services organization supporting more than 1,000 residents throughout the state. In this role, Ruff is responsible for overall leadership, strategic planning, culture, advocacy, and operations, including programmatic and financial, within the Rhode Island affiliate. With her leadership knowledge, she works hands-on with her employees and colleagues to collaborate on operational strategy, program development, and best practices.
Ruff received a Master’s degree in Psychology from Grand Canyon University and is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership from this same institution. She began her career at Seven Hills Rhode Island as a direct support professional and worked her way through the organization, including work within home services for children, early intervention, case management, and working with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and different healthcare needs.
Ruff is a strong advocate for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and different healthcare needs at a legislative level, often meeting with elected officials to ensure they are aware of the need in the State of Rhode Island. In addition to her work at Seven Hills Rhode Island, she serves as the chair of the board of directors at YWCA Rhode Island, is a member of the board of directors for the Alexis Miranda Foundation, and is a member at large on the Community Provider Network of Rhode Island’s Executive Board.
31. Shaina Gardner, MSR, RN, ACRN, MEDSURG-BC
Director of Ambulatory Services, Lifespan
Shaina Gardner is the Director of Ambulatory Services at Lifespan, Rhode Island's first health system. Founded in 1994 by Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital, it’s a comprehensive, integrated, academic health system.
Gardner has been with Lifespan for over 23 years. She began there in 2001 as a dietary aid, while in high school. She became a registered nurse in 2007. From there, she was promoted to assistant manager in 2010 in the Medical Surgical Unit. By 2014, she was appointed Clinical Manager for the Orthopedic and Urology Inpatient Unit. Gardner always had a passion for the community and vulnerable populations. She transitioned into an Ambulatory Clinical Manager in 2016, then promoted to Director, Ambulatory Services in 2021.
Gardner graduated from Walden University with a Master’s degree in nursing administration and from the University of Rhode Island with an undergraduate degree in nursing.
34. Brenda Ice
Senior Associate Dean & Senior Director of Residential Life, Brown University
Brenda Ice currently serves as the Senior Associate Dean/Senior Director of Residential Life at Brown University in Providence, RI. She leads Residential Life through the development of a shared, coordinated set of structures, practices, and outcomes to support undergraduate students’ residential experience of inclusive communities that promote wellness, growth, and development with a greater connection to the curricular and co-curricular experience. Her portfolio includes residential education, operations/housing, new student orientation, off-campus student services, graduate student housing, Greek Life, and summer conferences. In her short tenure, the residential student experience has shifted from transactional to transformational - contributing to students' sense of belonging and connectedness to Brown.
Brenda is a visionary leader with more than twenty years of experience in higher education and an exceptional track record of leading capital projects, strategic planning, assessment management, policy development, budget management, crisis and case management, and systems implementation all in service to student learning and support.
Brenda has served in a variety of leadership roles in higher education for over 25 years, and her focus at all times is on advancing the profession for students and the staff who support them through mentorship. Brenda currently serves as the co-chair of the Mentoring Committee with the NASPA Black Diaspora Knowledge Community and Workforce Development Director for ACUHO-I. She just concluded her tenure as a member of the 2023 ACUHO-I Leadership Academy Steering Committee, having served as a mentor of the program in 2022. Brenda is known in the world of student affairs because of her long-standing commitment and membership with The Placement Exchange. She started out small – serving as an onsite mentor for candidates back in 2014. She joined the planning committee in 2016, supporting employers for several years before becoming Chair in 2021 – the start of TPE’s commitment to virtual placement.
Brenda holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Washington College and a master’s degree in Post-Secondary Education from Salisbury University. She is pursuing her doctorate in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
35. Elizabeth Maclean
Senior Director, Medical Outcomes Specialists, US Medical Affairs, Pfizer
Elizabeth Maclean is the Senior Director of Medical Outcomes Specialists for US Medical Affairs at Pfizer. Pfizer Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City.
Maclean started at Pfizer as a clinical education consultant, a role she kept for over six years. Then, she went on to become a medical outcomes specialist for the next four years. She accepted the responsibilities of the director of regional outcomes research in oncology in 2011 and for her current role in 2018.
Earlier in her career, Maclean was a lead for the clinical pharmacy service at Memorial Hospital of RI. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a PhD in Pharmacoepidemiology and from Northeastern University with an undergraduate degree in pharmacy.
36. Susan Rodriguez
VP, Total Rewards & HR Operations, Sevita
Susan Rodriguez is the VP of Total Rewards and HR Operations at Sevita, the leading provider of home and community-based specialty healthcare. In this role, Rodriguez oversees employee rewards alignment with business goals.
Rodriguez has extensive experience in the field of employee benefits and HR operations and has held various leadership positions. Before joining Sevita, she worked as a senior director of benefits at Staples, managing the health, wellness, life, and retirement programs for the company's employees. Rodriguez also has experience as the head of benefits for the State of Rhode Island, where she oversaw employee and retiree benefit programs and collaborated with various internal and external stakeholders.
Rodriguez’s career began with their role as a judicial clerk to the Supreme Court, followed by a position as a senior attorney. Rodriguez obtained her JD from Roger Williams University School of Law from 2000 to 2003. Before that, she completed their Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Business Administration at the University of Wisconsin.
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37. Debra Hurwitz
Executive Director, Care Transformation Collaborative of Rhode Island
Debra Hurwitz is the Executive Director of the Care Transformation Collaborative of Rhode Island. In her role, Hurwitz provides program administration, contract development, and strategic planning for the Initiative, working closely with project leaders and key stakeholders to improve the patient-centered medical home model within the existing practices and to develop plans to expand and spread the model throughout Rhode Island.
Hurwitz is a graduate of the UMass Dartmouth School of Nursing and the University of Rhode Island MBA program. Her career includes work for the Hospital Association of RI as a senior management systems engineer and nurse consultant providing consultation on nurse staffing and quality improvement to member hospitals throughout New England. She later worked in hospital administration and served as the executive director and CEO of a nonprofit disability management company spin-off, which provided care management services for self-insured employers in the area. As the director of state health policy analysis for the UMass Center for Health Policy and Research, Hurwitz led an 11-person team that provided policy analyses, program evaluations, and strategic planning for Medicaid and the Department of Mental Health (DMH) in Massachusetts.
In addition, Hurwitz served as the principal investigator for the Mental Health Systems Transformation Grant, working with DMH and a large and diverse group of stakeholders to promote recovery-oriented mental health programs and services in Massachusetts, and she led a large and complex stakeholder group in the development of a strategic plan to promote competitive employment for people with disabilities. Hurwitz serves as a faculty member of the UMass Medical School, Department of Family and Community Medicine, and the Graduate School of Nursing and as an instructor for Brown University Department of Family Medicine.
38. Stephanie Soto
EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer, Breakthru Beverage Group
Stephanie Soto is the EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer of Breakthru Beverage Group. She is the talent architect for the company, its market distributorships, and more than 7,000 associates. Breakthru Beverage Group is one of the leading alcohol wholesalers in the United States and the largest broker in Canada representing a full total beverage alcohol portfolio of spirits, wine, and beer.
Soto is responsible for driving business results through fostering a culture that builds associate engagement and demonstrates value for people that is unique and defining and ultimately leaves an indelible mark that sets Breakthru apart. She leads all aspects of HR, including employee relations, learning, leadership development, and corporate responsibility initiatives across North America, a key component to how Breakthru does business and brings about positive change in communities. Equally important is Soto’s partnership with leaders to meaningfully expand the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion capability to ensure inclusion and equity across all areas of the business.
Soto has more than 25 years of experience in human resources and labor management for multi-billion-dollar, global companies both publicly traded and privately held. Most recently, she served as the senior vice president of human resources at United Natural Foods, Inc., where she led the people-first strategy in the distribution centers, transformed the company’s talent management strategy and review process, and innovative HR programs to enhance the future of work. Previous roles included human resources leadership for Bell Helicopter and Pitney Bowes. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources Management from Syracuse University and a JD, cum laude, from Roger Williams University School of Law.
44. Erin Smith
VP, Sales & Operations Planning, Bimbo Bakeries USA
Erin Smith is the Vice President of Sales and Operations Planning of Bimbo Bakeries USA. She first joined the team in 2015 as senior manager of transformation. Bimbo Bakeries USA is part of Grupo Bimbo, the world’s largest baking company with operations in 32 countries.
Smith has professional experience in various program management, project management, and business analysis roles, focusing on business-driven initiatives, e-commerce, and ERP systems. She has been involved in multiple full-cycle SAP implementations, providing analytical support and project management. Her experience includes work in e-commerce PMO, materials management, procure-to-pay, supply chain, logistics, transportation, and distribution.
Previously, Smith was a program manager and PMO at GSI Commerce. Earlier in her career, she worked with The Jones Group Inc. as a training lead and specialist. Smith earned an undergraduate degree in apparel merchandising and business administration from East Carolina University.
47. Wendy Montgomery
Senior VP, Marketing, Communications & Sustainability, IGT
Wendy Montgomery is the Senior Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Sustainability at IGT. She oversees the strategy for the company’s global brand, trade shows, product marketing, and external communications, including community relations, responsible gaming, and corporate social responsibility.
Before joining IGT in 2018 as the senior vice president of global lottery marketing, Montgomery spent 13 years at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, where she led marketing, sales, operations, policy and planning, and the iGaming business. Her previous experience spans multiple industries, including in the entertainment business in her role as vice president and general manager under Corus Entertainment, Inc. Before that, she was in the telecommunications field as vice president of marketing with Star Choice Communications, Inc. She has also held leadership roles in apparel, consumer products, and food categories, and she has previously lived and worked in South Africa, Israel, Eastern Europe, Canada, and the United States.
Montgomery is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Program at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. She holds a diploma in Marketing Management from the Institute of Marketing Management in Johannesburg, South Africa, as well as a Higher National Diploma in Business Studies from Greenwich University in London, U.K.
View the complete list of awardees.