Women To Watch 10.12.25 - Flipbook - Page 46
By Tricia Bishop
Resilient women breaking
barriers & serving community
O
ver the past dozen years, The Baltimore Sun has highlighted the work of 300 Maryland “Women to Watch”
in its annual special section and awards event, held this
year for the first time at The Center Club in downtown
Baltimore. And every year, the same themes of resilience, breaking
barriers, and concern for others emerge among this powerful group
of individuals.
The 2025 class is no different.
As I read through the profiles of
this year’s women for The Sun’s
special section, resilience showed
up again and again in their stories.
Kalilah Wright built her company,
MESS in a Bottle, from the upheaval
of the Freddie Gray protests, transforming community pain into bold,
wearable declarations. Kimberly
Prescott was forced to pivot after
a medical discharge from the Air
Force derailed her dream of becoming a lawyer, instead creating her
own HR firm with the unapologetic
tagline “Unintimidated HR.” And
BangTam Miller, who fled Vietnam as a child and survived on the
kindness of strangers, now devotes
her life to revitalizing Edgewood so
future families have the safety and
opportunity hers once lacked. Each
woman proves that resilience is not
just surviving obstacles, but turning
them into opportunities.
Breaking barriers is another hallmark of these honorees. Tamla
Olivier became the first woman to lead Baltimore Gas and Electric
Co. in its 208-year history, taking the helm at a time of great scrutiny
over rates for the utility. Le Gretta Y. Goodwin shattered a ceiling of her own as Baltimore’s first Black woman postmaster, with
her sights already set on leading the state’s postal operations. And
Vonnya Pettigrew, who built a career teaching Baltimore students
the power of storytelling behind the camera, made history when she
became the first Black woman to purchase an entire block of waterfront property in the city. Their achievements aren’t just personal
milestones — they are openings that change what’s possible for
everyone who follows.
Community impact, too, runs through nearly every profile. Ashley
Valis, as chief operating officer of Catholic Charities, oversees 80
programs — from Our Daily Bread to Safe Streets — that serve Baltimore’s most vulnerable. Tamara Payne, an artist and professor,
creates spaces where Black women and girls can perform, gather,
and see their worth reflected in one another. And Cristina Lopez,
moved by a childhood memory of inequality in Ecuador, now channels that awareness into building economic equity across Baltimore through the Greater Baltimore
Committee, where she is the chief
operating officer.
But their influence doesn’t stop at
the entrance to the office door. Many
of the women The Sun featured this
year are just as committed to lifting
up those who work beside them.
Shana Carroll, a geotechnical engineer who now leads consulting firm
D.W. Kozera, works to ensure she is
remembered as someone who paves
a path for the next generation of
women in science and engineering.
Ellen Fish, one of the few women
in high-level banking, embraces the
responsibility of being “the minority
in the room” by serving as a role
model and advocating for others in
finance. And Melissa Davis, set to
become president of Media Works
next year, says her leadership style
is rooted in listening to “the quietest
FREEPIK
person in the room,” ensuring every
colleague — especially women finding their voices — is heard.
It’s no coincidence that resilience, barrier-breaking, community-building and mentorship surface year after year among our
honorees. These are the qualities of a leader, the very traits that
make a woman stand out and mark her as someone to watch for
bigger things.
So what can the rest of us learn from this year’s Women to Watch?
Resilience isn’t just about bouncing back; it’s about reshaping
setbacks into something stronger. Serving community isn’t charity,
it’s a responsibility. And breaking barriers only matters if the door
stays open for others to walk through.
These accomplished individuals are not just Women to Watch —
they are women to follow.
Tricia Bishop is the managing editor of The Baltimore Sun. She can be reached at tbishop@baltimoresun.com.
46 | 2025 | WOMEN TO WATCH
