One would think that writing about a group of high-achieving, wholly engaged businesswomen every year would be a repetitive exercise. After all, each year, PBN is fortunate to peek through a window at just how many talented women there are in the state.
This year is no exception, starting at the top, with our Career Achiever, Margaret M. “Peg” Van Bree, the head of Rhode Island Hospital, only on the job for two-and-a-half years. She has dramatically improved wait times at the emergency department, all while empowering her staff to push the institution forward.
Tia Bush, the Outstanding Mentor, is a returning award winner, having been honored years ago during a previous stint at Amgen’s Rhode Island facility. Now she’s back in the state, using her professional expertise at quality assurance, but just as importantly, helping the company develop the next generation of women leaders.
But this special section, which profiles Van Bree and Bush, is a little extra special, because it marks our 10th Business Women Awards event. In honor of that milestone, we are printing the names of all the event honorees since 2008, and noting what they are up to now. And in some cases, we have taken new photos as well in which they have brought props that have meaning to them. It’s interesting to see what they brought to our offices for their studio shots.
One thing that all 124 of them have in common though, is their focus on results. From the for-profit to the nonprofit to the government sectors, all of these women have delivered, by themselves but most often through their teams. That’s a lesson for all of us.
This year’s partner sponsors for the Business Women program are Bryant University’s Executive Development Center, CVS Health Corp. and Citrin Cooperman.
Mark S. Murphy
Editor