The Top 50 Rochester Women Leaders of 2026
Rochester has always been a “builder” city-but the blueprint has changed. Today’s influence doesn’t only come from running a big company. It comes from steering systems that determine whether the region can grow: workforce pipelines, affordable and attainable housing, food security, community health, inclusive economic opportunity, and the credibility to convene partners who don’t usually sit at the same table.
This list spotlights 50 women shaping the Greater Rochester economy and civic infrastructure-across corporate leadership, entrepreneurship, education, healthcare, law, finance, housing, and mission-driven organizations.
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#1 Colleen Wegman
Wegmans is one of the region’s most visible economic “anchors,” and Colleen Wegman’s influence is felt well beyond retail-from the local job market to supplier ecosystems and community expectations about service, value, and experience. Her leadership is increasingly about modernizing how people shop (not just where), including investments in digital convenience and personalized meal planning that helps households balance budget and health goals-exactly the kind of practical innovation that scales across a region.
#2 Sarah C. Mangelsdorf
If you care about Rochester’s talent pipeline, research capacity, and long-run competitiveness, you watch the University of Rochester. Sarah Mangelsdorf leads one of the city’s most important institutions for workforce development and knowledge creation-shaping everything from advanced research partnerships to the steady stream of graduates who become the region’s next executives, physicians, engineers, and founders.
#3 Erin Tolefree
Erin Tolefree sits at the intersection of consumer behavior, manufacturing, and innovation-an especially consequential place for Rochester as the region competes for modern jobs and investment. Her leadership focuses on responding quickly to changing customer realities while building an innovation pipeline (including better-for-you and functional categories), which reinforces Rochester’s role as a serious center for food and beverage manufacturing leadership-not just production.
#4 Stefani LiDestri
Stefani LiDestri represents a particular kind of Rochester power: the multi-generation operator who can steer a major manufacturer through shocks while still strengthening community trust. Her impact is defined by resilience and adaptability-most visibly in how the company pivoted during the pandemic and supported community needs at scale-while also expanding focus beyond operations into growth-minded sales and marketing.
#5 Kimberly Jones
In a region with a growing concentration of tech-enabled services, Kimberly Jones leads one of Rochester’s standout marketing and performance organizations. Her influence shows up in how brands compete in increasingly regulated and trust-driven categories (including healthcare), and in how she’s positioning the firm to build responsibly with emerging technologies like AI-helping shape how modern marketing work (and modern marketing jobs) evolve locally.
#6 Julia Tedesco
Food security is economic infrastructure-full stop. Julia Tedesco leads one of the region’s most important safety-net and stability organizations, especially as household budgets stay strained. Her work is not just distributing food; it’s preparing the region for policy and demand shifts that can sharply increase need, while coordinating partners across government, nonprofits, and the private sector to keep families stable and employable.
#7 Maria Cristalli
Maria Cristalli’s influence is rooted in the reality that a region’s outcomes depend on how well it supports children, families, and vulnerable populations. Her leadership emphasizes investing in people-compensation, benefits, learning, and leadership development-because mission outcomes scale only when the workforce is supported and empowered. In a tight labor market, that approach also sets a standard for what sustainable human-services leadership looks like.
#8 Seanelle Hawkins
Seanelle Hawkins is one of Rochester’s most important conveners around equity, workforce access, and inclusive economic mobility. Her leadership stands out for disciplined partnership-building-deciding what to run directly versus what to achieve through trusted allies-so services remain durable even when resources tighten. In a moment when DEI commitments are being reframed across sectors, her voice carries both urgency and strategic clarity.
#9 Megan Houppert
Housing availability shapes everything: employer recruitment, family stability, school enrollment, and neighborhood vitality. Megan Houppert leads in one of the metro’s most consequential arenas-creating and preserving housing under cost pressures, financing constraints, and policy change. Her influence is practical and structural: translating mission into units, and turning partnerships into long-term capacity for affordability.
#10 Dr. Linda L. Clark, MD, MS
Dr. Linda Clark’s leadership matters because community health organizations are where policy meets real life-coverage, trust, prevention, and access. She’s operating in a landscape shaped by Medicaid dynamics, public health misinformation risks, and the financial complexity of community care models. Her influence reaches beyond healthcare: when access and trust improve, school and work outcomes improve too.
#11 Dr. DeAnna R. Burt-Nanna
Workforce development is one of Rochester’s biggest leverage points, and DeAnna Burt‑Nanna leads a core engine of that work. Her impact is especially visible in student-success redesign-success coaching, clearer pathways, and tighter alignment to transfer and workforce outcomes-paired with an explicit economic-development lens for the region’s job market and employer needs.
#12 Jennifer Lake
Jennifer Lake leads an organization that sits at the intersection of employment, training, sustainability, and community resilience. Her influence is amplified by Goodwill’s model: business operations that fund large-scale community programs, plus the growing importance of “circular economy” strategies (reuse, repair, recycling) that keep value-and opportunity-local.
#13 Suzanne Turchetti
As healthcare continues shifting into homes, the leaders who scale reliable home care shape the region’s quality of life and workforce capacity. Suzanne Turchetti is navigating the next era of home health delivery, including careful adoption of AI tools that can improve operations, clinician support, and patient outcomes. In practical terms, this affects families, hospitals, and employers across the metro.
#14 Naomi Silver
Sports organizations are major downtown economic and civic platforms-jobs, events, tourism, and brand identity. Naomi Silver’s leadership helps determine how effectively that platform grows, innovates, and partners. Her influence shows up in business development (sponsorship/naming rights) and in building talent pipelines into the sports business itself-turning a community asset into a leadership factory.
#15 Pamela Baird
Pamela Baird leads a significant Rochester-area business in a sector where trust, compliance, and operational excellence aren’t optional. Her role is influential because it touches strategy, risk management, and culture-ensuring the company’s mission and core values show up in daily decision-making while still driving performance. That combination-values and execution-sets a tone other operators pay attention to.
#16 Jessica Savage
Agency leadership becomes regional influence when it shapes how organizations tell their story, grow demand, and compete for attention and trust. Jessica Savage is building a growth-oriented structure-strengthening the C-suite and sharpening business development-so the firm can deliver at scale. That matters in Rochester because marketing and brand leadership increasingly determine which local companies win talent and customers.
#17 Victoria Grady
Some of the most important Rochester deals don’t happen on a stage-they happen in financing structures that make projects viable. Victoria Grady’s influence comes through community development work that intersects with interest rates, affordable housing tools, and policy shifts. When those deals get done well, neighborhoods stabilize, projects pencil out, and investment becomes possible in places that otherwise get skipped.
#18 Lori Van Dusen
Lori Van Dusen leads in one of the quietest but most powerful levers of regional prosperity: advisory work that shapes how families, executives, and institutions allocate resources. Her influence is amplified by how she’s built organizational capacity-leadership depth, role clarity, and reinvestment in people-because a firm’s ability to scale advice responsibly depends on operational maturity, not just market opportunity.
#19 Melinda Treadwell
Melinda Treadwell’s role matters because higher education doesn’t just educate-it signals what a region values and supplies what employers need next. Her leadership is sharpening Geneseo’s identity and strengthening pathways, aid, and employer alignment so the school functions as an engine of talent for the broader Rochester/Finger Lakes economy. It’s a long-game role with near-term workforce consequences.
#20 Dr. Heidi Macpherson
Heidi Macpherson leads a major public institution at a time when higher education is navigating disruptive policy shifts and the rapid mainstreaming of AI. Her influence shows up in how Brockport adapts programs and prepares students for a changing labor market-while maintaining institutional stability and credibility for families making high-stakes choices about education and upward mobility.
#21 Tracy Petrichick
As President and CEO of The Arc of Monroe, Tracy Petrichick strengthens one of the region’s most important providers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities while building a reliable workforce of direct support professionals. Her leadership pairs mission with operational rigor, expanding opportunity and stability for families and employers across Monroe County.
#22 Elaine Spaull
Elaine Spaull has built a career of public service and youth advocacy, bringing seasoned civic leadership to her role as Executive Director of The Center for Youth. By strengthening programs that keep young people safe, connected, and on a path to opportunity, she delivers measurable community impact and long-term economic benefits for the Rochester region.
#23 Liz Roaldsen
Liz Roaldsen is a senior executive at Paychex who helps scale operations and the employee experience for a company that serves hundreds of thousands of businesses nationwide. Her ability to connect customer needs, process excellence, and people leadership reinforces Rochester’s reputation as a headquarters city for high-performing human capital services.
#24 Rebecca Westervelt, AIF®
Rebecca Westervelt leads retirement services at Courier Capital, bringing deep investment-services experience to help organizations and individuals make confident long-term decisions. Her steady leadership in wealth and asset management strengthens fiduciary discipline and supports the financial well-being of employers and families across the region.
#25 Jenny Bean, CPA
As a Director at Freed Maxick, Jenny Bean guides complex advisory engagements that help organizations sharpen financial performance, manage risk, and plan for growth. Her work supports the backbone of the local economy—from manufacturers to nonprofits—by bringing disciplined analysis and trusted counsel to leadership teams.
#26 Cara E. Rossi, CPA
Cara Rossi is a Director in Freed Maxick’s tax practice, known for technical expertise in tax provision work and strategic planning that helps businesses stay compliant while making smarter decisions. Her experience advising complex organizations elevates the region’s financial ecosystem and gives leaders clearer visibility into the tax impacts of growth, investment, and change.
#27 Megan M. Broomfield, CPA
Megan Broomfield has earned recognition for pairing technical excellence with people-first leadership as a Partner at MMB+CO, advising clients across tax and assurance while helping shape firm strategy. Her commitment to mentoring and advancing women in the profession strengthens Rochester’s talent pipeline and sets a higher bar for inclusive leadership in the accounting industry.
#28 Katie Lally
As owner of SimuTech, Katie Lally helps engineering teams turn ambitious ideas into real-world products by expanding access to advanced simulation tools, training, and expert consulting. Her leadership fuels innovation for manufacturers and technology companies, reinforcing Rochester’s role as a hub for high-value engineering and industrial growth.
#29 Dr. Eileen Lynd-Balta
Eileen Lynd‑Balta combines distinguished scholarship with academic leadership as Associate Provost and Professor at Saint John Fisher University, strengthening the institution’s capacity to educate and retain talent. By guiding programs and faculty that connect classroom learning to workforce needs, she helps build the human capital that drives the region’s long-term competitiveness.
#30 Christina Lacagnina
Christina Lacagnina leads Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women as President and CEO, strengthening a mission-driven institution that prepares students for college, careers, and community leadership. Her stewardship supports families and alumni networks while investing in the next generation of women who will shape Rochester’s civic and business future.
#31 Mary Therese Friel
Mary Therese Friel turned a national platform into a lasting enterprise, building a full‑service talent and training company that has developed models, actors, and confident communicators for decades. By pairing mentorship with professional standards, she has created opportunity in the creative economy and helped countless clients translate personal brand into career momentum.
#32 Nadine General
Nadine General brings high-stakes communications expertise to Dixon Schwabl + Company, leading teams that help organizations protect reputation and navigate moments when trust matters most. Her strategy and crisis leadership strengthen clients across sectors and elevate Rochester’s standing as a market with world-class marketing and public relations talent.
#33 Jennifer Sahrle
Jennifer Sahrle leads Saint Joseph’s Neighborhood Center, expanding access to high-quality healthcare for people who are uninsured or underinsured. Her ability to align clinical services, community partnerships, and compassionate operations makes the organization a stabilizing force for families—and a model for equitable care in the region.
#34 Elizabeth A. Talia, Esq.
As general counsel and a leader in compliance and privacy at Thompson Health, Elizabeth Talia helps protect the integrity of patient care while enabling smart, responsible growth. Her counsel strengthens governance and risk management across the system, supporting stability for employees, partners, and the communities Thompson Health serves.
#35 Tashanda Thomas
Tashanda Thomas brings mission-driven executive leadership to Foodlink, building people and culture strategies that help a cornerstone nonprofit fight hunger at scale. Her community engagement and governance work amplify partnerships across sectors, translating stronger workplaces into stronger outcomes for families throughout Greater Rochester.
#36 Denise A. Battles
Denise Battles has guided SUNY Geneseo through pivotal years of change, advancing a bold vision that pairs academic excellence with an equity-centered approach to student success. By strengthening facilities, culture, and regional partnerships, she enhances the talent pipeline and economic vitality that a thriving Finger Lakes region depends on.
#37 Teresa O’Loughlin Bianchi
Teresa O’Loughlin Bianchi helps power United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes by leading resource development that fuels programs across education, financial stability, and health. Her ability to mobilize donors and corporate partners converts community generosity into measurable impact, strengthening the social infrastructure that underpins a resilient regional economy.
#38 Sherita D. Bullock
Sherita Bullock leads Healthy Baby Network with a clear focus on maternal and infant health, bringing community-based support to families who need it most. By building partnerships and programs that improve early-life outcomes, she delivers long-term economic and human impact for Rochester—starting with healthier beginnings.
#39 Kim Clark
Kim Clark has spent decades advancing the mission of Heritage Christian Services, leading marketing and communications that elevate inclusion and the value of services for people with disabilities and older adults. Her strategic storytelling and brand stewardship strengthen community support, attract talent, and help a major regional provider scale its impact.
#40 Stephany D. Corcoran
Stephany Corcoran has helped set a high standard for commercial construction leadership at Unified Maintenance and Construction, combining operational discipline with a people-first approach on complex projects. Her influence shows up in safer jobsites, stronger teams, and sustained growth that supports clients and creates quality careers across the region.
#41 Dr. Candice A. Lucas
Candice Lucas drives equity and advocacy work at the Urban League of Rochester, designing initiatives that help employers and institutions build fairer systems and stronger communities. Her leadership translates inclusion into economic opportunity, strengthening the region’s workforce and expanding pathways to prosperity for historically underserved residents.
#42 Regina MacAdam
Regina MacAdam provides legal leadership at Rochester Regional Health, helping a complex healthcare organization navigate regulatory change, partnerships, and risk with confidence. Her work behind the scenes protects the system’s ability to invest, innovate, and deliver reliable care—supporting a major employer and essential community asset.
#43 Colleen Rose
Colleen Rose leads critical post-acute and extended-care operations at Rochester Regional Health, ensuring patients receive high-quality support beyond the hospital walls. By strengthening home care, hospice, and long-term services, she improves outcomes for families while helping the region manage healthcare costs and capacity.
#44 Tamara Mayberry
Tamara Mayberry helps steer the City of Rochester as Chief of Staff, bringing deep government-relations experience to the work of getting big priorities executed. Her ability to align agencies, partners, and policy unlocks momentum for economic development, neighborhood investment, and a more responsive city government.
#45 Ebony T. Miller
Ebony Miller leads programs that help entrepreneurs access capital, coaching, and visibility through Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Urban Entrepreneurship. By championing small-business growth in neighborhoods that are often overlooked, she turns innovation into jobs and strengthens the city’s inclusive economy.
#46 Samantha Schafer
As a Partner at The Bonadio Group, Samantha Schafer provides high-level assurance and advisory leadership that helps organizations make sound financial decisions and maintain trust with stakeholders. Her expertise supports nonprofits, businesses, and public-sector entities alike, strengthening the financial foundations that enable Rochester-area organizations to grow.
#47 Linda Weller
Linda Weller has built Info Advantage into a trusted managed IT and security partner for organizations that depend on resilient, well-governed technology. Her leadership blends technical rigor with a service-first culture, helping Rochester businesses protect operations, enable growth, and compete with confidence in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
#48 Deana Percassi
Deana Percassi leads community engagement and communications at Wegmans, helping one of Rochester’s most iconic companies translate its scale into meaningful local impact. By aligning corporate giving, storytelling, and stakeholder relationships, she strengthens trust in the brand and channels resources toward community priorities across the region.
#49 Lana K. Ivy
Lana Ivy is a partner at Lippes Mathias and a leader in high-stakes disputes and appellate advocacy, bringing clarity and strategic judgment to matters that can reshape organizations. Her courtroom and advisory impact supports business confidence and reinforces Rochester’s strength as a market for sophisticated legal talent.
#50 Rosemary Ventura
Rosemary Ventura bridges clinical practice and technology as Chief Nursing Information Officer at University of Rochester Medical Center, guiding digital tools that make care safer and more efficient for patients and staff. Her leadership accelerates smart adoption of health IT and data-driven workflows, strengthening one of the region’s most important healthcare engines.
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