Dr. Gauri Gulati Agarwal is a true “Master Mentor.” As the Associate Program Director for the VCU Health System Pediatric Residency Program and assistant professor of the Department of Pediatrics, Gauri is one of the first points of contact that young doctors have with VCU Health System, which is a large, urban academic medical center located in Richmond, Virginia.

Gauri is an advisor and mentor for undergraduate medical students who want to pursue pediatrics as a specialty field. And once the students come to VCU Health System for their residency training, she is thrilled to be a role model for them. Young physicians can become overwhelmed by the requirements of completing their residency training.

That’s why Guari enjoys showing residents that it’s entirely possible to accomplish what they want professionally while still having time to spend with their families. A mother of three young sons, Gauri says she loves the culture and programs at VCU Health System that help employees integrate their work and personal lives, including flexible scheduling, the onsite child care center and back up care.

In addition, Gauri continues to be the driving force behind programs that support breastfeeding moms, especially those at VCU Health System. (Several private lactation rooms featuring breastfeeding amenities like pumps, rocking chairs and iPod docking stations are located throughout the medical campus.) A certified lactation consultant, Gauri’s goal is to teach all young physicians about the value of breastfeeding so that they can pass the knowledge along to their patients and use it in their personal lives.

Using herself as an example, Gauri demonstrates to young physicians that they can truly have it all: a successful career and a happy, healthy family.

Kim Biggers Hayes, director of pharmacy services, is a shining example of the axiom, “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.” She never seems to tire of offering her time and energy to her family, her job and her church.

At the HCA Richmond Market hospital, Kim is viewed as a positive, knowledgeable and hard-working leader. Her leadership has contributed to the facility’s ability to provide high-quality and safe care to patients. For example, she oversaw the implementation of bar-code technology that insures that the correct medicine is delivered to the correct patient every time. She has also managed the hospital’s accredited pharmacy residency program that has trained eight aspiring leaders since its inception in 2002.

Kim has also supported the professional practice of pharmacy by mentoring students from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Pharmacy and serving on the Board of the Virginia Society of Health System Pharmacists.

Kim demonstrates her commitment to her community through her many church-related activities. She is a Youth Ministry Team leader, teaches 6th grade Sunday school, is a Small Group Leader for high school girls and is an ordained deacon. Through this work, Kim has taken trips to impoverished areas where the church’s youth groups engaged the local communities by sharing musical performances and undertaking community clean-up events and educational programs for the children.  She also shares her talent for musical performance, serving as pianist for the church’s Festival Orchestra.

Along with her professional and church activities, Kim finds time to be active in her children’s activities. She also serves on the James Madison University Parent Council and the Monacan High School Tennis Booster Association.

As a leader and mentor, Heather Cox has a profound impact on Capital One’s associates. Indeed, her passion for developing talent shows up in several ways.

As Executive Vice President, Card Operations, Heather is dedicated to helping others develop their skills and careers. She has several formal mentoring relationships with female executives and informally coaches a number of associates. She has also led an effort to help more than 600 managers grow the skills and knowledge to lead others to great results.

Heather noticed that often, smart women with good ideas came across as apologetic when presenting new ideas. She believed these women could be more influential with a more direct approach. In response, Heather spearheaded an initiative to help leaders in her organization develop more effective communication styles.

Heather often shares her leadership development story with Capital One audiences at All Hands and Town Hall meetings, and she was interviewed for Capital One’s Leadership One-on-One video series.

Heather is always open to new opportunities for learning, and says mentoring is symbiotic. She has a mentor and a coach, and as she mentors female executives and other associates, Heather says she learns how to communicate more openly, and learns from them.

Heather also shares the personal side of her evolution as a leader. “One revelation for me occurred when I became a mother,” she says. “It was no longer about me. It was a turning point in my journey, when I realized that the emotional side of leadership is as important as getting the results. Helping others develop, both personally and professionally, yields great results.”

Booz Allen Hamilton Associate Beth Mancuso had hoped that being an award-winning writer for a Fortune 500 company and a former Intelligence Analyst for the Army National Guard would inspire her children, but was surprised to find that her resilience in a particularly trying episode may have proved to be the most inspirational of all.

In 2007, when Beth’s husband was transferred out of state, her leadership agreed to let her telecommute full-time from what would be their new hometown. Beth planned to stay behind to sell the couple’s home, before she and her then 5- and 6-year-old children were reunited with her husband.

Instead, their home went up for sale just as the Washington, D.C.-area housing market plummeted. When it finally sold a year later, the news was bittersweet; Beth’s husband had asked for a divorce the week before.

Now Beth had more than the emotional ordeal of a divorce to deal with, but the prospect of having to vacate her home with two young children in a matter of weeks—with no destination—while continuing to work full time.

Undaunted, Beth moved in with family and set a goal of buying a home within a year.

 “And through it all, Booz Allen was incredibly supportive,” says Beth, who celebrated 15 years with the firm in August. “My leadership allowed me to telecommute, which made all the difference. I was able to continue being successful at work, Camden and Megan completed the school year in a loving environment, and we moved into a wonderful new home in Charlotte where I’ve continued to telecommute full-time.”

Now 10 and 11, Megan and Camden enjoy volunteering with their mother at Booz Allen-supported community service events like the International Coastal Cleanup.

 “Divorce can be a big set back for young children,” says Beth. “Many are in a state of flux and see their parents in a vulnerable state. But because of Booz Allen’s support, my children saw that a working mom can persevere through adversity, be there 100 percent for her family, and still continue to be successful at the job she loves.”

Shelly Buck-Turner, who began in health care as a certified nurse assistant in high school, has been on a constant trajectory of education, growth and advancement, even as she’s raised her children, part of the time as a single mother.

Today, Shelly serves as the VP of Patient Care/Chief Nurse Executive for Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows program announced in May that Shelly was among just 20 individuals selected nationwide for the foundation’s prestigious three-year fellowship.

“It’s a wonderful honor to be in a select and elite group of nurse executives across the country to not only learn and grow, but to impact health care on a local, regional and national level,” says Shelly.

Her professional interests include nursing leadership and disparities in care.

 “One of my passions has always been nurse leadership, particularly in the area of business development,” says Shelly, who holds a nursing degree from Helene Fuld School of Nursing, a bachelor’s of science in nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a master’s in business administration from the University of Maryland.

Shelly has held certifications in critical care, neuroscience and wound care and is a member of numerous national nursing associations. “I always believed it would come to a point where nurses would be able to put a value on their contributions and what they bring to patient care,” she says. “We’re in that time now.” 

Women take an active role in recruiting and hiring their peers at this academic medical center, where female employees fill 50% of top positions and serve as 68% of managers. Networking events, one-on-one and group mentoring and an annual leadership conference are offered by its Women in Science, Dentistry and Medicine organization, and hospital nurses progress through the clinical ranks with a professional-advancement program. Busy moms take comfort in the fact that from the age of 6 weeks through kindergarten, their children have access to an on-site child-care facility that stays open 18 hours per day, seven days a week, and offers summer camps, overnight and backup care. To support breastfeeding, the center provides six on-site lactation rooms; free care from the employees-only medical clinic and pharmacy helps moms stay healthy.

CEO Sheldon Retchin, MD

Chief HR Officer Maria Curran

Women managers/execs 64% 

Women among top earners 65% 

Women hires in 2010 73% 

Average weeks of fully paid maternity leave offered 0 

Allows new moms to “phase back” into work with reduced hours? Yes

Offers affinity group for new mothers? Yes

Offers backup childcare? Yes

Employees working flexibly 70%

Moms enjoy great financial perks at this health-care system, from free continuing education to $5,000 in annual tuition aid and assistance with their college loans. If they like, they can attend on-site classes that educate them on financial topics and arrange free sessions with money advisors. Many also access subsidies at the system’s three child-care centers, tap free memberships to a babysitting database and invest in dependent-care spending accounts. If they or their family members struggle with a life event, they can talk to a licensed counselor for free, up to five times per incident. And employees who look after aging relatives score free elder-care assessments and discounts on companion services, nursing and respite care. Free registration at local gyms makes even fitness affordable.

President, Capital Division Margaret Lewis

VP, HR Jerry Venable

Women managers/execs 78% 

Women among top earners 85% 

Women hires in 2010 79% 

Average weeks of fully paid maternity leave offered 6 

Allows new moms to “phase back” into work with reduced hours? Yes

Offers affinity group for new mothers? No

Offers backup childcare? Yes

Employees working flexibly 70%

Given the fast-paced rhythm of the financial industry, it’s no surprise that flexible schedules are increasingly popular with this bank’s associates, at least 85% of whom adjusted their hours at some point last year. To make remote work more feasible, the bank provides many of them with laptops, mobile phone numbers and videoconferencing gear. It has also stepped up training of its business managers, who are learning the best way to lead virtual teams. Women who work virtually share their experiences in an online flexible-work forum. To make life easier for in-office workers, the bank offers free shuttle rides between two major campuses and maintains pretax accounts, in which they can save $1,500 annually for parking and bus or train expenses.

Founder, Chairman & CEO Richard D. Fairbank

Chief HR Officer Jory Berson

Women managers/execs 39% 

Women among top earners Not tracked

Women hires in 2010 58% 

Average weeks of fully paid maternity leave offered 5 

Allows new moms to “phase back” into work with reduced hours? Yes

Offers affinity group for new mothers? No

Offers backup childcare? Yes

Employees working flexibly 85%

Connecting with other families after transferring to a new city can be hard for employees of this strategy- and technology-consulting firm. To the rescue comes its Family Ambassador program, which links recent transplants with established locals, who offer advice on everything from the best schools to where to buy a home. Moms get to know their new colleagues at firm outings and chat with them further over its online social network, hello. Seminars and events hosted by the in-house Parents forum provide guidance on international adoptions, the college admissions process and assistive devices for children with special needs. Corporate sponsorship of museum exhibits and cultural activities puts firm families at the front of the line for previews of area attractions.

Chairman & CEO Ralph W. Shrader, PhD

Senior VP, People Services Betty Thompson

Women managers/execs 31% 

Women among top earners 22% 

Women hires in 2010 36% 

Average weeks of fully paid maternity leave offered 8 

Allows new moms to “phase back” into work with reduced hours? Yes

Offers affinity group for new mothers? Yes

 Offers backup childcare? Yes

Employees working flexibly 80%

When Allison Peterson, a director of admissions and marketing, adopted now-4-year-old daughter Maria from China, this health-care system gave her $3,500 to offset her costs. She was also allowed to job-share with mom Kristen frago, a marketing executive. Like Peterson, any woman who adopts here may take 14 job-guaranteed weeks off, with three days fully paid. Some 10% of workers currently job-share, but many also reduce their hours, telecommute or try on-call positions. The system’s three day-care facilities serve nearly 600 children; teens get a college coaching program and can apply for $1,000 scholarships. Parents who make less than $13 per hour get new backpacks filled with school supplies to give to their kids.

CEO Peter Bernard

Administrative Director, Work & Family Services Dawn Trivette

Women managers/execs 74% 

Women among top earners 83% 

Women hires in 2010 78% 

Average weeks of fully paid maternity leave offered 1 

Allows new moms to “phase back” into work with reduced hours? Yes

Offers affinity group for new mothers? No

Offers backup childcare? Yes

Employees working flexibly 85%