Meet the 2018 Influential Women in Business

Photography by Collin Richie

Somehow, they make it all look so easy. The high-pressure careers. The growing families. The service on local boards and volunteer efforts at area nonprofits.

The 2018 Influential Women in Business balance all these demands, and more, with grace and humility. But, of course, it’s not easy—and it hasn’t been a leisurely climb for any of this year’s 10 honorees. And while their personal and career paths are varied, there are a few common threads that emerge when speaking with the honorees about how they’ve reached this point in their lives.

They take risks. They persevere in the face of failure. They have strong support networks, both at work and home. They believe in themselves. They are compassionate. They pray. And at the end of a long day, they know how to decompress and recharge for the next challenge that awaits them.

Also…

Author and C-suite coach Whitney Johnson asks: Are you willing to disrupt yourself?

For 21 years now, Business Report has been honoring the incredible women in our community who are making the Capital Region a better place to live, work and play. As you’ll learn in their profiles on the following pages, this year’s honorees have already achieved much, but they’re not anywhere near the finish line. Along with the profiles, the 2018 Influential Women in Business will be celebrated at a special luncheon on June 6.

Read the stories of this year’s class:

• Beverly Brooks Thompson

president and executive counsel, Brooks Thompson Consulting

• Marie Constantin

owner, Marie Constantin Photography

• Fran Gladden

 vice president, government & public affairs, Cox Communications Southeast Region

• Sherri LeBas

president, G.E.C. Inc.

• Gaylynne Mack

executive director, Big Buddy

• Laura S. O’Brien

clinical exercise physiologist, Fitness Design for Women / councilwoman, City of Zachary 

• Cynthia Peterson

dean, LSU College of Science

• Laura Simpson

president, Dugas Pest Control

• Sarah B. Taylor

CEO/administrator, Gulf Coast Occupational Medicine Inc.

• Kathy Victorian

Medicaid territory marketing manager, Healthy Blue

Before you go…

Did you know fewer women run

Baton Rouge’s Top 100 Private Companies than men named John?

(Click the image for details)