WEST VIRGINIA – – They are ladies who are blazing trails for others to follow in the Mountain State.
Some born and raised while others have have adopted the Wild & Wonderful as her home — but each contributing the incredible fabric that makes up the Mountain State.
WV Living unveiling its list of Wonder Women for 2024 and multiple individuals from southern West Virginia made the list.
*This includes eight from our immediate viewing area.
Below is an excerpt from WV Living’s journalists (including Taylor Maple, Wendy Holdren, Tara Wine-Queen) on each of them.
Mercer County’s own Candace Wilson and Karen Bowling
Once a drum major for Marshall University’s Marching Thunder, Candace Wilson now leads efforts at the 1,000-seat, state-of-the-art Chuck Mathena Center (CMC) performing arts venue in Princeton. The opportunity came after working a year and a half at the CMC box office. “I have a degree in English and a huge heart for the arts, and somehow that perfect storm created a home for me to get to do something I love every day,” she says.
Growing up in Princeton, Wilson was submerged in the arts, including band and choir. She always had a love for theater, but it was the Marshall Artists Series that truly fueled her passion. “Having the opportunity to attend anything from local theater to Broadway performances in Huntington breathed life into me in ways I didn’t know possible.”
Helping people was always on Karen Bowling’s agenda. As an extrovert and as someone who wanted to make a difference, nursing seemed like a natural choice. Years later, her ascent to the position of executive vice president of government affairs for the WVU Health System reflects her lifelong dedication to always pushing herself to the next level.
Greenbrier County’s Kelly Collins, Courtney Susman-Frye, Drema Mace Hill
Collins graduated from Greenbrier East High School and attended West Virginia University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in journalism with a public relations emphasis, and then her master’s in Integrated Marketing Communications. During her time in Morgantown, she worked for WVU Sports Communications, which she credits with laying the foundation for her career path.
She now works for Mountaineer Food Bank as service insight coordinator, traveling the state and training food pantries on the use of an intake app. “Every food pantry is different, and I love meeting everyone where they are so they can serve their neighbors the best they can.”
Hill was determined to further her education. She would earn her bachelor’s degree in psychology from West Virginia State University, a master’s degree from Cumberland University, and a doctoral degree from Capella University with a Vanderbilt University IRB, overcoming medical challenges along the way. After a 14-year stint in Tennessee as CEO of Vanderbilt’s Comprehensive Care Center, she returned to West Virginia to fight for and inspire others in her home state.
Raleigh County’s Ripley Rader
Rader, the founder of Ripley Rader:
Empowering women is at the center of the Ripley Rader brand, and not just through the inclusive products the brand intentionally creates, but in the very fabric of the business. “We have this radical belief in ourselves, everyone who works here. This idea of giving women permission to step into their power, their beauty, their strength—if we model that unapologetically, then the ripples of Ripley Rader can reach beyond our wildest dreams.”
Fayette County’s Tijah Bumgarner
Her first film was the 2017-released Meadow Bridge, about a young girl “growing up on the edge of poverty and possibility.” Several films and other projects followed, which she either appeared in, co-directed, co-produced, or served as cinematographer for. The list includes Becoming Annette, Her Hope Haven, Occupational Hazard, Patchwork, Picture Proof, Quarantine Life, and Small Town Universe.
Nicolas County’s Judy Moore
Through a series of promotions, new positions, and twists and turns through sales, communications, and marketing roles that had increasing levels of responsibility, Moore landed in her current leadership roles with the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority and West Virginia Hive, a nonprofit that connects entrepreneurs in the state with the resources they need to be successful.
Mingo County’s Chris Canterbury
Many community members have served as mentors and provided inspiration, but once she became a mom, Canterbury was truly driven to make her community a better place. “I wanted to help our young people feel they don’t need to leave,” she says. “This is home, and you can work to make it better.”
Also of note several women who live or work in the county of our capital city making the list. They are as follows: Susan Margaret Murphy, Dr. Katherine Calloway, Bobbie Spry, Jill Cranston Rice, Leah Glover, Jennifer Herrald Oakley, Candace Nelson
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