Nine years ago, the team at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce had an idea: what if they brought together women from across West Virginia to think more boldly about leadership? That idea has grown into one of the state’s most anticipated annual events.
The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Leadership Summit is a gathering of executives, entrepreneurs, community leaders, public servants, educators and students from throughout the Mountain State. Hosted each year at The Greenbrier, the two-day event has a simple goal: to get women excited about embracing their roles as leaders.
“I hope that women walk away knowing that there are no limits,” Chamber Vice President and CFO Kathy Thomas said. “They can achieve anything. Set your sights high and go for it.”
That message has resonated. Attendance has reached a new record each year, spanning generations and industries. Thomas said the Summit is not a retreat or a conference — it’s a powerful network of women encouraging one another.
Each year, the Summit takes on a theme that gives the program a common thread. In 2025, the theme was “Powerful Voices,” recognizing the increasingly influential role women play in shaping industries in the 21st century. The programming featured dynamic speakers, leadership development sessions, networking opportunities, mentorship and philanthropy.
The 2026 Summit, “Leading Without Limits,” pushed that idea even further. Held March 25-26, the event challenged attendees to move beyond traditional boundaries and consider what becomes possible when they refuse to place limits on their ambitions. Among the featured speakers was Lindsay Shookus, an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer known for her work on Saturday Night Live. Drawing on her experience managing high-profile personalities and producing live TV under extraordinary pressure, Shookus shared lessons about relationships, resilience and navigating obstacles.
Other sessions explored topics ranging from intentional leadership and workforce development to women’s health and child care. Speakers included leaders from West Virginia’s business, healthcare, education, media and public service communities.
Jennie Reynolds, Medicaid president of the East Region for Elevance Health/Wellpoint West Virginia, brought a personal perspective to the theme. A McDowell County native who grew up in poverty, Reynolds told attendees she had reached her current position by refusing to accept the limits others placed on her.
“For me, having the opportunity to come back and speak and work with a lot of women that are finding those opportunities and not limiting themselves is just an absolute privilege,” Reynolds said.
In 2025, the Chamber added another tradition to the event — the Women’s Leadership Award, created to honor women who redefine leadership and uplift their communities. The inaugural recipient was Ellen Cappellanti, whose more than 40 years with Jackson Kelly in Charleston have established a legacy of expertise, professionalism and collaboration.
The Women’s Leadership Award is designed to reflect a broad understanding of what leadership can look like, Thomas explained.
“Leadership is not reserved for a certain job title or stage of life,” she said. “True leadership is about vision and resilience. It’s about making a difference. These are qualities that can be found in a boardroom, a courtroom, a classroom, a nonprofit organization or a community as a whole.”
Thomas said the Chamber looks forward to honoring more exceptional women through the award in the years ahead.
Giving back has always been part of the Summit’s identity. Each year, organizers select a philanthropy project designed to address a need somewhere in West Virginia, with projects that turn the collective enthusiasm of Summit attendees into tangible support for those in need.
In 2025, the Chamber partnered with United Way to collect more than 200 pairs of athletic shoes for school-aged children. In 2026, the focus shifted to West Virginia Girl Scouts, and Summit attendees were encouraged to bring white T-shirts in youth and adult sizes for troops across the state. The shirts supported hands-on, project-based community service activities designed to foster leadership, confidence and sisterhood.
The philanthropy projects demonstrate one of the Summit’s defining ideas: leadership goes beyond what happens in a professional setting. As El Paso Electric Company President and CEO Kelly Tomblin put it during her 2025 speech: “Having power isn’t one-tenth as important as what we do with it.”
Perhaps the most forward-looking element of the Summit is its deliberate inclusion of young women. Each year, the Chamber welcomes students from Jobs for West Virginia’s Graduates as well as college students from across the state. They are given an opportunity that can be difficult to replicate in a classroom — two days surrounded by women who are building careers, leading organizations, creating businesses and shaping their communities.
“For the students, it’s about seeing firsthand what’s possible, maybe even for the first time,” Thomas said. “For the leaders in the room, it’s a reminder that today’s leaders have a responsibility to make room for tomorrow’s.”
That intergenerational exchange is part of what makes the Summit different, she said. It creates opportunities for mentorship, informal conversations and relationships that can continue long after the event concludes.
With networking one of the event’s cornerstones, Thomas said the Summit’s audience intentionally extends far beyond corporate executives to include small-business owners, community leaders, public servants, experienced professionals, high school students and college students. Women might arrive with different professions, experiences and ambitions, but the Summit gives them a common space in which to share ideas and learn from each other.
“I think women love to hear from other women,” she said. “They leave after two days just feeling great and feeling like they can go out and conquer anything.”
As one attendee described it, there is something uniquely “inspiring and empowering about being around so many fantastic female leaders.”
Looking ahead, Thomas said the future of the Summit won’t be defined by bigger audiences or more prominent speakers but by the relationships and opportunities it creates.
“The Women’s Leadership Summit is about bringing women together, giving them meaningful opportunities to learn and connect and sending them home ready to lead,” she said.
The message of “Leading Without Limits” may have been the theme of the 2026 Summit, but it captures the larger philosophy that has driven the event from the beginning. Deb Degner, one of the 2025 speakers and president of The Leadership Bridge, reminded attendees that the important question for women leaders is not simply what they want to accomplish, but what they’re working toward.
“What is it that you want? What is that thing that you’re working toward that you’d like to focus your energy around?” she challenged the audience.
For the women who gather for the Summit each year, the answer is clear: they are working toward a West Virginia where women’s leadership is no longer the exception, but an essential part of the state’s future.
Visit www.wvchamber.org for more information about next year’s Women’s Leadership Summit, scheduled for March 24-25, 2027. Registration opens Dec. 15, 2026.
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Katherine Pyles is a freelance writer living in Huntington, West Virginia.