10-24-2021 Women to Watch - Flipbook - Page 15
25 WOMEN TO WATCH
THERESA B. FELDER
56, president, Harford Community College
Theresa B. Felder almost didn’t go to college. Now, she’s in charge
of one.
Harford Community College’s first Black president is a first-generation college graduate who says her parents “would’ve been happy if
I worked coming out of high school. There was no push to go to college.” But once she went to school, and her younger sister followed
suit, expectations for her family changed.
“Just my one decision impacted my entire family.” After graduating on a scholarship with a degree in accounting, she caught the
higher education bug when working as a consultant for a community
college in Ohio. The community college mission — Felder described
it as “open access; we take all students” — was something she identified with, and she shifted gears to pursue a career in higher ed.
— S. Wayne Carter Jr.
PHOTO BY AMY DAVIS
DEE SAWYER
50, head of Individual Investors and Retirement Plan
Services, T. Rowe Price
An unusual career path propelled Dee Sawyer to lead sales,
marketing and distribution of investment products at T. Rowe
Price. Rather than moving up within departments, she has headed
several, including marketing and human resources.
With strong leadership skills, “you don’t have to be the subject
matter expert,” she learned early on.
With each new role, the same sense of purpose guides her leadership approach.
“We have the benefit of helping people prepare for their financial futures. That purpose is a noble one, a hard one, but one I take
great pride in.”
— Lorraine Mirabella
PHOTO BY LLOYD FOX
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