The Roanoker March/April 2024 - 31

women
Cooper has a tenacity about her, this spirit of never giving up. She
takes on the biggest challenges and she throws herself into them. She's
completed marathons. Triathlons. Spartan races. Everything in between.
She inspires everyone around her to do the same.
" A spirit of curiosity is what I sense from the [Sports Broads] and
what I hope to instill, " Cooper says, explaining that sometimes people
might try an activity and realize that they just don't like it.
" I did one Spartan and I was like, I will never do that again. It's one
of my proudest medals, and I barely made it over the fire jump, " she says.
PAULINE KALDAS, 60
Author & Professor of English and
Creative Writing at Hollins University
Pauline Kaldas immigrated to the United States
from Egypt in 1969. That experience has influenced
much of her writing.
As a professor, she is known as an encourager. Students enjoy meeting
with her in small seminars or one on one. She has taught at Hollins
for 25 years.
Kaldas says she stumbled into teaching.
" I loved reading, I loved writing, and I needed to be in some environment
that would allow me to keep reading, to keep writing, and to
engage with others about books, " she says.
Last year, Kaldas helped found the university's Faculty of Color
Alliance.
" We want to create a community where people who are faculty of
color have a place to go when they have things they want to talk about...
you want someone to hear what you're going through with a sense of
understanding, " she says.
Kaldas' latest book, " The Measure of Distance, " was released in
September.
ANN BLAIR MILLER, 62
Director of Business Development,
Roanoke Regional Partnership
Ann Blair Miller has had a hand in many of the
biggest moments in the region's economic development
history.
She has a passion for bringing jobs to the region, as well as the work
she has done on a statewide level. She served as president of the Virginia
Economic Developers Association (VEDA) in 2013. That organization
presented her with the prestigious Cardinal Award in 2015.
As a mother and grandmother, Miller offers advice to the younger
generations of working women. " A lot of women have chosen not to
take risks and pursue opportunities because they worry about balancing
their family and their profession. I don't think a career needs to be
either-or. " Miller heard that sentiment early in her career and has tried
to live by it, she says.
" You can't be perfect at everything. And that's just been kind of my
thing all along... I just feel like I've really had the best of both worlds, "
she adds.
written by Aila Boyd
DR. KATHY WOLFE, 56
Roanoke College Dean
Shortly after Roanoke College selected its new
president in 2022, it also selected a new dean of
the college-Dr. Kathy Wolfe. When the Nebraska
native arrived on campus, she brought with her 28
years of experience in academia.
Despite rising to such a high level in academia, her path was less
than certain given that she is a first-generation college graduate. In fact,
she wasn't even sure what graduate school was when her undergraduate
mentor suggested she consider applying for it. However, when she was
given a course to teach a year into grad school, her course was set. " I
thought I really enjoy this. I could do this for a living, " she remembers.
" So, I totally blundered into it. "
Various teaching and administrative positions followed, including a stint
at her alma mater, Nebraska Wesleyan University. When Wolfe found out
about the dean position at Roanoke College, she held a similar position at
Hamilton College in New York. She had long been aware of the college,
having used it as a model for a general education review at NWU.
Her first day on the job coincided with President Frank Shushok's first
day. Part of her initial work involved helping the faculty make curriculum
changes. " What I love about this job is getting to think really big picture
and think in terms of what higher ed and a liberal arts college like this
will look like 10 years from now, " she says. The administration's goal, she
says, is to make Roanoke College into the " Roanoke Valley's college. "
Upon relocating to the area, she settled in Cave Spring with her
partner. " We love the area. We love to hike a lot. It's beautiful, " she says.
MICHELLE AUSTIN, 52
Bank of Botetourt President
Michelle Austin has always known she wanted to
go into the business field. " I always had an acumen
for math and business, " she remembers. Growing
up, she helped her father with his small businesses
by helping keep his books.
That sense of direction guided her well as she left her Botetourt
County home and pursued a college degree. After taking a money and
banking class, she knew that she wanted to go into banking.
An internship at Bank of Botetourt, then Bank of Buchanan, sealed
the deal for her. From there, she started working at the bank during
summer breaks, going from a humble check filer before moving up to
a teller role. After graduation, the Buchanan resident's first full-time
role was as marketing director, which allowed her to launch the bank's
website. Years later, she wanted to beef up her retail experience, so she
became branch manager in Troutville.
" I literally started at the bottom. I'm really glad I did all of that
because I got to learn so much. I got to see how all the different parts
of the bank work together, " she says.
In 2005, she took a leap to become the bank's chief financial officer
after several years of being groomed for it. She held the title up until a
couple months shy of celebrating her 30-year anniversary at the bank
last year when she was named its president. The promotion has brought
with it a need to readjust her mindset, going from being laser focused
on the numbers to now thinking about the bigger picture.
TheRoanoker.com
MARCH/APRIL 2024 31
LINDSEY HULL / COURTESY OF ROANOKE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP / COURTESY OF KATHY WOLFE / COURTESY OF MICHELLE AUSTIN

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The Roanoker March/April 2024

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