It’s International Women’s Day, and we are celebrating the accomplishments of all women everywhere.

At Blue Ridge Hospice, we are lucky enough to have some very talented women in leadership positions. They all lead with compassion, grace, and a strong commitment to our mission, and support and uplift each other and all staff — it’s part of why Blue Ridge Hospice is such an incredible place to work and why we are able to provide the highest-quality services to the patients, families, and community members we are so privileged to serve.

Meet a few of our leaders who help make Blue Ridge Hospice the best it can be.

Jennifer Martin, RN, CHPN

Our Executive Director Jennifer has been with us for many years. Starting with Blue Ridge as nurse, she has filled many positions with the organization, including Case Manager, Intake RN, Clinical Manager, Clinical Provider Liaison, Chief Clinical Officer, and now Executive Director — all while raising two children.

“I am so amazed by women today who are working fulltime, raising families, and in other ways so successful, and we are blessed that so many of them work with us here at Blue Ridge Hospice!”

Martha Perea

As Director of Professional Relations, Martha is dedicated to our mission with her whole heart. She heads up a team of three Community Provider Liaisons and travels to meet with healthcare providers across our service area to make them aware of the services we can provide their patients so that the people who need us have easy and early access to care.

Martha and her team are always hard at work to create new and improved pathways for seamless transition into hospice care. They help make it possible for patients to come to us sooner and be under our care for longer, which improves quality of life for those patients and their families.

Becky Brill, BSN, RN

Our Clinical Manager of the Inpatient Care Center, Becky, leads a team of 22 and coordinates the 24-hour, round-the-clock intensive care that is provided to our patients with acute symptoms or whose caregivers need a respite in the Inpatient Care Center on Cork Street, Winchester. Working in the Inpatient Care Center can be stressful and upsetting at times, but Becky is leading various efforts to support staff and lighten the load.

“I’m so proud of my team. We’re very supportive of each other. We’ve started The Sunshine Committee to make sure everyone on our team feels appreciated and is celebrated.”

Angel Dehaven

Our Vice President of Compliance, Quality, & Education, Angel, started with Blue Ridge Hospice as a Social Worker seeing patients in their homes more than 20 years ago. Since then, she has created and grown our Quality, Compliance, and Education department from the the very beginning, into the major cornerstone in our operations and programming it is today. She is exceptionally dedicated to the quality of care we provide and committed to bringing the highest levels of education and compliance to Blue Ridge Hospice to help our staff grow and provide the best possible care.

thanks to Angel, her team’s, and all of our staff’s hard work, Blue Ridge Hospice consistently rates among the best hospice providers across all of Virginia.

Susana Calley, LCSW

As Manager of Patient and Family Support Services, Susana leads our Grief and Loss Support Services team and in that role oversees our Social Workers, Grief Counselors, Chaplains, and Music Therapists. She does so with grace and a dedication to advocating for her team and our patients and families.

Susana brings new initiatives to the organization and encourages her team to do the same. Recently, the Grief and Loss Support Services team has launched an innovative new grief support program for teens and young adults. If you don’t find Susana writing grants to secure funding for programs to offer grieving people in our service area, you might find her in the stables coordinating our Exploring Grief Through Equine-Assisted Learning program!

Helen Zebarth & Cheryl Hamilton Fried

And of course this post wouldn’t be complete without honoring the Founder of Blue Ridge Hospice, Helen Zebarth, and our fearless President & CEO Cheryl Hamilton Fried.

“We’ve always made it a point to hire women in positions of leadership at Blue Ridge Hospice, and a lot of our staff and volunteers have always been women,” says Helen.

“Cheryl is one of the best things to ever have happened to Blue Ridge Hospice. She leads with such authenticity and kindness — she works with everyone in the organization to make Blue Ridge Hospice the best it can be.”