Inova Health System Named One of Nation’s Top 30 Companies for Executive Women

Inova One of Only Three Non-Profits in the Country Honored By the National Association for Female Executives

Falls Church, VA – In an annual survey that measures women’s representation among top-paid and top-tier positions at America’s largest companies, the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) found that Inova Health System is one of the nation’s top 30 companies for executive women in 2006. In fact, Inova ranked in the in the top ten and was one of only three non-profit organizations named.

To determine which companies were best for executive women, NAFE looked beyond corporate programs and policies designed to advance women, and examined the number of women in the company overall, in senior management, and on its board of directors. NAFE also looked at how well represented women were among the company’s top earners.

“We’re proud to be among the nation’s top 30 companies for executive women,” says Knox Singleton, CEO, Inova Health System. “At Inova we’re dedicated to promoting the best talent we have regardless of gender, and as a result, many of our organization’s foremost leaders happen to be phenomenal women.”

Some trends among the NAFE Top 30 include:

• 93% of Top 30 companies conduct employee surveys to determine their satisfaction with advancement opportunities.
• 90% of Top 30 companies review compensation data for gender equity.
• 87% of Top 30 companies adjusted policies and practices as a result of survey responses.

The NAFE Top 30 Companies for Executive Women (in alphabetical order):
Aetna Inc. (Hartford, CT)
Allstate Insurance Company (Northbrook, IL)
American Express Company (New York, NY)
Bon Secours Richmond Health Service (Richmond, VA)
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (New York, NY)
Colgate-Palmolive Company (New York, NY)
DuPont (Wilmington, DE)
Federated Department Stores, Inc (Cincinnati, OH)
Gannett Co., Inc. (McLean, VA)
Gap Inc. (San Francisco, CA)
General Mills (Minneapolis, MN)
Hewlett-Packard Company (Palo Alto, CA)
IBM Corporation (Armonk, NY)
Inova Health System (Falls Church, VA)
Knight Ridder (San Jose, CA)
Liz Claiborne, Inc. (North Bergen, NJ)
Marriott International, Inc. (Washington, DC)
Merck & Co., Inc. (Whitehouse Station, NJ)
MetLife, Inc. (Long Island City, NY)
New York Life Insurance Company (New York, NY)
Principal Financial Group (Des Moines, IA)
Sallie Mae (Reston, VA)
Scholastic (New York, NY)
Texas Instruments Incorporated (Dallas, TX)
The New York Times Company (New York, NY)
The Phoenix Companies, Inc. (Hartford, CT)
The Procter & Gamble Company (Cincinnati, OH)
WellPoint, Inc (Indianapolis, IN)
Xerox Corporation (Rochester, NY)
Yale-New Haven Hospital (New Haven, CT)

“Inova has been on a journey to become a great place to work,” says Ellen Menard, Senior Vice President, Organizational Effectiveness, Inova Health System. “We know that key to our success is being a place where careers and individuals’ growth and development can thrive.”

The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), founded in 1972, is the largest women’s professional and business association in the country. It publishes NAFE Magazine, a bi-monthly publication distributed to 65,000 members. NAFE began conducting the Top 30 Companies for Executive Women in 2002, picking up the work of Working Woman magazine.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research. Inova provides a healthy environment for its patients, families, visitors, staff and physicians by prohibiting tobacco use on its campuses.