Senior Corporate Vice President (retired), Sentara Healthcare
“Your health is your greatest personal asset and [is] invaluable. We need to respect it and nurture it for the future.”
Graduating from a physical therapist to the senior corporate vice president at Sentara Healthcare, Mary Blunt is nothing short of an expert on all things health and wellness. During her 41-year career at Sentara, she dedicated equally as much time to the hospital, its patients and auxiliary medical and research boards as she did to the recipients of her personal philanthropic efforts. Blunt has volunteered countless hours to Women United and has recruited eight female philanthropists to participate in the organization’s 10 for 10 matching gift program. She is also a seven-time breast cancer survivor who encourages everyone to share their blessings and use the gift of life as opportunity to pay it forward.
What are your hopes for the future healthcare industry?
My hope is that one day we can remove the political division around healthcare and genuinely make a decision about the future delivery of care that is best for people. In the end, lives are at stake and lives matter.
What attracted you to the Women United and the African American Leadership Society?
The United Way was very helpful to my family when I grew up and giving back has been a natural outgrowth.
What are you looking forward to most in your retirement?
Time to travel, time with family and time to smell the roses
Grace Silipigni
Grace Silipigni is an elementary school Spanish immersion teacher based in Virginia Beach and a regular contributor to Coastal Virginia Magazine, covering a wide range of topics such as health and wellness, education and learning, food and drink, happenings and events, travel and getaways and more.
