By: Erik Pedersen, Content Strategy Director
BALTIMORE – A 2015 graduate from Notre Dame of Maryland University’s School of Arts, Sciences and Business was selected as a recipient of The Daily Record’s 2024 Leading Women Under 40 award in recognition of her professional accomplishments, community involvement, and commitment to inspiring change.
Victoria Meadows ’15 is one of just 46 honorees from across the state of Maryland to receive the prestigious accolade this year. Award winners will be celebrated during a reception held at the Baltimore Museum of Art on Wednesday, August 21.
“It is a true honor to be recognized alongside so many other accomplished women,” Meadows said. “I’d like to thank everyone that has supported me throughout the triumphs and challenges of my career. This recognition would not have been possible without their support.”
Meadows currently serves as manager of the Enterprise Risk Management program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), where she has worked in a full-time capacity since 2016. She moved into her current position at UMB in August 2022 after spending over six years in a variety of laboratory research roles.
A first-generation college student, Meadows earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at Notre Dame. She would later add a Master of Science degree in Management with Interdisciplinary Studies in Management Specialization from University of Maryland Global Campus, and she is working towards a Master of Science in Law degree with a focus in Homeland Security and Crisis Management Law from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.
Meadows held several leadership positions during her time at Notre Dame, including Honor Board Chairperson, Road Scholars President, and Student Representative on the Inauguration Committee for the Inauguration of NDMU's 14th President, Dr. Marylou Yam. She has also remained actively involved with the University’s Alumni Engagement Office in the years following her graduation, including roles as vice president, president and current president emeritus on the Alumni Council. In the community, Meadows has volunteered extensively at Baltimore’s National Aquarium, supporting conservation work to protect the environment and preserve the planet’s oceans.
Learn more about Meadows’ professional journey leading up to her Leading Women Under 40 recognition, and her experiences at Notre Dame as both a student and alumna:
How has your career progressed since you were hired for your first research assistant position at UMB?
I actually started out as a volunteer in the Psychiatry Department within the School of Medicine at UMB right after I graduated. I eventually got hired full time as a research assistant in the Department of Anesthesiology within the School of Medicine, and then I transferred over to the Department of Pharmacology, also within the School of Medicine, as a lab manager and a lab specialist. My journey through my career in the science world at UMB had its ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade any moment. It taught me leadership, perseverance, resilience, courage, honesty – so many important attributes that really shaped me as an individual and as a young woman.
I spent a good portion of my time, about six and a half years, in the science world at UMB. Then I did a career shift to work for central administration, in the Office of the President originally, and now currently in the Office of the Provost as manager of UMB’s Enterprise Risk Management program. Even though I have a bachelor’s in biology, and this position that I’m in right now has nothing to do with science, a lot of things that I learned in my science career have transferred over. Particularly the ability to take risks, to recognize them, and to mitigate them.
What are some of the primary responsibilities associated with your current position?
I have a lot that I do in my role. One of my primary responsibilities is to meet with the University’s senior leadership, as well as on the ground individuals, to identify, assess, and mitigate enterprise-level risks. Risks that would inhibit us from achieving our mission, as well as our strategic goals. The Enterprise Risk Management program also has a little bit of a stake in the University’s strategic plan. I reach out to individuals that are identifying strategic goals that they want to achieve within their school or unit, and we examine risks that could prevent them from accomplishing that particular strategic goal. Those are some of my primary duties.
Key components of the Leading Women Under 40 award include community involvement and a commitment to inspiring change. What initiatives have you been involved in which speak to these topics?
I’ve worked at the National Aquarium since I was 14 years old. I have been doing a lot of conservation work to inspire the next generation to protect our earth and our oceans. I always like to say to individuals that land has boundaries and fences, but oceans do not. What happens right outside will affect South America, Australia, or anywhere on the planet, because water travels. It doesn’t have boundaries. That has always been my commitment to inspire the next generation. By introducing them to the animals at the aquarium, I hope to inspire them to go out and help protect their counterparts in the ocean and on land.
I’ve also remained involved with Notre Dame ever since I graduated in 2015. I joined the Alumni Council right away. I always want to give back and contribute to Notre Dame as much as I can. I want to be a mentor for the students. Their ultimate path might be different than mine – not everyone is going to have the same path – but I’m able to offer some key insights on how to set goals and achieve what you want to accomplish in life.
Looking back to your college search, what influenced your decision to attend Notre Dame?
I chose Notre Dame because of the family-oriented feeling that I noticed on campus. When I came to visit the Biology Department, I was not a number, I was a name. I was someone that they connected with right away. I didn’t get that at other institutions that I was visiting. The faculty and staff knew me right away at Notre Dame, and that is exactly what I wanted out of my college experience. I wanted that personal feeling, I wanted to be able to connect not only with my fellow students, but also with my professors.
I was also looking for a university that specifically help to empower women. I wanted to make sure that I went to an institution that would not only look at me as a person, but would help propel myself forward as a woman in the world that we live in today. Notre Dame definitely gave me that feel from the first time I stepped on campus.
How did your time as a student here help prepare you to excel professionally?
Notre Dame was always there to support me in every adventure that I had. I’m so thankful for the support of my professors. One in particular, Dr. Kenneth Sossa, really supported me in everything that I ever brought to him when I was a biology student. Even though he is no longer a professor at Notre Dame and I am almost 10 years out from graduating, we still talk on a regular basis. I could not have asked for a better mentor, a better professor, and who has turned into a better friend, than Dr. Sossa.
It’s not just Dr. Sossa, I still keep in touch with several other professors from my time at Notre Dame as well: Dr. Angela Sherman, Dr. Deborah Calhoun, Dr. Peter Hoffman, Dr. Cynthia Wang, Dr. Paul Weldon when he was still with us. They check on me from time to time, and I’ve remained connected with them. Connections have been a core foundation for me, and I wouldn’t be where I am professionally without them. These connections mean the world to me and I am grateful to have them in my life!
What motivated you to stay involved with your alma mater after graduation?
Remaining connected was something that meant a lot to me. I’m a first generation college student, and I didn’t want to have any regrets looking back on my college experience. I wanted to make sure that I used my time to the fullest, and that extended beyond graduation because of the wonderful time that I had as a student. I wanted to give back to the community of Notre Dame: not just as a mentor to current students, but also in terms of giving my time, and giving my personal effort to support University initiatives.
I got in touch with the alumni office when I was still a student. I couldn’t graduate fast enough for them, because they really wanted me to get involved immediately with all of the ideas that I had. I encourage the next generation of alums to think about what Notre Dame has given them, and identify ways they can give back. That could mean getting involved with the Alumni Council, returning for Alumni Weekend, volunteering their time at events, returning to support their team if they played sports. There are so many opportunities to remain connected.
What message would you give to students who are still working their way through college?
There may be times in your life where you will hear the word no, or someone will say an idea is too difficult, or someone will question your career path. Look inside yourself, listen to your inner voice, and go with your gut when figuring out what you want to do. Your intuition will guide you; it will be your best ally throughout your career. Also, don’t be afraid to take chances, be bold, be fearless, and go after what you really want in life!
Building connections is also so important. As I said before, I’ve kept in touch with countless individuals from Notre Dame, and those relationships that I’ve built have meant the world to me. Maintain those connections. They are the individuals who will be in your corner when times get hard. They will tell it like it is, they will remind you of your strengths, and they will give sound advice. Having strong connections has truly been invaluable for me both personally and in my career.
Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.
