Chamber Insider Blog

Thank you to Susan Carroll, President at Inova Loudoun Hospital, for taking the time to answer a few questions for Women’s History Month.

Where were you born and raised and, if it was someplace else, when and why did you come to Loudoun?

I grew up in Northern Virginia — born in Alexandria and raised in Burke.  When my husband and I got married, he was working at AOL and I was working at Loudoun, but we were living in Arlington. At the time, we loved living close to DC, but we decided it would be best to move to Loudoun to be closer to work since we were planning to start a family. I had already worked at the hospital for a few years and knew I loved the area. Now 23 years later, it is home!  We have been in the same house in Ashburn ever since, raising our two boys, building a wonderful life, and blessed with the best neighbors and friends.

Tell us about your job and how long you’ve been in your industry.

I am the President of Inova Loudoun Hospital and have been in the healthcare industry for 29 years. I joined Loudoun Hospital in 1998, just a year after it moved to the Lansdowne location. Starting out in business development, as I grew in my career, I had the opportunity to be part of the leadership team during the hospital’s merger with Inova. Shortly after the merger, I was promoted to Chief Operating Officer.

I remained at Inova Loudoun for five more years before beginning what I call my “Inova journey” in 2010. Over the next 12 years, I held various leadership roles across the health system. A fun fact about my time at Inova—I have been the President of every hospital at some point! It has been an incredible experience leading all five hospitals and serving as a service line leader for cancer and our system office. In most situations, gaining this breadth of experience would have required moving my family, but Inova has provided me with unmatched opportunities while still allowing me to keep Loudoun as our home.

As a female leader, balancing work while prioritizing my family is incredibly important to me. I unapologetically put my family first—those who know me know this—and I am grateful to work for a company like Inova that truly values work-life balance. I believe that by setting an example that achieving balance is possible, my teams will appreciate it and feel empowered to prioritize it as well. My kids have thrived growing up in LOCO, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

How did you get into this line of work?

How do most people get into their line of work? Often by accident or a chance encounter. While in college, I had to complete a project for a marketing class on a hospital in Christiansburg, VA. As part of the assignment, I interviewed the hospital administrator, and that conversation opened my eyes to a career path I had never considered. I realized that while the clinical side wasn’t for me, managing the business side of a hospital was incredibly intriguing.

From that moment on, I set my sights on getting into a graduate program for Healthcare Management. At the time, there were very few undergraduate programs in the field, so I made sure to take the right finance, public health, and health sciences courses to prepare for grad school. From there, a bit of luck came into play—I landed that one job that opened the right door. Two graduate degrees and 29 years later, here I am!

Have you had any special mentors or inspirations that guided your career?

I have been very fortunate to have some incredible mentors over the years. When I first became the COO at Loudoun, I built strong relationships with the other COOs across the system, and one of them was a woman named Toni Ardabell. She quickly became my go-to person—my mentor, my “phone-a-friend,” and someone I deeply admired.

Toni eventually left Inova to lead another health system in Virginia, but in 2019, she returned, and I have been so blessed to work for her since. She has taught me many valuable lessons, but above all, she has shown me the importance of investing in and helping others grow. She is always willing to support those around her, especially women, and has set a powerful example for me on the importance of mentorship and lifting others up.

What is the best part of your job and why?

My job is all about helping people, and that’s where I find my purpose. Healthcare is, at its core, a business of people helping and healing each other. Being able to lead the hospital in a way that makes it a great place to receive care—and a great place to provide care—is what matters most to me.

I strive to support my team members and create a culture and environment that attracts top physicians who want to practice medicine here and keeps our team members happy about coming to work. I see my role as the guardian of the community’s health, ensuring we provide excellent service and quality care to everyone in Loudoun. It is incredibly rewarding, and I feel truly blessed to make a difference in my community and in the lives of my neighbors.

What is it like doing business in Loudoun?

Loudoun is an incredible place to do business. Hospitals are complex environments—we have our care teams, but in many ways, I’m also running a small city. Because of that, the hospital relies on strong relationships with many local businesses. I’m grateful to be able to connect with other business leaders across the county to build partnerships. We have incredible collaborations with the schools, other nonprofits, and local organizations, and we always strive to support local businesses whenever possible. As the largest private employer in the county, Inova has many team members who both work and live here, so fostering these partnerships not only makes sense—it makes Loudoun stronger.

What does Women’s History Month mean to you?

It is an opportunity to celebrate and recognize the achievements of women throughout history. While we should reflect on the progress we’ve made toward gender equality, we must also acknowledge the ongoing challenges women continue to face. Honoring the trailblazers who paved the way for women’s rights and keeping their fight at the forefront of our efforts is essential.

I was honored to have met Ruth Bader Ginsburg—I had a visceral reaction when I shook her hand, thinking about how tirelessly she fought for all women and our right to be equal. It saddens me that, even today, there are still places where people believe women are simply “lucky” to have the rights they do. It is not about luck or privilege; it is a fundamental right to be seen as equals. This is a fight we must continue—not just for ourselves, but for the generations of women to come.

Favorite things to do when you are not working?

Spending time at our lake house with our family and friends. You never know how many friends you have until you have a lake house!  We love to travel as well, we will be empty nesters in the fall and we have a long line of trips planned already!