Five Catholic chief executive officers were honored by the Catholic Business Network of Northern Virginia and discussed how their faith guides them to leadership excellence.

The luncheon and panel discussion, which was moderated by Bruce Gemmill, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of John Marshall Bank, was held June 8 at the Hyatt Regency Dulles.

The panelists included: Tony Howard of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce; John Boylan of the Dulles Regional Chamber; Jim Corcoran of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce; Debbie Jones of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce; and Mark Ingrao of the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce.

Howard, a parishioner at St. John the Apostle Church in Leesburg, said he incorporates his faith in the workplace by focusing on the business community he serves, as well as those less fortunate.

Corcoran, who attends Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Vienna, described himself as a “servant manager.”

“We’re all about serving others,” he said. “If you want to be a leader you need to be serving others non-stop, 24 hours a day. The client comes first. The community comes first.”

Ingrao, a parishioner at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington, said he approaches his job with a social conscience. He called himself a consensus builder who attempts to find common ground when dealing with difficult issues.

“We represent business, but we partner with other groups in our community,” he said.

Jones said her philosophy is “to treat others like you want to be treated. If you want to get credit, this job is not for you.”

Boylan, who attends St. Timothy Church in Chantilly, said the foundation for how he approaches his job is built on the three pillars of commerce, community and communication.

All of the business leaders agreed that being successful requires collaboration and developing partnerships.

Corcoran said what inspires him in his work each day is “meeting the people who will drive the community forward.”

“You need to pick your partners where it’s going to work the best,” he said.

As a person of faith who is always optimistic, Jones said it’s vital for her to share information with her chamber colleagues, both locally and nationally. “I’m energized when I can connect people,” she said.

“The only power we have is brought to use by our members,” said Ingrao, who called himself a community steward. “I love to see communities grow, to see everyone succeed,” he said.

Find out more

Go to cbnnova.org.