Founded in 2001, River City offers an exciting mix of programs, networking opportunities and social events, and continues to grow with over 80 members. Monthly meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month. Registration includes breakfast, networking and the featured program.

River City Express Network is an affiliate of the American Business Women’s  Association (ABWA), one of the largest professional women’s organizations in the country. Members benefit by gaining connections and resources locally and nationwide.

River City Express Network 2022-2023 Executive Board

    • Mary MaupaiPresident: Mary Maupai

      Mary is the Development Director with Safe Harbor, a local nonprofit that helps survivors of domestic and sexual violence and human trafficking heal and rebuild their lives. Since joining RCEN, Mary has served on the Membership Committee, served as VP of Membership and President of RCEN. She is also served as the District 4 Vice President on the National Board of the American Business Women’s Association from 2019-2021. She has been married to Skip for 15 years and they live with two dogs and two cats. The best business advice she ever got was “to make sure you can communicate (write and speak) well; your boss will teach you the details of the job.

      President-Elect: Jean Pollard

      Jean is an owner of The Roberts Insurance Group, an independent insurance agency selling home, auto, commercial, life and group health insurance. “We are a one-stop insurance shop! We represent a lot of different companies to make sure that we match the right insurance to the right family or business. Our customers are our family.” Jean has been married to her husband Price for 30 years and they have lived in Richmond their entire lives. Being a part of River City Express Network has been a great experience meeting new and amazing women in business!

      Vice President, Finance: Marianne Lawrence

      Marianne has been a member of ABWA since 1979 and was a founding member of River City Express Network in 2001. She served on ABWA’s National Board of Directors in 1983-1984 and was honored as a 1998 Top Ten Business Women of ABWA. She attended The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio before moving to Richmond in 1972 and later received a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis on Operations Management and a Master of Education degree. For the first 30+ years of her professional life, Marianne worked in engineering,  manufacturing, and quality management. In 2001 she founded a creative marketing design company, Triangle Resource Group. She closed the company and retired in 2016. Marianne has been married to her “romantic, supportive, and funny” husband Lou for 47 years. When not in “lock down” mode, they enjoy traveling, especially by cruise ship. Both are now retired and in her spare time Marianne is an avid reader of mystery and suspense novels.

      Vice President, Marketing & PR: Jeanne Willson

      Jeanne is the owner of the marketing agency, Markbeech Marketing which she started over 15 years ago. She calls her team, ‘your virtual marketing department,’ where they handle website design, marketing strategy sessions and email marketing.  More recently, she teamed up with her business coach and together they started Six Figure Business Coaching, LLC where they help entrepreneurs leverage video marketing with a well-trained marketing VA that takes care of everything behind the scenes, so that the business owner can have the time and income to scale their business with ease. Jeanne has been married to her English, rugby coach husband Matt for 25 years. Her home also includes two teenagers and two rescue labs and she has been an active member of River City Express Network for over 11 years. One of her favorite mottos is, “You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”

    • Vice President, Membership: Brandize Braxton

      Brandize is the owner of BeBe’s Beautique LLC, specializing in Unique Fashion Clothing & Accessories. I had the pleasure of working for Estee’ Lauder Cosmetics for over 25 years as a Promotional Artist. I am a certified Esthetician & enjoyed Pampering Spa Events which included relaxing facials & skin assessments & personalized makeup application. I’ve also had the pleasure of working as a flight attendant for a private charter airline traveling throughout Europe. My mission as the VP of membership is to recruit professional women in business who seek the opportunity for Professional Development, Networking & Fun!

    • Lee AnnVice President, Programming: Rebecca Pace

      Rebecca has been licensed to practice Real Estate in Virginia since 2016. She loves the process of helping clients sell a home and find a new one. She says the real estate process is a rush for her every time. “The diversity that each transaction brings into my life is a gift: new people, new experiences, new knowledge, and new discoveries…all gifts. Real estate and all that it offers lets me go into each new transaction with more empowered skills to provide every customer a higher level of customer service, ease of transaction, integrity, and abilities to get them a home they love. When you love what you do it is not hard to go the extra mile and be creative in meeting and exceeding your client’s desires. I am delighted to share time, energy and savvy mental brilliance with the members of River City Express Network ABWA!