Carrie Heilman

With deep sorrow and profound gratitude for a life devoted to scholarship, mentorship, competition, faith, and family, we share that Carrie Miriam Ramenofsky Heilman passed away on February 25, 2026, surrounded by those who loved her most.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, on August 27, 1971, she was raised in Wilmette, Illinois, where her competitive spirit and disciplined work ethic were evident from an early age. In high school, she distinguished herself as an all-state athlete in basketball and softball — an early sign of the drive, teamwork, and resilience that would define her life.

She continued her academic and athletic career at College of the Holy Cross, where she was a member of the women’s basketball team and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics in 1993. She went on to earn her PhD in Quantitative Methods from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University in 1997.

That same year, she began her academic career at Washington University in St. Louis as an Assistant Professor of Marketing. In 2003, she joined the faculty of the University of Virginia, where she served as Associate Professor of Marketing until her passing. Over more than two decades, she became a cornerstone of the marketing department and a beloved presence across the university community.

She taught Brand Management and Strategic Brand Consulting & Communication at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, bringing intellectual rigor, strategic insight, and unmistakable energy into every classroom. Her students remember not only what she taught, but how she made them feel — challenged, confident, and capable of more than they imagined.

Her competitive spirit found its fullest expression in her leadership of the university’s team in the National Student Advertising Competition. As faculty adviser, she guided students to national championships in 2016, 2020, and 2021, along with a second-place national finish in 2018 and a third-place finish in 2013. These victories reflected her extraordinary ability to blend discipline, strategy, and deep belief in her students. She expected excellence and often reminded them — and all who worked with her — “less talking, more doing.”

Her leadership extended beyond the classroom. In 2017, she was named the university’s Faculty Athletics Representative, uniting her lifelong love of sports with her devotion to higher education. In 2018, she was recognized by Poets&Quants as one of the Top 50 Undergraduate Professors in the country and was a member of UVA’s Raven Society, honoring faculty for their exceptional scholarship, leadership, and service. In 2020, she received the university’s All-University Teaching Award — an honor that affirmed what her students and colleagues already knew: that she was an exceptional educator whose influence would ripple outward for generations.

At the center of her life was her Christian faith. It guided her decisions, shaped her leadership, and grounded her in moments of both triumph and trial. She believed that her talents were gifts to be stewarded in service of others. Her faith was steady, expressed through integrity, humility, generosity, and a quiet confidence that God was at work in all things.

While her professional accomplishments were many, her greatest joy was her family. She was married to Brad for 30 years, a partnership rooted in love, mutual respect, shared faith, and steadfast support. Together they built a home filled with encouragement, spirited conversation, competition, prayer, and unwavering commitment to one another.

Despite her many professional achievements, the activities she cherished most were far from lecture halls and national competitions. She loved coaching her children’s basketball and softball teams and could most often be found cheering them on at the pool, on the field, or on the court. In those moments, she was not the award-winning professor or national champion adviser — she was simply Mom. She taught her children the importance of commitment to the team, self-discipline, and internal motivation.

She was immensely proud of her four children: Jason, a First Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps; Matthew and Thomas, UVA students active on the men’s swim team — one a two-time team captain and the other a U.S. Olympian; and Katherine, an accomplished volleyball player and captain of her club team. In each of them, she saw the discipline, teamwork, perseverance, and internal drive she had worked so intentionally to instill.

She is survived by her husband, Brad; her four children; her parents, Samuel and Cynthia Ramenofsky of Crozet, Virginia; and her brothers, Greg (Lynn) of Wilmette, IL and David (Mary) of San Diego, CA. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Leon and Gloria, and Abraham and Charlotte; and by her uncles, Lee and Mike.

To her students, she was a mentor and champion.

To her colleagues, a principled leader and generous collaborator.

To the athletic community, a fierce and loyal advocate.

To her family, she was steadfast love.

Her life was one of action and conviction, guided by faith, shaped by purpose, and filled with love. She moved through the world with a quiet confidence, a tireless work ethic, and a heart open to others. Her lessons of perseverance, discipline, and devotion will live on — in her family, her students, her colleagues, and in every life she touched. Though she is gone, the values she embodied and the love she shared will continue to inspire, guiding all who knew her toward their own best selves.

A memorial service will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas Church on Saturday, March 7 at 2:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the following GoFundMe account: https://gofund.me/4680e471d

100% of the funds raised will be donated to local charities aligned with Carrie’s passions for children’s health and education.