From the publisher

Cindy Conroy is director of community outreach and aide to the chairman for WestStar. Cindy is the force behind the bank’s charitable giving and community support. She is not big on visibility or recognition, but you can count on her working behind the scenes to make a positive impact across local, regional and even statewide initiatives. Outside of WestStar, Cindy’s volunteer work is expansive and far-reaching, especially across programs that help elevate El Paso’s visibility and support women, business and education. 

Kristi Daugherty is CEO of Emergence Health Network. The mental health agency is at the heart of mental health care in El Paso. Kristi has dedicated herself to improving our community’s understanding, acceptance and access to mental health care, transforming the organization to become a national gold standard for delivering this type of care. Her work was tested following the Aug. 3, 2019, mass shooting and through the pandemic when El Pasoans have needed mental health resources the most. Emergence was ready. 

Dr. Linda Lawson is group chief nursing officer for The Hospitals of Providence. Linda started her career as a receptionist who aspired to become a nurse and went on to earn her doctorate in nursing. As a leader, she is the ultimate nursing champion dedicated to making a difference in patient lives by leading health care’s frontline through compassionate care. She has also been a key leader on Sen. José Rodríguez’s COVID-19 task force and helped guide the city through the pandemic.

Leila Melendez is CEO of Workforce Solutions Borderplex. Leila took the helm of El Paso’s main employment office weeks before the pandemic hit and caused record job losses. The organization responded with innovative and nimble solutions to assist both individuals and employers. Prior to Workforce, Leila climbed the ranks at the city of El Paso where she helped start the 311 call center to relieve the 911 system of non-emergency calls. Outside of work, she volunteers and mentors across programs, from education to women’s support.

Stephanie Otero is vice president of operations for the El Paso Community Foundation. She oversees many of the foundation’s leadership projects, especially those centered on education and the arts. In 2016, Stephanie was charged with making El Paso’s children’s museum a reality. The project, now named La Nube, is a $70 million interactive venue expected to open in early 2023. She is also working to get education majors paid internships, unfunded classroom resources to teachers and has greatly supported special needs education.

Letty Paez is executive associate dean for the UTEP College of Health Sciences. She is responsible for the development of our future health care professionals. During the pandemic, she helped students become contact tracers. Beyond UTEP, she has worked across higher learning institutions to collaborate on a common good: develop students, improve social mobility and provide health care where it’s needed. Beyond her professional achievement, Letty’s breadth of reach is extensive, and she has volunteered with or led countless local and national nonprofits. 

When I get to dive into these women’s backgrounds and their contributions, I enjoy finding common themes and connecting dots. Two things stand out this year – the impact these women are making on young El Pasoans and their behind-the-scenes response to the pandemic. That’s part of why we started Women of Impact. There is so much energy invested in El Paso with people doing amazing things, but they don’t get much recognition. We get this opportunity to shine a light on that and inspire others to reach their potential.

The Women of Impact are selected by a two-part review process. El Paso Inc.’s editorial board does the first round of evaluations to narrow down the finalists. Finalist applications are turned over to the Women of Impact selection committee, made up of previous Women of Impact honorees. Members of the committee score finalists independently in four areas: local impact, the effect the nominee’s efforts have had on the local community; level of involvement, the time spent; breadth of reach, how wide-reaching the candidate’s work is; and professional achievements.

It’s a humbling process. We thank this year’s selection committee and the candidates who submitted applications. 

Narrowing down to the finalists was extremely challenging. There are many women doing phenomenal things. I look forward to future years so we can continue to recognize all the unsung heroes.

The 2022 honorees will be featured in El Paso Inc.’s fall magazine, due out at the beginning of September. An awards breakfast is planned for Sept. 27 at the Hotel Paso del Norte and tickets are available at elpasoinc.com/woi.