Cindy Conroy, director of community outreach at El Paso-based WestStar Bank, has been named one of this year’s “Women of Impact” by El Paso Inc., a West Texas business publication.
“She’s the unsung hero behind the scenes,” Rick Francis, WestStar CEO, tells El Paso Inc. Francis describes Conroy’s job at the bank as “a chief of staff who organizes, juggles and facilitates. She makes the trains run on time for WestStar.”
The recognition comes on the heels of some major health concerns for Conroy, but she hasn’t let the challenges keep her down. When a hairline fracture turned into three surgeries and a full hip replacement, Conroy was determined to recover to the point of walking without assistance—and her mission was accomplished.
“We are not defined by events that occur to us,” Conroy tells the publication. “What does define us is how we choose to respond.”
Conroy volunteers with the Mighty Mujer Triathlon and devotes hours to nonprofit organizations, including the Foundation for El Paso Community College where she helps women pursue higher education. She is a past president of El Paso Executive Forum, served on the board of the Foundation for Women’s Resources and as chair of United Way of El Paso County. Conroy also worked behind the scenes to help Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso become a standalone university. Now she’s working on the Governor’s Commission for Women, helping minority women into business and fighting against human trafficking.
“I want to level up to Cindy Conroy,” Laura Rodriguez, principal at the Raben Group, tells El Paso Inc. “You’ll find her riding her bike in Kern Place at 5 in the morning. Then she goes to work and still finds time to volunteer.”
The El Paso Inc. editorial board conducts the first round of scoring to determine the finalists for its “Women of Impact” program. A panel of past “Women of Impact” honorees evaluate the finalists independently and determine the winners. The selection committees scores all applications in four areas: local impact, level of involvement, breadth of reach and professional achievements.
This year’s six “Women of Impact” will be featured in a special section of El Paso Inc. magazine this fall and an awards ceremony for the honorees will be held on September 27 at Hotel Paso Del Norte in El Paso.
Established in 1990, WestStar Bank operates 13 branches in West Texas and one location in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
