A decade older.
A decade wiser.
2018 ANNUAL REPORT
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REFLECTION
Letter from Our President
The Young Leaders Society (YLS) was founded 10 years ago with the belief that our region’s young professionals, with the support of the community, could rise to be the next generation of philanthropic and civic leaders. What began as a small group of individuals seeking personal and professional development, has become a strong donor network of 300 young professionals who are making their mark on our community.
Our membership is as diverse as our community. From students and recent graduates who are getting their footing in the workplace, to seasoned professionals who are taking their craft to the next level. We enjoy the participation of members from a variety of professions. From those climbing corporate ladders in national and local companies to those following their dreams as entrepreneurs with small and big ventures. YLS is helping current and future leaders take control of their destinies and more importantly, the El Paso community.
Together, we are individuals who are determined to build a stronger community, mold gratifying careers and improve the overall quality of life for every resident in the region. We are intentionally part of a group, that through the United Way of El Paso County, is afforded the ability to help children, families, and individuals access the resources and services they need to lead better lives.
On behalf of the YLS Advisory Board, we can’t thank you enough for helping us build a future where our community’s young professionals will prosper through leadership development, volunteerism and networking. The past 10 years have been a rewarding journey and we look forward to kicking off another decade in 2019.
Adrian Santiago
ADVISORY BOARD PRESIDENT
MEMBERS
Advisory Board
CHRISTOPHER
MONTOYA
President
Wells Fargo
RUBEN
AHEDO
Federal Reserve Bank Dallas Branch - El Paso
ALEJANDRA
CHAVIRA
El Paso Chihuahuas
THOMAS
GABRIEL
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
PAULINA
LOPEZ
Census Bureau
CHELSEA
LYNCH
The Hospitals of Providence - East Campus
JOHN
MACK
Prudential
ADRIAN
SANTIAGO
WestStar
NICK
SECKERSON
El Paso Chihuahuas
DAVID
VALENZUELA
Texas Gas
ALEJANDRO
YU
TFCU
Inform, empower, and engage young professionals who are looking to take their careers and passions to the next level while serving the El Paso community.
El Paso’s young professionals are ready to claim their role as up-and-coming, civic and philanthropic leaders.
Our Mission
WE BELIEVE
VALUES
Our Approach
LEAD
Informative and empowering trainings that engage El Paso’s young professionals in leadership and board member development to help them become the next generation of philanthropic leaders.
NETWORK
Exclusive events and opportunities helping individuals make connections with peers and community leaders.
VOLUNTEER
Carefully selected and hands-on volunteer projects that align with United Way’s mission of connecting individuals to programs and services they need to build better lives.
2018
Our Events
We placed a greater emphasis on providing a selection of quality and inspirational events throughout 2018 including:
REALIZE BOARD TRAINING PROGRAM
Speaker: Elke Cumming, Executive Director of the Paso del Norte Center of Hope
Date: May 1st, 2018
Location: Paso Del Norte Health Foundation
The event focused on the roles and responsibilities of board members. The event was in anticipation of the yearly recruiting phase that most of El Paso’s nonprofits go through to nominate new members to their board of directors.
ON THE MENU:
KICKSTARTING A
KICKSTARTER
Speaker: Tyler & Michelle Savage
Date: June 13th, 2018
Location: Stanton Tower
This lunch and learn was focused on giving our Young Leaders insight into the business boom in El Paso. The On the Menu series began with Savage Goods duo Tyler and Michelle Savage, who led the second largest Kickstarter campaign in El Paso to open a brick and mortar bakery in Sunset Heights. They taught our members how to use Kickstarter, an online platform that offers a method of asking for public support. Tyler and Michelle Savage shared tips of running a successful business, entrepreneurship and more.
ADVOCACY
TRAINING
Speaker: Jason Sabo & Mandi Kimball
Date: August 28th, 2018
Location: Stanton Tower
Jason Sabo , founder of Frontera Strategy in Austin, Texas and Mandi Kimball , Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs with Children at Risk in Houston, Texas talked about how the legislator works in El Paso, how our city can maximize political influence, and how you can take your interests to the next level by becoming an advocate.
DOWNTOWN ARTWALK
Speaker: Adair Margo
Date: October 10th, 2018
Location: El Paso Public Library Auditorium
Downtown Art Walk with Adair Margo was a joint event of the Young Leaders Society and RISE where our members enjoyed a leisurely walk and presentation through downtown and viewed some of our city’s most historic pieces of art with the First Lady of El Paso, Adair Margo.
HOLIDAY
MIXER
Date: December 13th, 2018
Location: Tin Man Montecillo
The Young Leaders Society (YLS) and RISE came together to host one last event before the end of the year to celebrate the growth and development of each group.
WINE & WISDOM
Our signature series allows guests to participate in insightful conversations with the community’s top leaders who share their experiences and bits of wisdom.
OUR MAIN EVENT
ENGAGE Young Professionals Leadership Summit
SPEAKERS
THE COLLABORATORS
PANEL
-
Aimee Olivas – Business Retention & Expansion Specialist, City of El Paso
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Joe Gudenrath – Executive Director of El Paso Downtown Management District
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Chelsea Lamego – Director of Operations, Office of Asset Management at UTEP
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Omar Yanar – Founder and CEO, El Paso Leadership Academy
THE SOCIAL INNOVATORS PANEL
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Dr. Carlos Martinez-Vela – President and CEO, The Hub of Human Innovation
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Cathy Chen – Co-Founder and Director, Fab Lab El Paso
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Jonathan “J.J.” Childress – Community Engagement Manager, Microsoft TechSpark – El Paso
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Dr. Ebuetal “Beto” Pallares – Managing Director and Co-Founder, Co-Work Oasis
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Brandon Silverstein – Partner and Senior Web Developer, Viva + Impulse Creative Co.
THE CREATIVE CLASS
PANEL
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Bryan Crowe – General Manager , Destination El Paso
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Ben Fyffe – Assistant Director, City of El Paso Museum and Cultural Affairs Department
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Patrick McNeil – Executive Producer and Owner, Neon Desert Music Festival
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Marina Monsisvais – Founder & Owner, Barracuda PR
THE VISIONARIES
PANEL
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Laurie Banitch – Director of Corporate Outreach, UTEP
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Rida Asfahani, AIA, LEED AP – Owner, Root Architects
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Laura Rodriguez – Principal and Founder, The Raben Group
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Ruben Vogt – El Paso County Judge
PARTNERS
SPONSORS
Title
Gold
Silver
ENGAGE is a half–day of insightful talks from some of the region’s most seasoned leaders and up-and-coming thinkers and doers. This year, the summit was divided into four panels (The Social Innovators, The Collaborators, The Creative Class and The Visionaries) that were carefully curated to meet the interests of our region’s young professionals. Speakers were primed to share real-world, practical knowledge that could transcend any sector. All our guests had the opportunity to make connections with incredibly passionate and driven young professionals during our breaks or at the end-of-day mixer.
In 2019, we’ll be focused on expanding our network in order to better serve more young professionals across the city and across different sectors of business. We’ve taken feedback and input from members to develop a calendar of events focused on entertaining, enlightening and informing our members all while hearing from the best of the best in our community. We hope to continue to build the next generation of philanthropists who understand the ties between civic engagement and the betterment of our community.
HERE'S TO ANOTHER
DECADE & MORE.
Vision for 2019
DAVID
VALENZUELA
TEXAS GAS
I decided to become a member of the Young Leaders Society not only because I want to help the community, but also, I want to set the example to young professionals, like me. Change can only be done if we are committed to achieve it.
ANGIE
RODRIGUEZ
EL PASO ELECTRIC
I see a lot of good changes happening in El Paso and I thought that I want to be a part of this great movement. I attended one of the Wine & Wisdom events and learned that Young Leaders Society was the organization that engages and empowers young professionals in El Paso to work together to improve our community. Through this organization, I met many like-minded individuals and I thought to myself that if we work together, we will achieve greater things for this community than if we work on our own. I feel privileged to serve on the Advisory Board of Young Leaders and will continue to work on bringing more people together to make the El Paso community a better place to live.
CHRISTOPHER
MONTOYA
WELLS FARGO
I decided to join Young Leaders Society (YLS) because I feel it is important to invest in yourself and continue to grow professionally. YLS has provided great learning experiences and workshops that I can apply in real life. It has also provided excellent networking opportunities and I have been able to build new friendships with other young professionals. We have a vision for the future of El Paso!
TESTIMONIALS
What Members are Saying
