Our United Way is proud to have elected our 2022-2023 Board of Directors at our Annual Meeting of the Board and Annual Meeting of the Membership, which took place on Wed., May 25, 2022.
The United Way Board is comprised of community leaders, who take on the responsibility of governance for the organization’s mission, policies, and strategic planning.
Newly elected board officers include:
Board Chair – Cynthia Conroy, WestStar
Board Chair Elect – VJ Smith, Marathon Petroleum
Secretary – Elizabeth Dipp Metzger, Crown Wealth Strategies
Treasurer – Roseanne de la Fuente Rueda, Community Volunteer
Vice Chair: Resource Development – Elizabeth O’Hara, Texas Gas Service
Immediate Past Chair – Ruben Hernandez, JPMorgan Chase
Newly elected board members:
James Brewer, Kemp Smith, LLP
Tello Cabrera, SBNG Certified Public Accountants
Art Garza, Del Sol Medical Center
Cheryl Mele, El Paso Electric
Dr. James Payne, The University of Texas at El Paso
Joshua Villalobos, El Paso Community College
Dr. Stephanie Woods, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center
Get to Know our Board Chair and Board Chair Elect:
Cynthia Conroy, Board Chair
Cynthia Conroy of El Paso is the Director of Community Outreach and the Aide to the Chairman of WestStar, the Borderplex region’s leading commercial bank. Ms. Conroy serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the United Way of El Paso County; as a Governor-appointee to the Governor’s Commission for Women; and as a member of the Board of Directors of the El Paso Community College Foundation, El Paso Matters, and the Pioneer Association of El Paso. She is a member of the Borderplex Alliance, Community Advisory Partnership of El Paso Electric and the Advertising Review Committee of the State Bar of Texas. She served a six-year term on the Governor’s University Research Initiative, and is the past board chair of Girls Scouts of the Desert Southwest, past president of El Paso Executive Forum and served on the board of Leadership Women, formerly the Foundation for Women’s Resources. Ms. Conroy is a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso (MA Political Science) and is a member of Leadership Texas Class of 2007.
VJ Smith, Board Chair Elect
VJ Smith manages Government and Public Affairs at Marathon Petroleum Corporation. Before joining Marathon Petroleum, he served as the President for Celar Channel Outdoor, Albuquerque-El Paso division. A graduate of Fort Lewis College with a Bachelor of Science in Geology/Earth Science, VJ Smith is active in the community, serving on United Way of El Paso County’s board, among others.
As we continue into our next fiscal year, we’re grateful for all the ways our Board of Directors helps us thrive.