News

Congratulations 2023 REALIZE Executive Graduates!

May 23, 2023

The Paso del Norte Health Foundation recognized 20 REALIZE Executive leaders at a special graduation ceremony this month at 150 Sunset. The group of 20 community leaders became transformational leaders as they completed the 8-month leadership development program that included a customized 360 performance evaluation, executive coaching around personalized leadership goals, two off-site leadership development experiences, six day-long learning sessions, and more. During the ceremony, graduates reflected on their experiences, the newly attained leadership knowledge and skills, and the friendships they developed with cohort members. Each REALIZE graduate was presented with a plaque and commemorative REALIZE coin. Three staff from the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, Paso del Norte Community Foundation, and Fundación Paso del Norte were among the graduates in this year’s cohort. “The Realize program certainly stands up to its name. The personal growth and revelations I experienced have been truly transformative,” said Mike Matthews, President and CCO, CultureSpan Marketing. Dedicated in honor of Robert H. Hoy, Jr., a founding Health Foundation board member, the Health Foundation has trained 100 leaders from El Paso, Southern New Mexico, and Cd. Juarez in the REALIZE Executive program since the program started in 2011. ### 2023 REALIZE Cohort

• Alma Aranda, Workforce Development Director, Workforce Solutions Borderplex
• Dr. Mallory Driggers, Executive Vice President, Philanthropy Southwest
• Ashley Echavarria, Chief Executive Officer, Boys & Girls Club of Las Cruces
• Nicole Ferrini, Climate and Sustainability Officer, City of El Paso, Office of Climate and Sustainability
• Michael Matthews, President, and Chief Creative Officer, CultureSpan Marketing
• Luis Mendoza, Chief Operating Officer, Fundación Paso del Norte
• Dr. Jeannie Meza-Chavez, Superintendent, San Elizario Independent School District
• Amanda Morales, Chief Executive Officer, United Way of Southwest New Mexico
• Luis “Sito” Negron, Senior Policy Advisor, El Paso County/Precinct 2
• Patrick Nolan, Executive Director, Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks
• Lourdes Olivas, Extension Associate II, New Mexico State University - Cooperative Extension Service
• Dr. Christina Paz, Chief Executive Officer, Centro San Vicente
• Jana Renner, Senior Program Officer, Paso del Norte Health Foundation
• Irazema Rojas, Chief Technical Officer, El Paso Water
• Mica Short, Vice President of Development, Paso del Norte Community Foundation
• Dr. Abigail Tarango, Executive Director, University Medical Center Foundation of El Paso/El Paso Children’s Hospital Foundation
• Amanda Timmerman, Director Clinical Nutrition & Pediatric Diabetes Education, El Paso Children’s Hospital
• Araceli Trevino, Registered Dietitian, El Paso Center for Diabetes
• Irene G. Valenzuela, Executive Director, El Paso County Community Services
• Marlene Yanez, Director of Community Education, La Semilla Food Center

For more information on the REALIZE Executive program, click here.