El Paso, Texas | 04.05.24
2024 panelist lineup
We've gathered some of the top movers and shakers in our community to share their knowledge and experiences with the next generation of doers.
path to success panel
About Alexandra Chavez
As the El Paso Market Executive, Alexandra is responsible for the overall representation Bank of America has in the El Paso and Las Cruces communities. Alexandra manages the relationships with local key influencers, elected officials, nonprofit partners, clients, and internal local market teammates. Her role entails identifying the needs of clients, community members, and employees and strategizing where Bank of America can play a vital role to make a difference in the lives of those we touch. Alexandra acts as a liaison to line of business partners by connecting them to client solutions that may be out of their scope. Alexandra has been with the bank for 10 years, and has held several roles ranging from Customer Service Representative to Financial Solutions Advisor delivering financial advice and proactive solutions to clients in El Paso, TX. Active in the community, she is the Board President of Candlelighters, a local non-profit which is dedicated to enriching the lives of children who have cancer by providing hope, support, encouragement, advocacy and education to those children, their families, and the community at large. She also sits on the Creative Kids Board and the United Way’s Young Leaders Society Advisory Board. The variety and intersectionality of Alexandra’s trajectory both professional and personal, has led to her continued need for growth and development. Alexandra is at a critical time in her career where she is at the cusp of becoming a stronger executive for her community, clients, and teammates. Wherever Alexandra lands in her career, she aims to create an environment where Hispanic-Latino voices are heard and supported.
About Cathy Chen-Arriaga
Cathy Chen-Arriaga is the Founder and Executive Director of Fab Lab El Paso, an innovation skilling and STEM education hub at the intersection of technology and community. Fab Lab curates creative STEM and industry 4.0 educational programs with a strong focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. With over 15 years of expertise in the socialization of tech and democratization of 21st century workforce skills, Cathy has successfully implemented programs with local and national stakeholders such as the U.S. Economic Development Administration, City of El Paso Department of Economic Development, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Microsoft, Mark Cuban Foundation, League of United Latin American Citizens, Texas Commission on the Arts and many more. Cathy is also the producer behind PBS documentary short film "Disrupted Borders" (2021), a story about young Latina inclusion in tech and winner of National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Adan Medrano Film Legacy Award, Cleveland International Film Festival Jackson Spaulding Audience Choice Award, San Diego Latino Film Festival Award, El Paso Film Festival Reel South Documentary Award, and El Paso Film Festival Filmmaker Award. Cathy is an Aspen-Hunt Fellow of the prestigious Aspen Institute with an undergraduate degree from Duke University as a Gates Millennium Scholar and Executive Education certification from Harvard Business School. She currently serves on the advisory board for The College of Education at the University of Texas El Paso, committee member of Borderplex Alliance Strategic Plan, and committee lead for City of El Paso Economic and International Development Recompete Initiative.
About Bob Moore
Robert Moore is the founder and CEO of El Paso Matters, a nonprofit news organization that was established in 2019. His 40-year journalism career includes newspaper leadership roles in Texas and Colorado, and reporting work for the Washington Post, ProPublica, Texas Monthly and other media outlets. His national journalism awards include being named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020 and winning the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award that same year. In 2013 he received the Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Award from the National Press Foundation, the nation’s highest honor for a newspaper or magazine editor. He is a member of the Texas Newspaper Foundation Hall of Fame, the only El Pasoan to receive that honor, and the Texas Institute of Letters. He is married to Kate Gannon, a journalism professor at the University of Texas at El Paso.
About Frank Spencer III
Frank Spencer III embodies love for family, West Texas, and the entrepreneurial spirit of pioneering a game worth playing. As a boy, he was forged in the fires of discipline and leadership the New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) in Roswell, NM. His grounded upbringing, however, only propelled him to great heights. In 1996, a young Frank represented the United States in Australia at American Gridiron Football as a team captain for NMMI. There, he realized his compelling gift for inspiring a team to move as one. The varsity athlete later graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and minor in Sociology. But the twists-and-turns that soon followed only led Frank straight to his calling: to create a legacy greater than himself. In 2006, he acquired Aztec Contractors, Inc. for a thousand dollars and—through prudence and fortitude—grew it to a multimillion-dollar, award-winning general contracting company in the El Paso region. Today, Frank invests his time, resources, and wisdom to help his community and team instigate the same leadership in themselves. In addition to serving on the advisory board of the 8(a) Contractors Association in El Paso, TX, he is also a board member of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Past Chairman of the Texas Workforce Solutions Borderplex, and Secretary of the NMMI Foundation Board of Trustees. He is also a member of the committee of the Latino Business & Entrepreneurship Initiative with ASPEN Institute, Cohort 8 LBAN program, and the 1st Cohort of the LBAN Supplier Diversity Program. He is also a board member at the Pioneers 21 Venture Mentoring Service Program and a board member of CEA. When he is not busy running award-winning companies and mentoring future business leaders, he likes to spend time with his family, hunt, hike, and work out. Ultimately, Frank envisions success and joy not just for himself, but also for his community.