Steve Anderson attended Coronado High School and went on to receive his higher education from the University of Texas at Austin and quickly followed that as a graduate from Texas Tech School of Law and Georgetown University School of Law. He holds a Masters of Law in Taxation.

Anderson has held high-level positions serving as the attorney advisor to the United States Tax Court. He has also served as former Justice of the Peace, Precinct #1 in El Paso County for 6 years as well as former Municipal Judge, Court #3, City of El Paso, for 8 years. He served as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at El Paso where his subjects included: Business Law, Advanced Business Law for Accountants, Business Law Ethics, and Real Estate Law.

While serving as Justice of the Peace, he taught at various Justice of the Peace seminars on subjects, such as contract law and real estate law. He is the chairman of the City Plan Commission for the City of El Paso and is President of the Board for Keep El Paso Beautiful. He also serves on the board for Good Will Industries, Sun Carnival Association, Sunturians, Metro YMCA, and other boards in our community.

Elsa Borrego is a proud El Paso “boomerang.” Born and raised in El Paso, she returned in 2016 after living in San Antonio, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona for a combination of 13 years.

During her time away, Elsa led Global Training Teams for Bank of America and USAA. She focused on leadership development, culture, and employee engagement. The road that led her back to El Paso was an opportunity with Helen of Troy, consumer packaging company headquartered out of El Paso, TX; home to brands OXO, Hydro Flask, Osprey, Drybar, and Revlon. She has served as the Global Leader for Training & Culture since 2016. She is now also leading the company’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging efforts and serves as the Human Resources site leader for the El Paso Headquarters.

Elsa is a graduate of Burges High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Management and master’s degree in Adult Education & Training from the University of Phoenix. She is a proud graduate of Leadership El Paso Class XL, a member of the Executive Women’s Forum, and serves on the Board of Directors for the El Paso Chamber and the American Red Cross.

J. Steve DeGroat is a native of El Paso and attended Burges High School. He then went on to receive his higher education from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Early on, DeGroat knew he wanted to pursue a career in business, and once he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1972, he immediately went to work at Southwest National Bank in El Paso as a management trainee.

He went on to receive his MBA from UTEP in 1975. DeGroat is the longtime owner of Lincoln Financial Advisors’ El Paso branch, a financial planning firm. He currently serves as the chairman of the board for the YMCA, president of Ronald McDonald House and the Sun Bowl Association, and currently as chairman of El Paso Health.

“Giving back is a way to pay back those who helped me in my growth, development, and education,” DeGroat said. “Once I got involved in community activities, more and more opportunities came my way and I was enriched by my participation.” J. Steve DeGroat is one of four recipients of UTEP’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2020, an annual award presented by the Alumni Association to recognize the success and hard work of the institution’s alumni.

Mr. Volk serves as a member of the Board. He has over 45 years of banking industry
experience, which includes the following: District Executive, BBVA Compass Bank (El Paso
and Southern New Mexico markets), 2008-2011; Regional President and Director, State
National Bank, El Paso, West Texas, and Southern New Mexico, 1999-2008; Chairman,
Director and Chief Executive Officer, Sierra Bank (prior to its merger with State National
Bank), Las Cruces, New Mexico, 1995-1999; President, Director and Chief Executive Officer,
Norwest Bank (formerly United New Mexico Bank of Las Cruces, N.M., Las Cruces, New
Mexico, 1983-1984; President, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Montana Bank of
Bozeman, Bozeman, Montana, 1980-1983; Agricultural Loan Officer, various banks in
Montana and South Dakota, 1969-1980. In addition, Mr. Volk currently serves as the Vice
Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Ace Specialties, Inc., Odessa, Texas, (an entity
providing industrial supplies and tools to energy and construction companies in the Permian
Basin), a position which he has held since 2013. Mr. Volk also serves in other Director and
trustee positions, including the following: Vice Chairman, University Medical Center of El
Paso; Director, Medical Center of the Americas; Past Directorships and trustee positions;
Director, El Paso Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; Trustee, Las Palmas/Del Sol
Medical Center; Director, Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority; El Paso YWCA
Foundation; Western States School of Banking; NMSU Foundation; Memorial Medical Center
Foundation; Salvation Army of Las Cruces; New Mexico Bankers Association; Las Cruces
Rio Grande Rotary Club; Rio Grande Natural Gas Board Member; New Mexico State
University Presidents Association; and Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Cardenas is a senior consultant with Moreno Cardenas Inc. a multi-discipline engineering and construction management firm with offices in El Paso and San Antonio. During his career, Mr. Cardenas has been responsible for major engineering projects throughout west and central Texas and southern New Mexico in water resources; transportation; utility, and industrial infrastructure; site development; stormwater conveyance and flood control; and, capital program management.

In 2004 Mr. Cardenas was appointed by Texas Governor Rick Perry to serve a 7-year term on the Texas Board of Professional Engineers as Vice-Chairman. His other professional and civic appointments have included serving as Chairman of the El Paso Housing Authority and Chairman of the UTEP College of Engineering Advisory Board. He also served as a board member on the El Paso Sports Commission; the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; the El Paso Chamber of Commerce; El Paso Hospice, Community En Accion; and currently serves on the CREEED board. Professionally, he has served as president of the El Paso chapters of both the Texas Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE) and ACEC-TX.

Mr. Cardenas has been recognized for his professional commitment to the engineering field and in 1996 he received the TSPE El Paso Chapter Outstanding Engineer Award. In 2010 he was the recipient of UTEP’s College of Engineering Gold Nugget Award and in 2015 he received the Texas Engineering Foundation Distinguished Engineer of the Foundation Award for lifetime achievement in the Texas engineering industry. He received a BS in Civil Engineering from UTEP and is a licensed engineer in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Ms. Fields is a certified public accountant and tax partner with Lauterbach, Borschow & Company, PC, El Paso’s largest local public accounting firm. She spent a number of years working for a national accounting firm as a tax manager and owned her own firm prior to joining Lauterbach, Borschow & Company as a shareholder in 1997. She is an alumni of Austin High School and attended The University of Texas at El Paso, where she received a BBA in 1980.

Cindy has been active in many civic and charitable organizations throughout her career, including the Paso del Norte Health Foundation where she served as Board of Directors Chair and Investment Committee Chair, American Heart Association (Planned Giving committee chair), El Paso Lighthouse for the Blind (treasurer), Family Services of El Paso, LIMBS International (treasurer), Junior League of El Paso, the UTEP Centennial Commission, and the Texas Financial Education Endowment. She was also appointed by Texas Governor Rick Perry to serve two six-year terms on the Finance Commission of Texas, which is the state entity that oversees banks, savings institutions, consumer credit grantors, and other regulated entities chartered or licensed under Texas law. She served as audit committee chair for the Commission. Cindy is a graduate of the 25th class of Leadership El Paso.

Cindy is married to Guy N. Fields, III, and has three children, two grandchildren, and two step-children.

Pat Gordon is an attorney and shareholder at Gordon Davis Johnson & Shane P.C. in El Paso, Texas, where he specializes in various areas of business law, including domestic and international tax law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, and international transactions (particularly transactions involving Mexico). Mr. Gordon received his B.B.A. in finance from Texas A&M University and his M.B.A. and J.D. from Texas Tech University. He is licensed to practice law by the State of Texas and is board certified in tax law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is also a certified public accountant and licensed real estate broker in Texas.

Mr. Gordon serves as the Commissioner on the Rio Grande Compact Commission for the State of Texas. He was a governing board member for the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Mr. Gordon is the author or co-author of several law-related publications, and has been author/speaker for organizations including the State Bar of Texas Advanced Tax Law and International Law Sections, the World Trade Institute, the Council for International Tax Education, the National Business Institute, New York University, Global Education Services, the Alliance for Tax, Legal and Accounting Seminars, the Texas/Mexico Bar Association, the World Trade Center El Paso/Juarez, and the Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez.

Mr. Gordon has been listed for over 10 years in The Best Lawyers in America under Corporate and Tax Law. He has been listed as one of the top corporate and tax lawyers by Best Lawyers and Texas’s Best Lawyers and a Super Lawyer in tax law by Texas Monthly.

Dr. Isela Ibarra is a native of El Paso and attended Hanks High School. She received her BA in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin and went on to graduate from medical school at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in 2001. Dr Ibarra completed her pediatric residency in 2004 at the Children’s Hospital of Austin, now the Dell Children’s Medical Center. Following graduation she remained as a hospitalist for two years before moving back to El Paso to be closer to family.

She has been in private practice since 2006 and is licensed by the Texas State Medical Board and is a Board Certified Pediatrician. She is also licensed in Neonatal Resuscitation.

Dr. Ibarra is married and has two young children and two dogs. She enjoys spending her free time bike riding, reading and laughing with her kids.

Lisa Budtke is a native of Southern New Mexico and holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from New Mexico State University and has earned her Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Biomedical Institute of Americas, Inc. a subsidiary of the nonprofit Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) Foundation, on the Board of Directors for the Amigo Airsho, Inc., and serves as a Member of Finance/Audit/IT Committee for the Paso del Norte Foundation Board. Ms. Budtke is also a member of the Association for Financial Professionals and Executive Forum.