TAMIU Spring 2023 Commencement Program

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER Imelda Navarro While “doing more” is the credo and guiding principle of International Bank of Commerce (IBC), it is also the personal foundation of IBC’s Imelda Navarro as the President of Retail Banking oversees sales and operations for the Company’s 167 branches in Texas and Oklahoma. Navarro’s success is the result of extraordinary dedication to the organization, as she has committed her entire 48-year career to service within the IBC family. Her leadership experience grew from unheralded yet inspirational origins. She was only 16 when she began working at IBC as a file clerk in conjunction with a vocational program offered through Laredo’s J.W. Nixon High School. After completing the program, she continued working for IBC on a part-time basis while earning her Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Accounting at then- Laredo State University, now Texas A&M International University (TAMIU). Over the next two decades, with a solid work ethic and commitment to advancement, Navarro earned respect in the male-dominated banking business and firmly established herself as an “up-and-comer” in the financial industry. After graduating from college, she continued to gain knowledge about IBC’s accounting and operations divisions, and learned all the facets of personal and commercial banking. When IBC began to grow dramatically during the 1980’s and 1990’s, she saw her responsibilities evolve to include financial accounting, human resources, and bank operations. In 2017, Navarro, then a 43-year veteran of IBC Bank-Laredo, was promoted as the first woman president in the bank’s history. Navarro has served her community extensively in various capacities including the State of Texas and International non-profit and professional organizations. She has served as President of the TAMIU Alumni Association, Laredo Business Professional Women’s Association, Financial Women International, and the Domestic Violence Coalition. She has been a past member of Laredo’s Third-Party Funding Committee, and has been on the Board of the Laredo Center for the Arts and served as its chairperson. Additionally, Navarro is a former director of the Laredo Chamber of Commerce, and has served on the Board of the Laredo Commission for Women and the Advisory Board for Mercy Regional Medical Center. In 2005, Hispanic Business Magazine named Imelda Navarro as one of its outstanding women leaders and later that same year, recognized her as one of the 100 most influential Hispanic women in the country. In 2009, she was named one of the Top 25 Hispanic women in the United States. Since then, she has received several recognitions including Junior Achievement of Laredo, Mustang Legend from J. W. Nixon High School, Tejano Achiever by the LULAC Council, and in 2015, Dama De Oro by Las Damas de la Cultura de Oro. Texas Governor Greg Abbott appointed her to the Governor’s Commission for Women. The Commission serves as a liaison between Texas women and government agencies, along with private organizations addressing women’s needs. Navarro served through the end of 2020. President of Retail Banking, International Bank of Commerce - Laredo