Newswise — EL PASO, Texas – Leadership Women America, a year-long program that helps develop female leaders in the U.S., has accepted a member of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso’s senior leadership team into its 2022 class.

Veronique Masterson, who serves as assistant vice president for marketing & communications with the Office of Institutional Advancement, was selected to join this year’s class of women from around the nation. In 2016, Masterson participated in Leadership Women Pipeline, followed by Leadership Women Texas in 2018. Both are sister programs of Leadership Women America.

Leadership Women America, a program by Leadership Women, Inc., is designed for the established woman leader whose responsibilities are national in focus. The program explores some of the most powerful forces and trends shaping U.S. and global business and social environments in the 21st century. It also includes:

  • In-depth discussions of leadership theory, competencies, and best practices, led by leadership experts and icons.
  • A supportive environment to dialogue among leaders who share what they know and value, as well as what they need to know and want to understand.
  • The joining of established women leaders of diverse backgrounds and professions to form better understanding and forge long-lasting relationships and collaborative opportunities.

“For the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in Leadership Women programming, which is providing an important platform for women who are changemakers in their communities,” Masterson said. “These valuable experiences have given me the opportunity to grow my leadership skills and connect with a number of women leaders from across Texas. I look forward to a similar experience with Leadership Women America while also sharing all the ways in which El Paso and TTUHSC El Paso are vital to the country’s future.”

As a life-long El Pasoan, Masterson has always had an innate desire to help others and contribute to the growth and success of her community. She holds a bachelor’s degree in electronic media from the University of Texas at El Paso and a master’s degree in strategic public relations from George Washington University.

She has spent more than 17 years of her professional life in public relations, communications and marketing sharing El Paso’s story. She got her start as a reporter and anchor at the local ABC television station, where she shed light on violence that occurred during drug wars in Ciudad Juárez; infrastructure concerns and the devastation of El Paso’s 2006 flood and monsoon; and animal services challenges in Doña County, New Mexico.    She then moved on to work as a public information officer at the University of Texas at El Paso, where she earned the university local, regional and national coverage of its mission of access and excellence and shaping the 21st century scholar, as well as its recognition as No. 1 in the nation in social mobility.

Through her participation on organizational boards, Masterson has continued advocating for our community, sharing El Paso’s accomplishments while learning from other professionals locally and throughout the state.

For the past decade, she’s been an active member of the Public Relations Association of the Southwest, including nearly two years as president/co-president and other positions on the executive board. PRSW members come from several local companies and organizations and collaborate to share El Paso’s narrative with the rest of the nation. 

Masterson also currently serves on the Catholic Schools of El Paso Communications Committee and is a communications volunteer for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District IV Conference. As a CASE conference volunteer, she collaborates with and learns from colleagues from Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.   She has also served on the boards of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation’s Communications Committee and PBS El Paso’s community advisory board.

In her role as assistant vice president for marketing and communications, Masterson has highlighted the university’s impact in addressing the health care shortage in the Borderplex through its successes in providing medical and dental health care to all in our community, especially underserved populations; and educating future doctors, nurses, dentists and researchers in the most innovative learning environments. 

Her scope of work at TTUHSC El Paso encompasses a wide variety of forward-thinking campaigns that are helping to share the institution’s unique story, while also activating local and national support for future generations of health care leaders. Masterson manages and oversees the university’s academic and clinical marketing campaigns and directs the university’s social media presence. She has also led the redesign and launch of the institution’s new clinical website and successfully launched the university’s first alumni magazine, serving as its editor-in-chief. 

Her leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic ensured the success of the university’s communication to its own campus community and to residents of the Paso del Norte region. Thanks to her media relations strategy, TTUHSC El Paso faculty became local go-to experts, and the institution has been part of more than 300 COVID-19-related news stories locally and nationwide.   

Under Masterson’s guidance and mentorship, TTUHSC El Paso’s marketing, communications and creative services work has been recognized by CASE, and her team are the recipients of multiple prestigious CASE District IV Accolades Awards for their work in communications, marketing improvement, magazine production, graphic design and photography. 

Leadership Women America’s 2,300 graduates count among them leaders of industry, education, public office and private enterprise. The class of 2022 met in Atlanta this spring and will convene in Los Angeles in September. The program also includes virtual sessions throughout the year.

Leadership Women, Inc. (LW) was established in Austin, Texas, in 1974.  LW seeks to advance the power of leadership and legacy through programs that connect, inspire, empower and honor women. To extend LW’s message of strength and build bridges to and opportunities for women, LW founded Leadership America in 1988 and helped in the creation of complementary women’s programs in California, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina, among others.

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