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 -Imelda Navarro as the President of Retail Banking oversees the sales and operations of the Company's 180 branches in Texas and Oklahoma.

Navarro's success is the result of extraordinary dedication to the organization, as she has committed her entire forty year career to service within the IBC family. Navarro's 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, majoring in Accounting at Laredo State University.

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, Navarro continued to gain knowledge of 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, a 43-year veteran of IBC Bank-Laredo, was promoted as the first woman president in the bank's history. In addition to her duties as president, Navarro continues serving as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for IBC Bank, directing the administrative functions of the bank.

Navarro has served extensively her community, the state of Texas and International non-profit and professional organizations. She currently serves as a member of the Mercy Ministries Development Council. She has been a past member of Laredo's Third Party Funding Committee. She has also been on the board of the Laredo Center for the Arts and has served as its chairperson. She has served as President of TAMIU Alumni, Laredo Business Professional Women's Association, Financial Women International, and the Domestic Violence Coalition. 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 on the Advisory Board for Mercy Regional Medical Center.

In April 2005, Hispanic Business Magazine named Imelda Navarro as one of its outstanding women leaders and later that same year, it 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: 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.

Governor Greg Abbott recently appointed Imelda Navarro 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 will serve through the end of 2020.