Get to Know 2023 Distinguished Alumnus and Gold Nugget Awardees
By Julia Hettiger
UTEP Marketing and Communications
Ed Escudero, a 2023 Distinguished Alumnus, and Leila Melendez, this year’s Hunt College of Business Gold Nugget awardee, both exemplify what it means to be Hunt College of Business alumni. From their success in the classroom to their illustrious careers, read on to learn about how they are both making an impact on campus and in our community.
Grit, Ganas, Generosity: 2023 Distinguished Alumnus Embodies College of Business Spirit
It’s hard to find a person in El Paso who hasn’t been impacted by UTEP alumnus Ed Escudero’s generosity and business acumen. As a 2023 Distinguished Alumnus awardee, he embodies what it means to be a UTEP Hunt College of Business graduate, El Pasoan and all-around all-star.
“Ed Escudero’s role in El Paso’s business and community development is nothing short of stellar,” said John Hadjimarcou, Ph.D., interim dean of the Hunt College of Business. “He is a trusted businessman, father, husband and supporter of UTEP and is more than worthy of this year’s Distinguished Alumni award.”
Escudero is a born and raised El Pasoan and Burges High School graduate who started working at a young age. His career journey began as a paperboy, waking up in the wee hours of the morning to ensure everyone in his neighborhood had the chance to read the news. From there, he worked as a dishwasher at well-known El Paso restaurant Pelican’s, as a courier, and with renowned businesses such as Petro and C&R Distributors. He eventually founded his own company, High Desert Capital, for which he currently serves as president and CEO.
“Any kind of job you can imagine, I’ve had them all,” Escudero said.
When he started at UTEP, he followed in the footsteps of his older siblings by going into the business field and chose accounting specifically for the job security. His goal was always to secure good employment and financial stability, and the accounting field allowed him to do just that – an opportunity that he has never squandered. During his time at Petro, he served as chief financial officer from 2002 to 2007 as the company's annual revenue grew to more than $2 billion and expanded operations to 34 states. With his company High Desert Capital, he provides specialized lending to small and mid-sized businesses and serves on El Paso Electric, WestStar and Hunt Companies board of directors.
As a working student, his schedule was rigid. He’d attend classes, meet with study groups and then head to work, where he stayed until late into the night.
“At UTEP, I was a full-time student and then worked at UPS,” Escudero said. “I would go in at, say, three o’clock in the afternoon and work until ten at night.”
While this didn’t allow for as much engagement with the campus as he would’ve liked as a student, his UTEP education allowed him to build a strong foundation in business that helps him to be successful to this very day in his work in El Paso.
“El Paso, as great as it always has been, is experiencing an exciting renaissance,” Escudero said. “It has improved and changed so much over the past 20 years, while still keeping its unique and beautiful character. And I want to see this community continue to thrive.”
Now, Escudero remains connected to the University. He never shies away from sharing the importance of UTEP to the El Paso community with those around him.
“I always try to explain what an asset UTEP is to our community, and that without it, there are so many kids that would not have an opportunity to go to a four-year university,” Escudero said.
He currently serves on the development board for the Woody L. Hunt College of Business and frequently collaborates on projects with President Heather Wilson. He was also instrumental in helping to secure the $25 million gift from the Woody L. Hunt Foundation – the largest gift ever received in UTEP history.
In his career, Escudero has always embodied what he calls the “Three Gs:” grit, ganas and generosity.
“With grit, I’m talking hard work and perseverance,” Escudero said. “With ganas, it doesn’t quite translate, but it’s the hunger part of it. And generosity is because in our community, I think it’s so important to give back – to give back to our University, give back to our community. I think those are the three things that have helped me be more successful.”
He is especially experienced with the third G: generosity. Escudero has extensive community involvement, serving on corporate boards for WestStar and the Hunt Companies. For the past 12 years, he’s also served on the El Paso Electric board and was elected board chair in August 2023.
“I’m very excited about the possibilities and my role at the electric company,” Escudero said. “We have an amazing team there, and we have all the pieces to be extremely successful.”
Thinking about future generations of business students, he says continuous learning will help you get to where you want to go.
“Whether it’s my wife teaching me something or the multiple mentors I have, it’s the continuous learning that allows me to drive forward,” Escudero said.
Escudero said that so much of his success goes back to his very first job as a paperboy for helping him to develop the drive to wake up every day and get the job done.
“I’ve been so fortunate and privileged to have all these amazing opportunities and work experiences,” Escudero said. “They’ve all made me who I am today, from working as a paperboy and having to wake up every morning and throw the paper and that dedication and that commitment. I still wake up early today.”
But his work isn’t what he’s most proud of in life.
“What I’m most proud of is absolutely my partner, my wife,” Escudero said. His wife, Margarita “Margie” Escudero is a critical care registered nurse and his high school sweetheart.
“She’s my best friend. I have an amazing family life that allows everything else to be very simple.”
Big Things Are Possible: Meet Gold Nugget Awardee Leila Melendez
When Leila Melendez was promoted to CEO of the nonprofit Workforce Solutions Borderplex, the leaders within the organization finalized her paperwork on the evening of Thursday, March 12, 2020, wanting to avoid the superstitious Friday the 13th the following day. But what they couldn’t have imagined that fateful evening was that just 24 hours later, El Paso would be forever changed, superstition or not.
The first positive COVID-19 test was recorded in the Borderland that Friday. Just as Melendez was taking the helm of her new position, the community was bracing for the impact of the novel coronavirus. And though the first few years in her new role were defined by the pandemic, Melendez adapted to take on the challenges and redefined what it meant to be a leader to guide her team to success – qualities that make her fit for the 2023 Hunt College of Business Gold Nugget award.
“Leila Melendez did not let the challenges and trials of the past few years stunt her leadership abilities,” said John Hadjimarcou, Ph.D., interim dean of the Hunt College of Business. “Instead, she used them to mold herself into a dependable leader and confidant for her employees. She is representative of UTEP’s values, and it is an honor to name her this year’s Gold Nugget awardee for our college.”
Melendez has never shied away from hard work. She started working when she was 16, saving her money for things like gas and car insurance, and she’s never looked back. Obtaining her degree in management, Melendez was sure of two things in her career: she wanted to work in business, and she wanted to support her community. Working in the field of economic development, she has successfully married these two desires.
Workforce Solutions Borderplex supports economic development efforts in El Paso by aiding job seekers in developing skills, finding careers and connecting them to businesses in the region in need of employees. Job seekers meet with career counselors who help them in a wide range of industries, from the military and private corporations to seasonal and farmworkers, Employers are connected with qualified candidates at outreach opportunities like career fairs.
Though she had worked at Workforce Solutions Borderplex for more than half a decade before assuming the CEO position, she couldn’t have imagined the winding road, hurdles and life lessons brought on by the pandemic.
“I felt when I first got the job that I knew the responsibility, and I knew I wanted to do good work, but I had a definition in mind and then I was thrown something that there was no rulebook for,” Melendez said. “So, there was a lot of self-learning that I went through about myself and my leadership style – how I can motivate and keep somebody, encourage them, have structure, have guidance.”
In her time navigating both her role and the pandemic, she found that the small stuff was important but had to learn not to get caught up with every detail.
“The devil is in the details, so I learned to balance that I knew enough about them not to miss the little things but to not necessarily get stuck in them,” Melendez said. “I learned to delegate and how to manage my attention span to ensure that everybody was staying positive.”
Ultimately, she knew her employees needed joy, especially during the darker days of the pandemic. Luckily, Melendez felt she was just the person who could help provide them that through their careers.
“I tend to be a pretty corny, funny, silly person sometimes,” Melendez said. “We needed that some days. I needed to just be myself, and when I brought that genuine self to the forefront, then others on my team felt comfortable [doing the same].”
Prior to joining the Workforce Solutions Borderplex team, Melendez worked for the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the City of El Paso. Though she has had many proud moments in her career, from winning awards to leading successful projects, one of her most shining moments came during her time with the city working on what became Southwest University Park. She served on the team responsible for demolishing El Paso’s old City Hall building to make way for the ballpark – a defining moment in the history of downtown El Paso.
“You have these mega projects and if they come across in your career, you’re lucky,” she said.
Melendez graduated with her Master of Business Administration from UTEP in 2008, participating in the second-ever accelerated MBA class – now the executive MBA – which provides flexible classes to students.
“UTEP supported us as working adults,” Melendez said. “The conversations we had and the content could be applied in the work we were doing. We were all working adults, we had jobs, and the instructors knew that. I would not have been able to go to a typical MBA program, so understanding the customer base, the student base at UTEP, and how much talent there is, and accommodating that and giving them a pathway to get that education I thought was tremendous.”
Looking to future generations of students entering the Hunt College of Business, Melendez recommends that they get to know their environments and the people around them and get involved.
“Really spend time getting to know as much about our community as possible,” Melendez said. “Don’t be in such a hurry to make it according to whatever that definition [of success] you have in your mind. I think that there is a tremendous need and a tremendous opportunity in El Paso for all of these students to create success here. Find an opportunity of success that you can create based on what you bring, who you are, what that need is.”
What inspires Melendez the most and what she hopes students know is that “big things are possible.”
To learn more about our 2023 Distinguished Alumni awardees, please visit www.utep.edu/homecoming/awards/distinguished-alumni.html.
