Lora Watts has always known what it means to “lean in.” As President of SBC in California, and AT&T’s Senior Vice President of Global Events, managing their $100M plus sponsorship budget for the biggest sporting events in the world—the Olympics, the Super Bowl, Formula One, The Masters—Lora was usually the only woman in the room.
“I felt like I had to overcome being blonde and somewhat attractive, but once people got to know me, that didn’t last long. I think it was to my advantage. It was a nice place to be.”
“WHEN I STARTED WORKING WITH SOUTHWESTERN BELL, I DIDN’T HAVE HUGE EXPECTATIONS THAT I WOULD HAVE THE POSITIONS I DID. BUT I ENDED UP WITH SOME UNBELIEVABLE OPPORTUNITIES.”
Lora Watts graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Business Administration from Trinity University. “My classes were in the morning, so I worked in retail in the afternoon and studied at night. It was all about doing well, getting good grades and getting a good job afterwards.”
Today, Lora and her husband own three UPS franchise stores. She also sits on the board of several San Antonio non-profits: CTRC (Cancer Therapy Research Center) Council, Trinity’s Board of Visitors, South Texas Blood & Tissue Center Foundation, Dominion Country Club and the American Red Cross. “Since most of them are volunteer boards, you work out of passion. You still make good business decisions, but you’re sitting at the board because you want to be there.”
Lora is Vice President and Chair of Special Events for Impact San Antonio. Impact is committed to empowering women and improving the community through effective philanthropy. What makes Impact San Antonio different from most non-profits is that every dollar, of each member’s $1,000 donation, is awarded to that year’s grant recipients. “I love that all the women take it seriously: the review of the grant applications, the awarding of the grants, and then following up so that whoever gets the money, spends it like it was intended to be.”
Last year the women of Impact raised over $300,000, and all of it goes back to the community. Operational costs are covered by donations from sources other than member donations. “We don’t throw big parties. We have nice socials and some educational events, but we have underwriters that help cover those costs. It’s an all volunteer organization. This year we have almost 340 members, so we’ll be able to award all of that $340,000 in grants.”
“Impact brings together women from all walks of life. I would have never met these women any other way. Business women, attorney’s, women who’ve taught school… A wide range who’ve come together for a great cause. Now that’s empowering!”
