September 24, 2019

Bob and Rose Ann Hoy: A legacy of leadership and caring

El Pasoan Robert H. “Bob” Hoy, Jr. was a founding member of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation and the Paso del Norte Community Foundation.  A respected businessman and public servant, Bob was also a lifelong volunteer in the community and committed to building the next generation of leaders.  

Having met Bob while they both studied at the University of Texas, Rose Ann McLellan Hoy moved to El Paso with her husband in 1957.  In addition to raising two beautiful children, loving her four grandchildren and two great grandchildren, and supporting the family business, now Hoy Family Auto, Rose Ann focused much of her philanthropic endeavors on advocacy, the arts and animals in need of a home.

Bob and Rose Ann were generous community advocates and philanthropists.

Bob and Rose Ann Hoy established the Bob and Rose Ann Hoy Fund in 2013 to further the mission of the Health Foundation in the community.

After Bob’s passing in 2015, the Health Foundation Board of Directors considered a meaningful way to recognize Bob for his leadership and service. Having recently founded a program dedicated to building nonprofit executive and volunteer board leaders – known as REALIZE - the Board aptly named the program in Bob’s honor.

REALIZE Executive, a customized leadership development program for the region, is built on nine leadership attributes.  The program offers a cohort of twenty the opportunity for individualized leadership growth including robust leadership assessments, executive coaching around personalized leadership goals, two transformational off-site experiences, six one-day learning sessions, networking opportunities, and more.

To date, 80 nonprofit executives have graduated from the program. The first Cd. Juarez-based cohort of 20 is currently engaged in their experience.  The next El Paso-based program is slated for mid-2020.

In partnership with the United Way of El Paso County, REALIZE Board offers 12 Board Source leadership development modules to grow and strengthen leaders for nonprofit boards in the region.

Ultimately, REALIZE is the Health Foundation’s commitment to building leaders in the region in the spirt of Bob and Rose Ann Hoy.  It is a fitting tribute to Bob’s mentorship of countless young leaders and recognition of Bob and Rose Ann’s numerous wonderful contributions to improving the quality of life in the region, and their caring for family and friends, and a few four-legged ones, too.

“Bob made an indelible mark on our foundations and the people around him.  Bob and Rose Ann’s giving spirit ensures that we can continue investing in the development of current and future leaders,” Paso del Norte Health Foundation CEO Tracy J. Yellen said. “This is what the REALIZE program is all about – providing leaders with the tools they need to transformation their own organizations and community and leave a legacy for the next generation.”