Yhanira is a first-generation Mexicana born and raised in Eagle Pass, TX. The youngest of 8 children, Yhanira ventured off to college receiving a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Management Science. This is where she discovered her passion for problem solving and the value of working with diverse teams. Her studies include a B.S. in Management Science with concentrations in IT and Finance and a minor in Economics.

She interned at Hewlett-Packard’s headquarters in Palo Alto, CA, and accepted a full-time role after graduation. While at HP, she helped launch LaVoz, a Latino employee network in the Bay Area. After the Compaq-merger in 2003, she became a founding officer for HP’s Houston Hispanic diversity resource group. She was often the youngest in her teams, the only Latina and one of few women.

Yhanira joined USAA in 2007. Her passion for supporting the military community was a perfect pairing with the USAA Mission. She furthered her education receiving an MBA from the University of Texas at San Antonio. During her tenure at the financial services company in San Antonio, she has held several leadership roles, most recently the Assistant Vice President responsible for HR Planning & Enablement. She leads a team that focuses on improving employee experiences as well as building a financially sound foundation across HR capabilities. In previous roles she helped develop solutions to support military transitions and fulfill other member needs.

Yhanira is the Executive Sponsor of Elevate, a gender diversity, equity, and inclusion business group that she was also highly involved in launching. She is an active member of other DBGs to include Aspire, which focuses on advancing women in technology and Adelante, which supports the Latino community at USAA. Her true passion lies in developing others and creating conditions for people to succeed. She inspires others by sharing her journey and the learnings from her experiences. She helps people see the connection between their true value: past, current and future to reach their potential.

Yhanira loves serving the San Antonio community through other initiatives and partnerships. Her successes would not be possible without her strong faith and the support of her encouraging family, her reassuring friends and leaders and mentors who have invested in her personal and professional growth.