Bringing a business perspective to help local non-profits thrive

Deborah Cannon retired in 2004 after a thirty-year leadership career at Bank of America, and then was able to spend many years helping improve local non-profit organizations. She reflects on her work experience and how it enabled her to be an effective leader and advocate in her Houston community.

Developing a wide range of skills and experience

Deborah says that when she graduated from Southern Methodist University with a finance degree in 1972, the interview questions she was asked had to do with how fast she could type and take dictation. But when she was looking to enter the workforce as a single mother after her daughter was born, the environment was more open to women in business roles. Originally hired into a credit training program, by 1978 she had been sent to Brazil for three years and from there her career grew as the company and her opportunities expanded.

“When I retired, I had had experience in 14-15 different jobs, running subsidiary banks and lines of business. I finished up leading Business Banking across 10 states, traveling a lot while serving as the regional president for the Houston area.”

Deborah says that she was able to develop a wide portfolio of skills during her career at Bank of America and, because she was a leader at a national organization, her role enabled her to build deep connections in her local Houston community. “Bank of America was a great place to work,” she says.

“They knew they needed someone with a business perspective”

When Deborah was ready to retire from Bank of America, she wasn’t thinking of stepping into a new leadership role right away. But her community asked for help, and she responded. “I had spent time on local boards and remained deeply invested in the Houston area, and I knew a lot of people. When I retired, the Houston Zoo – which had been owned by the city – had just become privatized. The board knew they needed someone with a business perspective to run it, and they asked me to take on the CEO role.”

Deborah says that initially some of the zoo staff questioned why she made some of the moves she did, but they quickly came around. “They knew I loved the zoo, and in my professional career I had spent a lot of time analyzing what made businesses successful. It was easy to see where the zoo had issues so we could focus our efforts. I was able to increase revenue and find new revenue streams, and the staff saw that as we were able to bring in more money, they could spend more on the animals, improve the exhibits and offer a better visitor experience for everyone.”

“Your skills, knowledge and reputation are valuable”

Although she’s had a career lasting decades after leaving Bank of America, Deborah says that the experience she gained at the company was what enabled her to pursue the many opportunities that followed. She has some advice for those thinking of retiring and wanting to contribute to their communities. “The skills, knowledge and reputation you’ve built over your career are valuable to a lot of community organizations. People who are retiring need to understand that those skills can benefit their communities.”

As a member of the Alumni Network, Deborah appreciates the opportunity to be in a community with other alumni, reconnect with colleagues, and to get to know current local market leaders and stay current with what is going on at the company. “I never stopped being a client,” she says.