Leading Ladies in Houston

Leading Ladies in Houston - Panel Discussion

Come join WFE for our first in-person lunch of 2021 as we hear from four of the top leading ladies in Houston. You will leave inspired to give back to your community, learn more about the importance of servant leadership, and have a better understanding of how the power of education and hard work can lead to a more fruitful life. This lunch will be on the back patio of Ruggles Black, with time to network with fellow members and guests.

Julie Sudduth, Regional President, PNC Bank, Houston

Julie Young Sudduth is executive vice president and regional president of PNC Bank, Houston.
Sudduth, who joined PNC in 2018, is responsible for the bank’s expansion into Houston and South
Texas.

Prior to joining PNC, Sudduth was executive vice president for IBERIABANK (FHN) where she built and
led the syndications division from 2009 through 2018. She managed the origination, structuring and
distribution of all senior debt facilities arranged by IBERIABANK. She was also responsible for
creating and managing the bank’s special operations division.

Previously Sudduth held various senior positions for Amegy Bank (ZION) in syndications, corporate
banking, special assets and credit risk management. She began her career in 1997 in Amegy’s officer
development program.

Sudduth currently serves as vice chair / secretary for the Discovery Green Conservancy Board, chair
of the finance/audit committee and is a member of the advancement committee. Sudduth is a member of
the board of trustees for the Good Samaritan Foundation (GSF) and serves on the Foundation’s
executive committee and endowment committee. She is on the board of the Ronald McDonald House
Houston, serves as chair of the strategic planning committee and she is a member of the finance
committee. In addition, she serves on the Leadership Council for River Oaks Baptist School. She has
previously served on the alumni board of St. John’s School and the board of Houston Methodist
Hospital Young Leaders for Medicine.

Sudduth holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts (French), with distinction
from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Business Administration from Rice and was a
recipient of the Alice Pratt
Brown scholarship.

Cassandra Mott, Partner, Thompson & Knight LLP

Cassandra Mott is a Partner in Thompson & Knight’s Finance Practice Group and serves as the Firm’s Houston Office Leader.  Cassandra has a long history of service to the Firm, formerly chairing the Firm’s Women’s Initiative group, serving a three year term on its Management Committee, and functioning as the partner-in-charge of business development for the Houston Office, among other things.  She is passionate about the advancement and promotion of women and actively serves as a sponsor for a number of colleagues.

Cassandra’s legal career spans over 21 years.  She primarily represents banks and non-bank lenders, as well as borrowers, in a variety of commercial transactions.  She has a heavy focus on leveraged financings, particularly in the context of acquisitions and recapitalizations.

Cassandra is widely recognized as a standout in banking and finance by Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America®, and Texas Super Lawyers®. She was named to the 2020 “Top Women in Dealmaking” (Private Equity) list by The Deal, as well as the 2020 “Women Who Mean Business” list by the Houston Business Journal.

 Cassandra is also actively engaged in professional and community endeavors.  She is a past president and global board member of the Association of Corporate Growth.  She has served on numerous non-profit boards and was most recently elected to the board of the Girls Scouts of San Jacinto.   She is also a busy mom of twins, Alex and Gavin, Juniors at Houston Christian High School and St. Thomas High School, respectively, and is already fretting about the “empty nest syndrome” that is just around the corner.

Cassandra received a J.D., with honors, from The Ohio State University and a B.A., with high distinction, from Ohio Northern University.  She is also a graduate of the Harvard Law School Executive Leadership Program.

Margarita Barcenas, Financial Planner, PartnersInWealth, Inc.

Margarita joined Investec in 2020 and currently serves as a Senior Wealth Advisor bringing with her 17 years of experience.

Margarita was born and raised in Houston and earned her B.S. in Social Sciences from University of Houston-Downtown.  She went on to earn a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from the University of Arkansas in 1996.  After some time as a Psychotherapist, she returned to school to pursue an MBA, completing the degree from the University of Houston in 2003.  She then initiated her career in wealth management at Compass Bank.  Utilizing her knowledge in psychology with a business degree and investment management, she has worked in fiduciary capacities and institutions for the majority of her career.  The combination of her skills as a psychotherapist and wealth manager have allowed for a unique client interaction and experience resulting in more meaningful client relationships as they plan for their personal and economic futures.

Margarita earned her Certified Financial Planner^TM designation in 2007.

Margarita enjoys traveling, gardening and visiting her family in Nicaragua when she can.  She is an avid lover of nature and passionate about volunteering for the University of Houston.

Sheila Enriquez, Managing Shareholder, Briggs & Veselka Co.

Sheila offers a powerful blend of financial expertise and legal perspective to her publicly traded and privately held company clients.

She has over 22 years of experience in delivering high-level assurance and consulting services. Her vast expertise includes external and internal audit services, agreed-upon procedures, forensic accounting, valuation and litigation support, and mergers and acquisitions due diligence. She also has extensive experience in analyzing complex business transactions related to accounting, economic, and financial issues. Sheila’s experience includes providing supervisory SEC audit and review services for publicly-held companies.

Sheila has served as a consulting and testifying expert witness in various cases involving claims such as breach of contract, fraud, fraudulent transfer, breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, shareholder oppression, and employment cases. In her capacity as an expert, she has performed forensic investigations, asset tracing, economic damages/lost profits calculations, and provided expert testimony in court and in depositions.