Harriet Marmon Helmle

You’ve had a storied career in the financial services industry, holding several senior leadership positions. Tell us about your professional journey and how you initially became interested in that field. 

I didn’t initially plan to pursue a career in finance. At Stephens College, I majored in fashion design and merchandising. After transferring to UT Austin, I decided to take some business classes and ended up minoring in business since women weren’t allowed to major in it at the time.

After graduating, I began working for Joske’s, a department store in San Antonio. I started in the merchandising side. Early on, I realized it wasn’t the right fit for me and began searching for new opportunities. Fortunately, the controller at Joske’s asked if I’d be interested in transitioning to the accounting department. This was my first introduction to accounting, which eventually led to a role at Sakowitz, a prominent department store in Houston. The senior executives there mentored me, and thanks to their guidance, I was able to pass the CPA exam without ever taking a formal accounting course.

During this time, I moved back to San Antonio and faced some health challenges that required me to temporarily pause my career. Once my health improved, I resumed working full-time and joined PWC.

Before joining Frost, you were the only female CEO of a financial services firm, Security Trust & Financial Company. What did that experience teach you about leadership? 

At that time, women in the industry faced significant challenges in gaining respect and opportunities. I had many capable female colleagues who weren’t given the chance to demonstrate their abilities. I was fortunate to be offered this role, but I also worked hard to earn it. As CEO, I was able to build upon my existing knowledge and skills, while also putting what I had learned into practice. This experience eventually paved the way for my transition to my next role at Frost.

However, what matters most to me isn’t that I was “the first” or “the only” woman in that position—it’s that I was selected for the role based on my skills and experience, not my gender.

In 1983, you founded San Antonio Youth Literacy, better known as SAYL. What inspired you to found this organization, and how has it evolved over the years to become a model program for business/school partnerships?

Growing up, my family was deeply involved in community service, which instilled in me a strong commitment to give back. Around the age of 30, I was diagnosed at Mayo Clinic with a bone disease that would entail several surgeries. I thought my career was over, just as it was beginning. It was my orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Jesse DeLee, who changed my perspective and challenged me to identify one person a day with whom I would not trade places and figure out how that person could be helped. Through this challenge, I noticed a common theme in the people I identified: they were illiterate. Dr. De Lee asked me, “What are you going to do about it?”. So, I started San Antonio Youth Literacy (SAYL) in 1984.

The goal was to help illiterate students in the San Antonio area improve their literacy and communication skills. I worked closely with Henry Cisneros who was instrumental in the early days of SAYL helping me get the statistics I needed. What we learned is that the schools were overburdened and lacked the resources and time to offer students the 1:1 attention they needed.

We initially worked with high school students, but our research showed that targeting third graders would have a greater long-term impact. We developed a reading buddy program where volunteers provided consistent, one-on-one reading sessions. This approach proved successful in helping students achieve reading proficiency within a single semester.

Today, SAYL is a recognized leader in literacy programs, training volunteers who tutor students across more than 65 schools in San Antonio. I am so proud that SAYL is still around and thriving. Deborah Valdez, our Executive Director, has done a remarkable job.  We continue to focus on improving literacy skills for students reading below their grade level, ensuring they receive the attention they need to succeed.

As someone with extensive experience in the financial services industry, how do you leverage your professional skills and networks to support your philanthropic efforts and create positive change in the community?

When I founded SAYL, I was working at PWC. The company was incredibly supportive of my community work, which taught me the importance of having an employer who shares your commitment to philanthropy. This experience shaped my career decisions, as I’ve prioritized working with organizations that align with my values. Finding an employer like CAPTRUST that supports your passion for giving back has been one of the most significant lessons in my career, and it played a key role in helping me grow SAYL into the organization it is today.

What advice would you give to young professionals or aspiring entrepreneurs who are interested in making a positive impact through volunteerism and community service?

Get out there and get involved! Countless organizations need help. Volunteering is not only a powerful way to give back to your community, but it’s also an excellent networking opportunity. Too many young people fall into a routine of just going to work and coming home—it’s important to make volunteering a priority. And if you have young kids, bring them along! It’s a wonderful way to engage them and instill a sense of community involvement early on.

How did you come to be involved with the Texas Business Hall of Fame? Is there a particular memory or experience that stands out as a favorite during your time as Director? 

Charlie Amato was the one who introduced me to the organization and asked if I wanted to get involved. I’ve never met anyone who can say “No” to Charlie, so from that moment on, I was in. I joined the board in the early ’90s and never looked back. I love the mission, and it’s been incredible to watch the awards program grow—not just in terms of the financial awards we can provide, but also in recognizing new groups of entrepreneurs, like Veterans. These are future Hall of Famers, and they are truly inspiring.

One of my favorite memories was the year I served as Chairman in 2007. That year we inducted Tom Dobson, Dr. James Leininger, Paul Sarvadi, and Clayton Williams.  I wasn’t too nervous about going on stage, but when the lights hit me, I couldn’t read the script! I had to improvise. But that year was incredibly meaningful, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget.