Conroe ISD Ranked 62nd on Forbes’ List of America’s Best Employers for Women 2024

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Forbes ranked Conroe ISD 62nd on its 2024 list of America’s Best Employers for Women. The District was the highest-ranked among the 14 K-12 education systems on the list of 600 employers.

Two leaders within Conroe ISD who were especially proud of this recognition were Dr. Hedith Sauceda-Upshaw, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, and Karen Garza, Chief Financial Officer.

Dr. Upshaw found her home when she joined Conroe ISD over 25 years ago and enjoys the culture of the District embracing its employees. After working as a bilingual teacher at Sam Houston Elementary, she was given the opportunity to serve as the Mathematics Instructional Coach for the District. She was then offered to simultaneously serve as an assistant principal and ESL coordinator for Conroe High School. Dr. Upshaw notes that holding the two positions simultaneously would not have been possible without the support of Conroe ISD.

“The women of CISD support each other, and I was able to bring my twins with me to work on weekends,” Dr. Upshaw said. “We grow our own people. Everyone is given the support and opportunities they need to move ahead, including embracing and providing resources to working mothers.”

Dr. Upshaw also takes great pride in the diversity and number of women working in Conroe ISD administration, adding that working with such a dedicated team is a “blessing.” The family that Dr. Upshaw has found here at Conroe ISD continues to influence not only young women to achieve success, but also students who aspire to lead.

Garza has worked in Conroe ISD for 18 years, and recognizes the District’s dedication to empowering women. She was the Director of Finance, before being named CFO earlier this year, and has helped the District earn numerous awards from the Texas Association of School Business Officials and Transparency Stars from the Texas Comptroller.

“I love being a part of an organization that values the contribution that women have in the workplace,” Garza said. “Conroe ISD has a culture where women are valued at all levels and has a commitment of ensuring everyone has an opportunity to grow professionally if they so choose.

“Women stay in organizations where they can see that other women are trusted, respected, and contributing in meaningful ways.”
In addition to Conroe ISD, other Texas employers named one of America’s Best Employers for Women were St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (10), H-E-B (12), NASA (18), and Houston Methodist (33). The list also includes other well-known companies from around the country, such as Progressive (2), Lululemon (3), Johnson & Johnson (22), Levi Strauss & Co. (23), Microsoft (32), IKEA (42), and Coca-Cola (56). Other employers ranking behind Conroe ISD included General Mills (67), Dutch Bros. Coffee (72), LinkedIn (93), In-N-Out Burger (104), Marriott (126), Apple (130), and Nike (165).

Encompassing 348 square miles, Conroe ISD includes The Woodlands, Shenandoah, Oak Ridge North, Conroe, Grangerland, and several other smaller towns, communities, and unincorporated areas. As the ninth-largest district in Texas and 60th largest in the U.S., Conroe ISD is projected to have an enrollment of 74,000 students across 71 campuses for the 2024-2025 school year and is one of the fastest-growing districts in the state with new enrollments averaging 2,500 students per year.

Conroe ISD was ranked 37th among Forbes’ Best Large Employers 2024 and has been named one of America’s Best-in-State Employers for Texas by Forbes each of the last two years. The District was named the Best School District in Montgomery County by Niche in 2023 and 2024, and was named a Top Workplace by the Houston Chronicle in 2021.

Over 150,000 women were surveyed by Forbes and research market firm Statista. They were asked how likely they were to recommend current and previous employers and to rate current employers in areas such as pay equity, work environment, parental leave, and employer handling of sexual misconduct and discrimination.

Statista evaluated responses from current employees, employees who had worked for the company within the past two years, and individuals familiar with the company through friends, family, or peers in their industry. Greater weight was given to evaluations from current and former employees. All survey responses were tallied to produce a score for each company, and the 600 organizations with the highest scores made the final list.

Statista publishes hundreds of worldwide industry rankings and company listings with high-profile media partners. This research and analysis service is based on the success of statista.com, the leading data and business intelligence portal that provides statistics, relevant business data, and various market and consumer studies and surveys.

For more on Forbes America’s Best Employers for Women 2024, visit: https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-employers-women/.