“You may not always have a comfortable life, and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once, but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have, because history has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own.” -First Lady…

The 2015 season marks Marian Harper’s 24th year with the Houston Astros. As Vice President of Foundation and Community Affairs, she manages programs and development operations for the Astros Foundation, the official team charity of the Houston Astros. She is the community liaison for the foundation’s Community Leaders youth baseball program and was instrumental in…

Letitia D. Quinones is a prominent and acclaimed criminal defense attorney in Houston.  She is a proud graduate of Texas Southern University – Thurgood Marshall School of Law.  After graduating from law school, Quinones began her legal career as a solo practitioner and immediately hung her shield. It did not take long for Quinones to…

A native of Austin, Texas, Winell Herron became a Houstonian over twelve years ago and has since made her mark on the city as a dynamic leader with inextricable ties to many of the city’s most vital nonprofit organizations. Houston’s size and diversity informs Winell’s personal and professional commitment to an array of large and…

Vernita Harris is a native Houstonian and a creative thinker.  She holds a BBA in Marketing and an MBA in Management from Prairie View A&M University.  Her success in meeting and event planning comes from years of experience as a sales and marketing professional and community service. She obtained her CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) in…

Theresa Roemer grew up on a farm in Nebraska. While her childhood friends were busy being kids, Roemer did odd jobs to make money.  She was always looking for the next entrepreneurial challenge, whether it be delivering newspapers or mowing lawns.  This strong work ethic has served Roemer well, and she is now a multi-millionaire with…

Tammy Harris has over 20 years of extensive training in dance and fitness. Harris began teaching dance classes in Houston, Texas, while pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Administration of Justice at Texas Southern University. Harris was a member of the NBA Houston Rockets Power Dancers for 4 years, performing all over the Houston area. As…

Susan McEldoon is President and General Manager of KHOU-TV, a TEGNA Media subsidiary and an affiliate TV station of the CBS Television Network. She joined KHOU in 2004 as Director of Sales and in 2006 was named Vice President/Station Manager. In November 2007, she was promoted to her current position as President/General Manager. McEldoon is…

Recently appointed USA Funds’ Senior Director, Stephanie D. Nellons-Paige spearheads Metro Engagement and Relations in the Division of National Engagement and Philanthropy.  USA Funds’ mission statement is “Completion with a purpose,” and she shares a key role in establishing partnerships to advance their mission in metropolitan areas.  Actively serving with USA Funds on this mission…

Jessica Farrar is currently in her eleventh term as State Representative of District 148. She was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1994 at the age of 27, and she is the longest serving Hispanic member from Harris County in the Texas House of Representatives. Rep. Farrar currently serves as the Vice-Chair…

Samille R. Frazier-Savoie is the Executive Director of The BES Group, Inc. of Texas and is a motivated leader with strong organizational and clinical abilities. Frazier-Savoie is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a National Board Certified Counselor.  She empowers those suffering from substance abuse and mental illness to live their best…

Rhonda Skillern-Jones was elected to the Board of Education in 2011. She was sworn in as Trustee in January 2012.  She served as board secretary in 2012 and 2013 and First Vice President in 2014. She also represents the Houston Independent School District (HISD) on the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Board of Directors. Skillern-Jones is…

Raquelle Lewis is the supervising Public Information Officer for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), serving as the chief spokesperson and manager of communications in the Houston area. TxDOT-Houston District, the state’s largest of 25 districts, is comprised of six counties, including Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Montgomery and Waller Counties. The District, which currently…

Petria McKelvey is CEO and Founder of Precision Medical Billing (PMB), a leading provider of customized medical billing and auditing solutions for home health and hospice agencies, physicians, Durable Medical Equipment (DME) providers, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and nursing homes across the U.S. With 26 years of experience in the medical billing industry, Petria’s expertise…

Nannette Ray was born in Meridian, Mississippi, and she received her undergraduate degree in Accounting and Information Systems from the University of Texas at San Antonio.  She also holds an MBA Degree in Finance from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. Ray has worked in the IT field for companies such as USAA and…

Ivy R. Taylor is a history maker.  She was elected Mayor of San Antonio on June 13, 2015.  Mayor Taylor is the first African-American elected to this position.  Prior to that, she was appointed to the office of Mayor in July, 2014, to fulfill Julian Castro’s unexpired term.  She had served as the District 2…

Mary Redmond is a successful McDonald’s owner and operator, and she is spreading the company’s message of good food, good people and good neighbors all over the Houston area.  She and her husband, Ernest Redmond have owned McDonald’s franchise locations in the Greater Houston area for the past 30 years.  During that time, they have…

Lina Sabouni, co-founder and principal of AUTOARCH Architects, brings more than twenty years of experience in the delivery of architectural, engineering and design excellence in the new construction of 21st century educational and work force facilities. Her body of work includes educational (K-12 and higher education) institutions, governmental, office and commercial buildings, medical facilities and…

Liliana Rambo joined the Houston Airport System (HAS) in July 2011 to oversee the parking operation for George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU).  Rambo is responsible the operation of over 35,000 parking spaces and annual revenues of over $95M. Her responsibilities also include the development of a parking team, maximizing the…

Dr. Krista L. Olson is Assistant Professor and Associate Residency Program Director at the Bobby R. Alford Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Olson has trained at the world-renowned Texas Medical Center and is responsible for training and educating the future surgeons in the field of facial plastic…

Kim Gagne is the Emmy Award-winning supervising producer of the Steve Harvey daytime talk show, and for five years she has produced Steve Harvey’s Neighborhood Awards.  Gagne is known for her outstanding leadership and communication skills, as well as her successful track record of effectively managing and training up strong production teams. Gagne prides herself…

Katie Walthall Mehnert is the Founder and CEO of Pink Petro, the first and only global social community for women in energy and their diversity advocates.  Pink Petro is aimed specifically at closing the gender gap.  A daughter to an engineer in the 1980s, Mehnert was acutely aware of the impact the bust in the…

Joyce Tyler-Williams was born in Beaumont, Texas.  She has been a native of Houston for 57 years. She received her Undergraduate Degree in Business Administration from Texas Southern University School of Business.  She is Senior Vice- President and Community Development Officer for the Houston/Galveston Region of Frost Bank, where she has worked for 30 years. …

As Manager of Supplier Diversity & Local Participation for TransCanada’s Major Projects Organization, Heather Holland is responsible for leading, developing and implementing a multi-year supplier diversity strategy and program for a portfolio of U.S. and Canadian energy infrastructure projects in excess of US $20 billion. In this role, Holland works to ensure integration of aboriginal,…

As a native Houstonian and graduate of Phillis Wheatley High School, it was instilled in Palmer to dream bigger than her.  For over 20 years, Palmer served as executive secretary to several prominent attorneys in Houston, gaining extensive experience that helped make her the successful business woman she is today, as CEO of Autos R…

Dr. Wanda Thornton Mott is Managing Partner for the Houston Women’s Obstetrical and Gynecological Associates, and she has practiced as a board certified obstetrician and gynecologist in Texas for more than 20 years in the Texas Medical Center.  As a gynecological clinician and surgeon, her hallmarks include educating patients and providing cutting edge medical and…

Selina Ahmed was born in Bangladesh. In 1973, Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas, conferred upon her a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Human Nutrition. Since August of 1975, she has taught Nutrition as an Associate Professor at Texas Southern University in the Department of Human Services and Consumer Sciences. She has also served as…

Dr. Marla Fielder, R.Ph., was born in Columbia, Missouri.  She moved to Duncanville, Texas at the age of ten and relocated to Houston to pursue her studies at Texas Southern University.  She began her career with The Kroger Co. in 2000 as a pharmacy technician.  After completing her Doctor of Pharmacy studies at Texas Southern…

Dr. Kamala Raghavan is an Associate Professor of Accounting at the Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Texas Southern University.  In this position, she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in advanced financial accounting, managerial accounting and accounting information systems.  Dr. Raghavan has conducted seminars on finance for managers and international accounting standards at the…

Dr. Felecia Diane McInnis Nave serves as the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Prairie View A&M University. In addition to this position, Dr. Nave also holds rank of professor of Chemical Engineering, and she is presently a member of the Texas A&M University System Graduate Faculty. Dr. Nave joined the faculty…

Dr. Judith Craven is the past president of the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast, the fourth largest United Way in the country, in terms of dollars raised.  Dr. Craven led this organization that raised over $60 million dollars annually.  Under her leadership, the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast also utilized thousands…

Dr. Yen was born in the city of Taipei, Taiwan.  Shortly before the age of eight, her parents chose to immigrate to the United States, despite knowing only a few family members, no understanding of the language and no job prospects. Dr. Yen faced the challenge of learning a brand new language and culture, but…

Devon Anderson was appointed Harris County District Attorney in September 2013, and the voters of Harris County elected her in November 2014 to fulfill her late husband’s term. Anderson was a prosecutor for 12 years at the Houston DA’s office, trying some of the worst criminals.  Anderson rose through the ranks of the office, prosecuting…

Dell Harkey Braunsdorf is a native Texan, born in Dallas. She grew up in the Lake Dallas area and in the Clear Lake/NASA area.  She attended local junior colleges, thanks to a scholarship from the Moody Foundation.  Dr. Braunsdorf received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Houston (Cum Laude graduate), with concentration…

Deavra A. Daughtry, President and CEO of Excellent Care Management, one of the nation’s largest personal in-home care agencies started as a sole proprietorship, now employs over 700 people throughout the Greater Houston Area. Daughtry hails from Houston, Texas and has overcome tremendous odds to emerge as one of the most influential business women and…

Crystal Perkins’ leadership role for the world’s number one ranked hospital in cancer care has its origins in her first high school and college job for a healthcare clinic. After college, the owners of that same clinic made the young, smart, efficient and self-described “sponge,” their Chief Operations Officer. Since then, Crystal has worked for…

For more than 16 years, April Day has brought her unique passion, intellect and sheer willingness to her mission to develop communities and improve lives through education and economic sustainability.  Her body of work demonstrates that she has always been on the front end of active service, challenging the status quo in order to create,…