Dr. Shelly Lesikar deZevallos, President of West Houston Airport, is a pilot, business owner, mom, wife and passionate spokesperson about sharing the importance of the aviation and aerospace industry and workforce development. As the first person in her family to graduate from college, she understands what a difference in her life that challenge meant. Her…
Lenora Sorola-Pohlman is a second-generation native Houstonian, born and raised in Houston’s East End barrio. Lenora has been a licensed insurance broker since 1996, a small business owner of Sorola Insurance Services LLC, and currently works with Navarro Insurance Group. She began her career at Travelers Insurance in the late 80’s during the HMO boom. …
Dr. Patricia K. Allen was elected to the Houston ISD Board of Education in December of 2019. She served her initial year as an officer – Board Secretary, then was elected by her peers to serve as the Board President during her second year in office. She is a third-generation career educator who retired in…
Dr. Ira K. Blake is the 5th president of the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), one of the region’s top public universities. A native of Arkansas, President Blake grew up in Fontana, California, and is the first woman and first African American to serve in the role. Since she arrived at UHCL, President Blake has…
Linda M. Rhodes brings more than 26 years in nonprofit leadership and development to her role as the Executive Director of The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency. Under her leadership, the organization has exponentially grown its community outreach footprint, annual revenues, and the number of staff employed. Rhodes has collaborated with community partners…
Melanie Wilcox Miles is a board-certified family law attorney who has served the citizens of Harris County for over 25 years. She is a native of Houston, Texas, and grew up in the Third Ward and Braeswood areas. After graduating from Bellaire High School, she went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree from Howard University…
Lauren Haller Fontaine is Senior Director & Legal Counsel – Operations at Pattern Energy Group LP, a renewable energy company focusing on the clean energies of wind, solar, transmission, storage, and advanced energy technologies with operations in the U.S., Canada, and Japan, as well as additional development projects in Mexico. At Pattern, Lauren supports the…
Dr. Cherry Ross Gooden formerly served as an Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the College of Education at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. This 1964 graduate of Texas Southern University earned a B.S. in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in…
HOUSTON (March 10, 2022) – The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency, a nonprofit providing Houston-area women and girls with the tools needed to be advocates for their health, is now accepting applications for the 8th Annual Barbara Devetski Scholarship Essay Contest. Two winners will receive a $2,500 scholarship towards tuition for the 2022 fall semester. …
