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…
Dr. Melanie Johnson is an exceptional visionary and change agent for education-focused entities. She currently serves as the President and CEO for The Health Museum (THM) in Houston, TX. She comes to The Health Museum as the first African-American to hold a senior position in the history of the museum district in Houston. She previously…
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…
In 1994 when Judge Vanessa Diane Gilmore was sworn in, she was then the youngest sitting federal judge in the nation. The native of Silver Spring, Maryland was also the youngest member of her freshman class at her alma mater, Hampton University in Virginia. Gilmore decided to undertake a career in law after she represented…