Top 25 Women Leave Indelible Mark
- By Marvin D. Cloud
- Published 10/21/2009
- Community
- Unrated
Marvin D. Cloud
Marvin D. Cloud is Web Developer and a writer for the African-American News&Issues.
HOUSTON- When the Top 25 Women of Houston, as selected by rolling out Magazine gather for an awards ceremony at The Downtown Aquarium (Nautilus Ballroom) on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009 at 7:00 p.m., hard work, discipline and diligence will be just a few qualities displayed, in which they have in common. These women have broken barriers in their respective fields and left an indelible mark on the face of Houston. This impressive group of honorees consists of civic and cultural icons, entrepreneurs and corporate executives.
The 2009 Honorees are Carol Mims Galloway, Board Secretary, Houston Independent School District; Judy Foston, CEO and Founder, Foston International Inc.; Dr. Letitia Plummer, Owner and Dentist, Maxwello Dental Spa and Wellness; Judge Hilary Green, Harris County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 7 Place 1; Margo Williams Handy, Principal, MWH Public Relations; Deidre Boone, Vice-President, Ready Women and Co-Owner, The Root of You Salon and Day Spa; ReShonda Tate Billingsley, National Best-Selling Author and Motivational Speaker; Lora L. Mayes, R.N., CEO, Beacon Home Health Agency, LLC.; Wanda Adams, Houston City Councilmember, District D; Denise Bentham, Owner Operator, McDonald’s; Donna Mittendorf, Senior Vice President, Comerica Bank.; Roslyn “Rozzy” Shorter, Co-Chair, Houston CARES Mentoring Movement; Helen Stagg, Senior Director, Families Under Urban and Social Attack (FUUSA); Merele Yarborough, Community Advocate and Philanthropist; Damali A. Keith, Anchor/Reporter, Fox 26; Debra Johnson, Director, Office of Procurement, Johnson Space Center; Barbara Joseph, Founder and Executive Director, Positive Efforts, Inc.; Dr. Reagan Flowers, Founder and CEO, C STEM; Irma Diaz-Gonzalez, President, Employment and Training Centers and Chair-Elect, Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Sharwin Wiltz Boney, Vice-President/CFO, BoneFide Development and Investment Group; Sheretta West, First Lady, Church Without Walls; Thomasine Johnson, CEO, En’Terior Designs; Jacquelyn Hoyer, Sr. Community Affairs Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Houston Branch; Nina Wilson Jones, Vice-President/Chief Programs Officer, Big Brothers Big Sisters; Phyllis J. Bailey, President, 3B Resources Group Public Relations & Associate Publisher, Who’s Who In Black Houston; and Spirit of Business Award Winner, Kim Roxie, Creative Director, LAMIK Beauty.
Just in time for next month’s city election, Roslyn “Rozzy” Shorter who for a long time played an active part in politics and governmental issues that impact people as a whole, is running for Houston City Council At Large Position 2, the spot currently held by Council Member Sue Lovell. A native Houstonian who graduated from Jesse H. Jones High School before attending Sam Houston State University and the College of the Mainland where she earned her chemical process certification, she also attended San Jacinto College where she earned her private, instrument, and commercial written pilot licensures. Her roles in government include Caucus Trainer for the Obama Campaign, Mistress of Ceremony for the Women for Obama Rally, and Chair of Logistics and Operations for Senate District 13 Convention just to name a few.
But it is her call to public service that whets her thirst for giving back to the community and impacting people through making a difference, which led her to launch her campaign. Described as possessing the tenacity of the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and the zeal of the late Governor Ann Richards, she was encouraged to run by her peers in several organizations where she is an active member, such as the A. Philip Randolph Institute, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Henry Glee Foundation and the Great Plains Transitional Services for Veterans, the 37-year-old, didn’t wait for President Obama’s “call to service,”—volunteerism and community service became part of her daily agenda years ago. For example, as an advocate for children, she serves on committees and is a part of many organizations that focus on the plight of that segment of the population.
As such, she is the co-chair for Houston CARES Mentoring Movement, and a volunteer for the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School. In addition to being a classroom mentor, she serves as Texas Travel Coordinator for the BET Foundation Girls Summer Camp. But, her concern stretches beyond the needs of children.
While employed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in the Institutional Division, she gained first-hand knowledge of the pipeline from the prison to the community and the rate of recidivism that grips the City of Houston. Her approach to solving this problem embraces partnerships that will train persons for careers in addition to working with employers to help them enhance their businesses by taking advantage of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit that will reduce their federal tax liability when they hire offenders. In Texas, between one-third and one-half of all ex-convicts are caught committing new crimes within three years of their release—with 23 percent of its prison population from the Greater Houston area.
While working in the Texas petrochemical industry, she helped implement “Clean Air Practices” that improve the quality of life for all Houstonians. Shorter says she plans to also rely on her experiences while travelling abroad which have exposed her to a plethora of diverse and progressive cities. Her goal is to take Houston to another level.
Because she understands that Houston has a very strong mayoral form of government, to take the city to another level, she wants to work with city leaders and push to improve transportation and infrastructure, create comprehensive flooding and drainage improvement projects, expand citywide recycling efforts, implement more youth enrichment and mentoring programs, create and promote green jobs, and utilize collaborative technology for crime prevention. Finally, she hopes to increase afterschool youth enrichment and mentoring programs.
She also said that she wanted to continue her efforts to find ways to educate people concerning HIV/AIDS and how not to be physically affected by them. As a board member of the Henry Glee Foundation, she has worked to host workshops and rallies on educating the masses on these diseases and the effect they have on the community.
Shorter said it was the need to “help continue change, not radical change, but change that is consistent with the movement of this country,” along with “understanding that politics are local,” that motivated her to run for elected office at this time. “President Obama can’t do it all at the top himself. He needs some foot soldiers on the ground to help push his agenda.”
Running for a seat on City Council was not an idea that was taken lightly. Shorter said she thought about it for a year and a half, after people begin to ask her to do it. After she won 26 percent of the statewide vote during the Democratic National Convention (DNC), she became inspired.
“Others in city government encouraged me—some of whom worked on campaigns in the past. Many people felt I had the ability to galvanize people and move people.” Shorter worked to keep young people involved in the political arena.
“It is very important that they remain politically aware and full of excitement concerning politics,” she said. Concerning the rolling out honor that she is sharing with 24 other Houston women, she said “it is a wonderful homage, and I am honored that the board chose me for my work in helping to save our children. I thank them for deeming me worthy. It’s a great accomplishment.”
Susan Taylor, former editor of Essence Magazine, asked Shorter to dream big with her. “I am dreaming big. We are linking and locking arms with great organizations to give back to the community—especially for our children. We can no longer allow children to perish on our watch.”
She continued, “I want people to think of me as leading the movement of mentoring. It is my desire to leave City Hall a better place than when I was elected to office.”
Roslyn "Roz" Shorter
The 2009 Honorees are Carol Mims Galloway, Board Secretary, Houston Independent School District; Judy Foston, CEO and Founder, Foston International Inc.; Dr. Letitia Plummer, Owner and Dentist, Maxwello Dental Spa and Wellness; Judge Hilary Green, Harris County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 7 Place 1; Margo Williams Handy, Principal, MWH Public Relations; Deidre Boone, Vice-President, Ready Women and Co-Owner, The Root of You Salon and Day Spa; ReShonda Tate Billingsley, National Best-Selling Author and Motivational Speaker; Lora L. Mayes, R.N., CEO, Beacon Home Health Agency, LLC.; Wanda Adams, Houston City Councilmember, District D; Denise Bentham, Owner Operator, McDonald’s; Donna Mittendorf, Senior Vice President, Comerica Bank.; Roslyn “Rozzy” Shorter, Co-Chair, Houston CARES Mentoring Movement; Helen Stagg, Senior Director, Families Under Urban and Social Attack (FUUSA); Merele Yarborough, Community Advocate and Philanthropist; Damali A. Keith, Anchor/Reporter, Fox 26; Debra Johnson, Director, Office of Procurement, Johnson Space Center; Barbara Joseph, Founder and Executive Director, Positive Efforts, Inc.; Dr. Reagan Flowers, Founder and CEO, C STEM; Irma Diaz-Gonzalez, President, Employment and Training Centers and Chair-Elect, Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Sharwin Wiltz Boney, Vice-President/CFO, BoneFide Development and Investment Group; Sheretta West, First Lady, Church Without Walls; Thomasine Johnson, CEO, En’Terior Designs; Jacquelyn Hoyer, Sr. Community Affairs Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Houston Branch; Nina Wilson Jones, Vice-President/Chief Programs Officer, Big Brothers Big Sisters; Phyllis J. Bailey, President, 3B Resources Group Public Relations & Associate Publisher, Who’s Who In Black Houston; and Spirit of Business Award Winner, Kim Roxie, Creative Director, LAMIK Beauty.
Just in time for next month’s city election, Roslyn “Rozzy” Shorter who for a long time played an active part in politics and governmental issues that impact people as a whole, is running for Houston City Council At Large Position 2, the spot currently held by Council Member Sue Lovell. A native Houstonian who graduated from Jesse H. Jones High School before attending Sam Houston State University and the College of the Mainland where she earned her chemical process certification, she also attended San Jacinto College where she earned her private, instrument, and commercial written pilot licensures. Her roles in government include Caucus Trainer for the Obama Campaign, Mistress of Ceremony for the Women for Obama Rally, and Chair of Logistics and Operations for Senate District 13 Convention just to name a few.
But it is her call to public service that whets her thirst for giving back to the community and impacting people through making a difference, which led her to launch her campaign. Described as possessing the tenacity of the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and the zeal of the late Governor Ann Richards, she was encouraged to run by her peers in several organizations where she is an active member, such as the A. Philip Randolph Institute, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Henry Glee Foundation and the Great Plains Transitional Services for Veterans, the 37-year-old, didn’t wait for President Obama’s “call to service,”—volunteerism and community service became part of her daily agenda years ago. For example, as an advocate for children, she serves on committees and is a part of many organizations that focus on the plight of that segment of the population.
As such, she is the co-chair for Houston CARES Mentoring Movement, and a volunteer for the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School. In addition to being a classroom mentor, she serves as Texas Travel Coordinator for the BET Foundation Girls Summer Camp. But, her concern stretches beyond the needs of children.
While employed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in the Institutional Division, she gained first-hand knowledge of the pipeline from the prison to the community and the rate of recidivism that grips the City of Houston. Her approach to solving this problem embraces partnerships that will train persons for careers in addition to working with employers to help them enhance their businesses by taking advantage of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit that will reduce their federal tax liability when they hire offenders. In Texas, between one-third and one-half of all ex-convicts are caught committing new crimes within three years of their release—with 23 percent of its prison population from the Greater Houston area.
While working in the Texas petrochemical industry, she helped implement “Clean Air Practices” that improve the quality of life for all Houstonians. Shorter says she plans to also rely on her experiences while travelling abroad which have exposed her to a plethora of diverse and progressive cities. Her goal is to take Houston to another level.
Because she understands that Houston has a very strong mayoral form of government, to take the city to another level, she wants to work with city leaders and push to improve transportation and infrastructure, create comprehensive flooding and drainage improvement projects, expand citywide recycling efforts, implement more youth enrichment and mentoring programs, create and promote green jobs, and utilize collaborative technology for crime prevention. Finally, she hopes to increase afterschool youth enrichment and mentoring programs.
She also said that she wanted to continue her efforts to find ways to educate people concerning HIV/AIDS and how not to be physically affected by them. As a board member of the Henry Glee Foundation, she has worked to host workshops and rallies on educating the masses on these diseases and the effect they have on the community.
Shorter said it was the need to “help continue change, not radical change, but change that is consistent with the movement of this country,” along with “understanding that politics are local,” that motivated her to run for elected office at this time. “President Obama can’t do it all at the top himself. He needs some foot soldiers on the ground to help push his agenda.”
Running for a seat on City Council was not an idea that was taken lightly. Shorter said she thought about it for a year and a half, after people begin to ask her to do it. After she won 26 percent of the statewide vote during the Democratic National Convention (DNC), she became inspired.
“Others in city government encouraged me—some of whom worked on campaigns in the past. Many people felt I had the ability to galvanize people and move people.” Shorter worked to keep young people involved in the political arena.
“It is very important that they remain politically aware and full of excitement concerning politics,” she said. Concerning the rolling out honor that she is sharing with 24 other Houston women, she said “it is a wonderful homage, and I am honored that the board chose me for my work in helping to save our children. I thank them for deeming me worthy. It’s a great accomplishment.”
Susan Taylor, former editor of Essence Magazine, asked Shorter to dream big with her. “I am dreaming big. We are linking and locking arms with great organizations to give back to the community—especially for our children. We can no longer allow children to perish on our watch.”
She continued, “I want people to think of me as leading the movement of mentoring. It is my desire to leave City Hall a better place than when I was elected to office.”
Roslyn "Roz" Shorter