Future Houston

Leadership

We inspire leaders to identify matters of the highest importance to the long-term future of the greater Houston region and to collaborate in addressing those challenges for the benefit of all.

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As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Center for Houston’s Future and our Business/Civic Leadership Forum, we’re highlighting the significant impact our 1,400 Leadership Forum Alumni have had across all facets of our community.
We’ve selected an honor roll of 75 Leaders Who Stand Apart for their important work in our region and will be narrowing the list to 25 CHF Leaders to celebrate in 2025.
The final group of 25 Leadership Forum Alumni will be honored throughout the year as part of our look at the Center’s vital contributions to the community over our 25 years.
Please join us as we celebrate our esteemed Alumni!

Wilhelmina “Beth” Robertson – President, Cockspur, Inc. & Westview Development, Inc., Fall 2000

Bobby Tudor – Founder & CEO, Artemis Energy Partners, Fall 2000

Joe Zimmerman – Mayor of Sugar Land, Fall 2000

Bob Eury – Retired President & CEO, Central Houston, Inc., Fall 2000

Willie J. Alexander – Former NFL Player & President, W. J. Alexander & Associates P.C., Fall 2000

Peggy Smith, Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Fall 2000

Michael Holthouse – Chairman, Holthouse Foundation for Kids & Friends for Life, Fall 2001

Staman Olgilvie – Retired EVP, Hines, Fall 2001

Massey Villarreal – President & CEO, Precision Task Group, Fall 2001

Paul Hobby – Founder & Managing Director, Genesis Park, Fall 2001

Lois Stark – Author, Producer & Speaker, Fall 2001

Dorothy Ables – Chief Administrative Officer, Spectra Energy, Fall 2001

Ann Lents – Board Member, Texas Children’s Hospital, Fall 2001

Beth Wolff – Chairman & CEO, Beth Wolff Realtors, Spring 2002

Bernard Harris, Jr. – Former NASA Astronaut, Fall 2002

Richard Campo – Chairman & CEO, Camden Property Trust, Winter 2002

Kimberly Sterling – Principal, Sterling for Good, Winter 2002

Barron Wallace – Public Finance Partner & Practice Group Co-Head, Bracewell LLP, Winter 2002

Anne Mendelsohn – Associate to the President, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Winter 2002

George DeMontrond, III – President & CEO, DeMontrond Automotive Group, Fall 2003

Trinidad Mendenhall – Founder, Trini and O.C. Mendenhall Foundation, Fall 2003

Marc Watts – President, The Friedkin Group, Spring 2004

Laura Jaramillo – Executive Director, LISC, Fall 2004

Nancy Martin – Partner & Shareholder, Shannon, Martin, Finkelstein & Alvarado, P.C., Fall 2004

Donna Cole – Founder, Cole Chemical & Distributing, Spring 2005

Laura Murillo – President & CEO, Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Spring 2005

Harris “Shrub” Kempner, Jr. – President & Portfolio Manager, Kempner Capital Management, Spring 2005

Anne Chao –  Co-Founder, Houston Asian American Archive, Fall 2006

Michael Fowler – Principal, Madison Resources, Fall 2006

Larry Faulkner – President Emeritus, University of Texas at Austin, Fall 2006

Heida Thurlow – Founder, Chantal Cookware, Fall 2006

R. Edwin Allday – Trustee, Fondren Foundation, Fall 2006

Janiece Longoria – Former Chairman, Port Houston, Fall 2006

Stan Marek – CEO, Marek Brothers, Fall 2006

Alex Brennan-Martin – Owner, Brennan’s of Houston & Commander’s Palace, Fall 2006

Roland Garcia – Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig LLP, Fall 2007

Leila Perrin – Former VP, Marketing, Better Business Bureau of Greater Houston and South Texas, Spring 2008

Elliot Gershenson – Principal Consultant, Gershenson Consulting, Spring 2008

Margaret Robinson – Co-Founder & Principal, Asakura Robinson Company, Fall 2008

Judson Robinson, III – President & CEO, Houston Area Urban League, Spring 2009

Laura Bellows – President & Board Chairman, W.S. Bellows Construction, Spring 2009

Linda Toyota – Market Executive, LiftFund, Spring 2009

Kenneth Janda – Founder & Principal, Wild Blue Health Solutions, Fall 2009

Gil Staley – Former CEO, The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership, Fall 2009

Ruthanne Mefford – CEO, Child Advocates of Ford Bend, Fall 2009

Judy Lee – Partner, Foster LLP, Spring 2010

Margaret Ford Fisher – Chancellor, Houston Community College, Fall 2010

Y. Ping Sun – Of Counsel, Yetter Coleman LLP, Fall 2010

Roxann Neumann – Sr. Vice President, Silver Eagle Distributors, Spring 2011

Alberto “Beto” Cardenas – Chairman, BC Global LP, Spring 2011

Joe Jaworski – Owner, Jaworski Law Firm, Spring 2011

Winell Herron – Group Vice President Public Affairs, Diversity and Environmental Affairs, H-E-B, Fall 2011

Denise Castillo-Rhodes – Chief Financial Officer, Texas Medical Center, Spring 2012

Daron Peschel – Sr. Vice President, Houson Branch, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Spring 2012

Carrie Glassman Shoemake – Co-Founder, GSMA Architects, Spring 2012

Rives Taylor – Director of Design Resilience, Gensler, Spring 2012

Allison Hay – CEO, Houston Habitat for Humanity, Fall 2012

Cullen Geiselman – Vice Chair, Houston Advanced Research Center, Spring 2014

Melanie Johnson – President & CEO, Collaborative for Children, Spring 2014

Robin Mansur – President & CEO, Houston Health Foundation, Spring 2014

Marcia Faschingbauer – President & CEO, Excargo Services, Spring 2014

Brock Wagner – Founder, Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Spring 2014

Pamela Wells, Ed.D. – Public Education Supporter, Wells Education Consulting, Spring 2014

Suzan Deison – CEO, President & Founder, Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Spring 2014

Amanda Edwards – Principal, The Community Based Solutions Firm, Spring 2014

Marcus Davis – Owner, The Breakfast Klub, Spring 2014

Sidney Evans, II – Sr. Advisor, Business Affairs, Reliant Energy, Fall 2014

Beverly Denver – Founder, Editor & Publisher, Houston Women’s Magazine, Fall 2014

Patra Brannon-Isaac – Director of Education and Community Projects, Kinder Foundation, Spring 2015

Bill Toomey – EVP, Regional President, Houston & Central Texas, Truist, Spring 2015

Adeeb Barqawi – President & CEO, ProUnitas, Fall 2015

Carrin Patman – U.S. Ambassador to Iceland, Fall 2015

Claudia Vasquez – LPL Financial Advisor, Wallstreet Texas, Spring 2016

Lisa Gonzalez – Vice President & Executive Director, Audubon Texas, Fall 2017

Lharissa Jacobs – Executive Director, Fit Houston, Fall 2022