What do you love most about Houston?
I have lived in a few cities – Atlanta, Orlando, and New York (my original hometown), so when I tell you that I love this city, I mean it. I’ve been here for 23 years and the city continues to surprise and delight me. Of course, I love the food, arts, and sports, but what connects me to Houston are the people.
Your family has a long history of non-profit service, what have you learned from them that you will bring to Family Houston?
My first job out of college was working at the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science, a non-profit dedicated to pursuing science for the benefit of humanity. My uncle was the CEO and offered me a job in planned giving. I couldn’t believe the generosity people showed to the organization. These were people who were so passionate about the work the Institute was doing that they made a financial commitment to ensure the work continued, even after they were no longer here I learned that if an organization connects with its donors and shows them how they are benefiting a cause, people will provide the resources to make sure it can continue its work.
What is most inspiring about Family Houston?
There are a lot of things to be inspired by at Family Houston, but what first drew my attention was the legacy of the organization. As one of the oldest social service organizations in Houston (we are getting ready to celebrate our 120th Anniversary this year), I am inspired by Family Houston’s flexibility and accessibility. Family Houston has been able to dedicate its resources to where Houstonians need those resources the most. The gift of having this kind of flexibility allows us to consistently connect with people and make a meaningful impact throughout the 6 counties we serve. With so many struggling, it’s inspiring to be part of an organization that is so dedicated to helping people.
What do you want to accomplish in the first 100 days?
What I need to do first is understand the mechanics of the organization – the nuts and bolts. I recognize that I have come into the organization as an outsider from a different industry. I’m spending a lot of time talking with our staff and visiting our offices. My background in business has taught me that if you want to make sure you are getting the job done, you better have all of your systems in place. Everyone here is so passionate about the organization and I want to understand where that comes from so that I can channel it back into the community. I want to figure out how our services are connecting and potentially identify more opportunities to serve. I plan to dive deep so that I can provide a clear vision for this next phase of Family Houston under my leadership.
What is something that people would be interested to know about you?
I love animals and nature. I consider myself an amateur botanist– I need green around me all the time! We have two dogs – Skye and Hazel – and my son, Zach, has two lizards – Gimli and Bossk (yes, I’m also a sci-fi nerd). I’m also a marine hobbyist. We have a saltwater tank that houses, among other fish, Shaquille O’Eel (a Snowflake eel).