history makers and proud americans edition

Published by Aubrey R. Taylor Communications

HISTORYMAKERS

& PROUD AMERICANS

Ronald C. Green“History Maker”

HOUSTON, TEXAS

For the first time since 1881 the GOP will have African-American representativesin the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.

THE GOP DEMOCRAT

Ford was founded in1903 by Henry Ford andis one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world.

It is the fifth largest car company in theworld with car numbers taken into consideration.

The Ford Motor Company is the world’slargest family-owned business.

Since the time Henry Ford retired from his CEO position all subsequent CEO’s are direct relatives.

The GT40 which is the company’s famousrace car won the Le Mans car race 4 times in succession. This is a 24 hour race.

The oval blue Ford label badge was introduced for the first time in 1907 and is synonymous with the brand.

- www.thebulletinboard.biz - HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE 03

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MUSTANGExperience the rush of Mustang like you never have before.From all across the globe, drivers feel the rush.

All-New 2.3L EcoBoost®Mustang is out of the gate with its first-ever

EcoBoost®engine - a 2.3L marvel of power.

• 310 horsepower*

• 320 lb-ft. of torque*

• Best-in-class 21 city/32 hwy/25 combined mpg**

2015 SUPER DUTY PICKUP AVAILABLE 6.7LPOWER STROKE® V8 TURBO DIESEL6.7L Power Stroke® with best-in-class power and fuel economy.

• Best-in-class 440 diesel horsepower*

• Best-in-class fuel economy**

• Larger turbocharger for greater on-demand performance

• B20-capable

• Quiet and clean operation

• 860 lb.-ft. of diesel torque

*Class is Full-Size Pickups over 8,500 lbs. GVWR.

**Based on Ford simulated city-suburban drive-cycle tests of comparably equipped 2015 Ford

and 2011-2013 competitive models, consistent with SAE Standard J1321.

HISTORY MAKER

Americans 2014

Mayor Allen Owen, mayor of Missouri City,Texas is one of the longest serving mayors

in the state of Texas." -- PLEASE SEE P.48“06 HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE -

The GT40 is only 40 inches high and thus qualifies to be a race car. It is one of the world’s most well-known race cars.

WWW.AUBREYRTAYLOR.BLOGSPOT.COM 07

Meet Allen Owen

“Mayor Allen Owen, mayor of

Missouri City, Texas is one of

the longest serving mayors in the

state of Texas."

Meet Ronald C. Green

“Ronald C. Green made history by

becoming the first African Ameri-

can Controller for the City of Houston."

Meet Will Hurd

“Congressman Elect Will Hurd

(23rd Congressional District of

Texas) defeated a powerful Democratic

Congressman by the name of Pete Galle-

gos to become the first black Republican

from Texas to ever win a United States

Congressional seat."

CONTACT INFORMATION957 NASA PARKWAY #251

HOUSTON, TX 77058

(832)212-8735Houston Business Connections Magazine

is published by Aubrey R. Taylor

Communications. All Rights Reserved.

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HISTORY MAKER

Americans 2014

Ronald C. Green made history by becom-ing the first African American Controller for

the City of Houston." -- PLEASE SEE P.48“08 HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE -

Henry Ford was the inventor of the assembly line concept in car manufacturing. This method of assembly is the way most cars are built today. He is said to have got the idea from looking at a pig-slaughtering line.

Meet Mia Love

“Congresswoman ElectMia Love (4th Congres-

sional District of Utah) is the first black Republican woman to be elected to the UnitedStates Congress."

Meet Tim Scott

“Senator Tim Scott, SouthCarolina's first black

elected senator is the first blacksenator elected in the SouthernRegion of the United States since Reconstruction.”

Meet Frank Jackson

“Frank D. Jackson hasserved as the City of

Prairie View's Mayor Since May 4, 2002. He graduated fromPrairie View A&M University in1973 with a Bachelors of Arts De-gree and was Commissioned andEnsign in the United States Navy.”

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HISTORY MAKER

Congressman Elect Will Hurd (23rd Con-gressional District of Texas) defeated a

powerful Democratic Congressman by the nameof Pete Gallegos to become the first black Republican from Texas to ever win a UnitedStates Congressional seat." -- PLEASE SEE P.44“10 HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE -

Ford purchased the Lincoln Motor Company in 1925 and is the company’s luxury car line. This line is the company’s luxury line and is popular for the “Town car”.

Americans2014


Meet Michael S. Wolfe, Sr.

“Mayor Michael S. Wolfe,Sr. is the mayor of Hemp-

stead Texas. Mayor Wolfe is work-ing hard to make Hempstead a cityanyone would want to live in.”

Meet Dr. Patricia Bath

“As a noted Opthamologistand famous black inventor,

Dr. Patricia Bath has dedicated herlife to the treatment and preventionof visual impairments. Her personalbelief that everyone has the "Right toSight" led to her invention in 1985 ofa specialized tool and procedure forthe removal of cataracts. With theLaserphaco Probe and procedure,Dr. Bath increased the accuracy andresults of cataract surgery, whichhad previously been performed man-ually with a mechanical grinder.

The difference between the oldmethod and her new invention wasthe difference between the use ofhighly accurate laser technologyand the somewhat subjective accu-racy of a mechanical device.”

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Congresswoman Elect Mia Love (4thCongressional District of Utah) is the

first black Republican woman to be elected tothe United States Congress." -- PLEASE SEE P.44“12 HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE -

HISTORY MAKER

The company opened its first overseas factoryin Manchester England, in 1911. The companyalso went by the name of Ford of Britain.

Americans2014


Meet George Alcorn

“George Alcorn is probablymost famous for his innova-

tion of the imaging x-ray spectrom-eter – a device that helps scientistsbetter understand what materialsare composed of when they cannotbe broken down. Receiving apatent for his method in 1984, Al-corn's inclusion of the thermomi-gration of aluminum in thespectrometer was regarded as amajor innovation by experts in thefield. The invention led to Alcorn'sreception of the NASA Inventor ofthe Year Award.”

Meet Kevin Brady

“Congressman Kevin Bradytakes a moment to share a

few thoughts on why he’s proud tobe an American.”

Meet Patricia Harless

“State Rep.Patricia Harlessshares a few thoughts on

why she’s proud to be an American.”

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Americans 2014

Senator Tim Scott, South Carolina's firstblack elected senator is the first black sen-

ator elected in the Southern Region of the UnitedStates since Reconstruction.” -- PLEASE SEE P.46“14 HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE -

HISTORY MAKER

The very first car that Ford released was the Model A but the Model T became the company’s real success story.


Meet Loyd Wright

“Judge Loyd Wright takes a moment to share a few

thoughts on why he’s proud to bean American. Judge Wright is a the Court #1 Probate Judge forHarris County.”

Meet Carl Pittman

“Carl Pittman takes a moment to share a few

thoughts on why he’s proud to bean American. Pittman is an AfricanAmerican Republican running forHarris County Sheriff in the 2014Republican Primary.”

Meet Carroll G. Robinson

“Carroll G. Robinson announces his intentions

to run for City of Houston Controllerin the November 2015 MayoralElection for Houston, Texas.Carroll G. Robinson is committedto making sure that city govern-ment works for all Houstonians.”

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Buffalo Soldiers National Museum

A tradition of valor...

3816 Caroline StreetHouston, Texas 77004Contact: (713)942-8920

The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum (BSNM) anon-profit 501(c)(3) institution was founded in theyear 2000 by a Vietnam veteran and AfricanAmerican military historian, Captain Paul J.Matthews. The museum’s Historian is Dr.Franklin D.B. Jackson, a highly decorated Viet-nam veteran. Currently, Major Charles Williams,Historian and former member of the UnitedStates Army, serves as the Museum’s Chief Do-cent. The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum is aproud member of the Houston Museum District.We are the only Museum dedicated primarily topreserving the legacy and honor of the African-American soldier, in the United States of Amer-ica. The museum is also a proud member of theGreater Houston Conventions and Visitors Bu-reau, and the Greater Houston Partnership.

Exhibit Hours:Monday – Friday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PMFree Admission on Thursday1:00 PM – 5:00 PMSaturday10:00 AM – 4:00 PMGeneral Admission:$10.00 per adult$5.00 per student(including college W/ID), Senior 60-older, military, children 5-under-FREE

Museum Booking

Allow the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum to assist you with planning your next meeting, social outing, or business networking event. For more information call(713) 942-8920 or send us an e-mail at [email protected]

www.buffalosoldiermuseum.com16 HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE -

FEATURED SUPPORTER

Captain Paul J. MatthewsFounder of the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum

www.buffalosoldiermuseum.com

Americans2014

FEATURED SUPPORTER

Americans2014

“Thank you so much for the privilege of serving the people of HarrisCounty as judge of Harris County Probate Court 4 for another fouryears. I pray that I will always be a blessing to those we serve, my co-workers, my family, and my friends.” – Christine Riddle Butts

ExperienceIntegrityDedication

aaa

BUTTSChristine Butts was raised in Houston and graduated from Westfield High

School. While in high school, she worked with her father, a probate lawyer, in

his small law firm. She went on to graduate from the University of Texas at

Austin with a bachelor of business administration degree. Soon after college,

she married Donald Butts and studied law at the University of Houston. After

graduating from law school, Christine joined her father's boutique estate

planning and probate firm. Serving clients in a private practice has enabled

her to learn a great deal about probate, guardianship, and mental health is-

sues. More importantly, private practice has given her a balanced perspective

and a view into how these issues impact families.

In 2010, Christine was elected as the judge of Harris County Probate Court 4,

where she, along with the other probate judges, developed the following enhance-

ments designed to improve the courts' service to the public and increase efficiency

for the attorneys practicing in the probate courts:

• The Guardianship Handbook was created and published in English

and in Spanish. It is now given to every person appointed as a guardian

• The courts offer a free Continuing Legal Education program every quarter

• The Standards for Attorney Fees were updated and clarified

• Helpful Guidelines designed to assist attorneys seeking help with less

common probate procedures were published to the court’s website and

are offered in the offices of the court free of charge

Throughout her legal career, Christine has been dedicated to the mission of

helping families in crisis, as evidenced by the following professional

accomplishments, recognition, and leadership:

• Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate by the Texas Board

of Legal Specialization since 2003

• Attorney ad Litem appointed by the probate courts in probate and

guardianship matters

• Former Partner in the boutique probate and estate planning firm,

Riddle, Butts & Akiens, LLP

• Texas Rising Star (2008, 2009, 2010) (As published in Texas Monthly

Super Lawyer Magazine)

• Houston’s Top Lawyers for the People (2007-2009) (As published

in H Texas Magazine)

• Houston’s Top Lawyers (2007-2009) (As published in H Texas Magazine)

• Former Board Member Planned Giving Council of Houston

• Member of Attorneys in Tax and Probate

• Member of Disability and Elder Law Attorneys Association

• Member of Pasadena Bar Association

• Member Association of Women Attorneys

• Board Member of National College of Probate Judges

• Published works located at www.buttsforjudge.com

Christine is dedicated to her community. She is a sustaining member of the Junior

League of Houston and served as a seamstress for many years making blankets

and diaper bags for young mothers. She and her husband enjoy raising their four

children, raising money for MS through bike riding, and hiking in the Hill Country.

FOR HARRIS COUNTY PROBATE JUDGE COURT NO. 4

“Thank you so much for the privilege of serving the people of HarrisCounty as judge of Harris County Probate Court 4 for another fouryears. I pray that I will always be a blessing to those we serve, my co-workers, my family, and my friends.” – Christine Riddle Butts

KERYL L. DOUGLAS3730 Kirby Drive, Suite 1200Houston, TX 77098Phone: 713-819-9945

The Law Offices of

aADR aBusiness aConsumer aCreditor-DebtoraCriminal aEthics-Legal Malpractice aFamilyaGovernment/Administrative aIntellectual PropertyaLabor-Employment aLitigation aPersonal InjuryaWills-Trusts-Probate aElder Law aEntertainment aImmigration aSchool Law aAppellate aCivil Law

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Americans2014

Q&A With United StatesCongressman Kevin Brady

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Congressman Brady, why areyou proud to be an American?

CONGRESSMAN KEVIN BRADY: I firstunderstood why I’m proud of being Ameri-can from my mom. In 1967, my worldchanged when dad took on a difficult casefor our local church. While helping an eld-erly woman escape an abusive marriage,we were repeatedly threatened. Mom evenlearned to use a gun, just in case. When thetrial started, this angry man burst into thecourtroom, killed his wife, killed my fatherand shot the judge – who thankfully lived.His actions left our mom to raise five chil-dren by herself – ages 14 to 3.

I tell you this because being an Americanis about making my fiercely independentand determined mother proud. She kept fivekids on the straight andnarrow with a good of-fensive. She had usserving our communityfrom morning to night.For me, it was BoyScouts, altar boy at twochurches, year-roundsports and student government. In our com-munity, if a club or activity existed, it was agood bet you’d find a Brady kid there.

She taught each of us to be independent,optimistic, to have faith in God and to giveback. Everything I am. Everything I knowabout being an American, I owe my mom.

FEATURED SUPPORTER


CONGRESSMAN KEVIN BRADY is a pro-family, pro-small business conser-

vative fighting for free enterprise, limited government, a balanced budget,

secure border, more American-made energy and an innovation economy

that leads the world. Are you worried that your children and grandchildren

won't have the same freedom and opportunities that you enjoy? Then let's

all go to the polls and bring our principles, values and our knowledge.

POLITICAL AD PAID FOR BY KEVIN BRADY FOR CONGRESS

Americans2014

REAL TALK ABOUT OUR MONEY

JenebaSpeaksBlogging the Intersection of Politics and Technology

...Black Enterprise analyzed a 2012 Nielsen study that con-cluded that African American buying power will reach 1 Trilliondollars by 2015. The BE piece tackled the data from the per-spective of how marketers and advertisers have taken thisgroup for granted, but maybe shouldn’t given all the money ithas to spend.

Mainstream underestimation of Black spending potential isan important observation to point out, as I myself haveargued that more businesses ought to be investing inemerging markets (those in predominantly minoritycommunities, in business owned by minorities andthose servicing minority communities).

However, barely beneath the surface of whatmaybe should be an optimistic report is an underliningdistressing story.

Should we be proud of just making up 13% of thetotal population yet spending at a rate of growth thatoutpaces the remaining population by 30 percent?

While it is wonderful to acknowledge the report’s datawhich shows that the Black American demographic is younger,more educated and have higher incomes than commonly be-lieved, what can be said about the fact that we aren’t retainingthat wealth for the long term and at a rate sufficient to passdown wealth to subsequent generations?

And it is getting worse just as this report shows we arespending more, a more recent report from the Urban Institute re-leased in April reveals that the Black –White wealth gap haswidened significantly over the past half decade. It noted that in2010, white families earned, on average, about $2 for every $1that black families earned, a ratio that has been the same for thepast 30 years. And in terms of assets, cash savings, homes andretirement accounts, subtracted from debt like mortgages andcredit cards, white families have six times the wealth.

And for all the spending we are doing, it’s not necessarilygoing to help black businesses either.

Although Blacks make up 13% of the US population, theyown merely 5% of all US firms and only 1.8% of companies thatemploy more than one person, a Small Business AdministrationReport states. And Black owned firms are not necessarily themost profitable either. More than half of Black-owned busi-nesses had less than $10,000 in business receipts in 2002,compared with one-third of White-owned firms and 28.8 percent

of Asian-owned firms.The report further found that on average, for every dollar

that a White-owned firm made, Pacific Islander-owned firmsmade about 59 cents, Hispanic-, Native American-, and Asian-owned businesses made 56 cents, and Black-owned busi-nesses made 43 cents

And in this economy where sequestration is affecting contrac-tors, it is key to note that minority firms depend more heavily ongovernment contracting opportunities than do non minority-ownedbusinesses, according to a 2012 report. Thus, minority-ownedsmall businesses are suffering the most under austerity cuts.

Of course, it is fair to note the role of institutions like slaveryin the gap. Black workers were prevented fromearning money for their labor and to build wealth topass down. Later, institutional discrimination playeda part, like that which prevented blacks from bene-fiting from free education via the GI Bill of the1940s and 1950s or from the Homestead Act whichawarded whites virtually free land.

But since then and despite ongoing discrimi-nation and racism as impediments, there should be

an examination into whether leanings toward instantgratification purchases as opposed to saving and investing inhomes, businesses and other sustainable areas are doomingour prospects to build wealth.

Thus, Nielsen 1 Trillion spending and buying power by 2015prediction is not necessarily good news when turned on itshead,and juxtaposed with a not so good Black financial outlook.

That report should not be a call for marketers to spend moretime and energy trying to convince us to buy their stuff, butrather a call to arms to better educate ourselves on saving andgrowing money so that it lasts longer than one pay period.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt represents small, women,and minority owned business and technology companies at The GhattLaw Group LLC, the nations’ first communications law firm owned bywomen and minorities. She's won landmark cases on behalf of herclients which include national civil rights and public interest organiza-tions. In addition to actively authoring several blogs, being a radio showhost and sitting on the boards of three non-profits, she is a tech junkiewho has been developing online web content since the very early yearsof the Internet, 1991 to be precise! Follow her on Twitter at@Jenebas-peaks, on her blog, www.Jenebaspeaks.com, which covers the inter-section of politics and technology or on herPolitics of Raising Childrenblog at The Washington Times Communities section.

Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt

HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE 25www.jenebaspeaks.com

The Honorable Frank D. Jackson has served as the City of PrairieView's Mayor Since May 4, 2002

ABOUT MAYOR JACKSON

Mayor Frank D. Jackson was born and raised in Luling,Texas and is the second of three sons born to Robbie JacksonSr. and Willie Louise Jackson.

He graduated from Luling High School in 1969 and enteredPrairie View A&M College during the Fall Semester of this same year.

Frank D. Jackson majored in Geography and earned a 4-yearScholarship as a Naval Science student.

He graduated from Prairie View A&M University in 1973with a Bachelors of Arts Degree and was Commissioned andEnsign in the United States Navy. During his Eight years of Ac-tive Duty, Frank D. Jackson served aboard the Nuclear Pow-ered Cruiser USS Long Beach CG (N) 9, the USS Coral Sea CV43 and the USS Inchon LPH 12. He ended his active duty serv-ice at Prairie View A&M University in 1982 as Assistant Profes-sor for Naval Science – Navigation and Ship-handlingInstructor. Frank D. Jackson immediately accepted a Commis-sion in the US Naval Reserves and was promoted to the rank ofCaptain in 1995 (Officer Grade 06).

He began his employment at Prairie View A&M University in1982 as Associate Counselor for Admissions. Frank D. Jacksonhas served the University as Director of the Memorial StudentCenter, Assistant Director of University Centers, Director for Auxil-iary Services, Director of Student Initiatives and Development andcurrently serves as Governmental Relations Officer for PrairieView A&M University.

He served on the City Council – City of Prairie View for 12 years,and 8 years as County Commissioner Precinct 3, Waller County,Texas. Frank D. Jackson was elected Mayor for the City of PrairieView, Texas on May 4, 2002. He was re-elected to serve a secondterm May 8, 2004, re-elected to serve a third term on May 13, 2006,re-elected to serve a fourth term on May 10, 2008, re-elected toserve a fifth term on May 8, 2010 and re-elected to a sixth term onMay 12, 2012.

In addition, Frank D. Jackson is President and Fire Chief ofthe Prairie View Volunteer Fire Fighting Association, Inc., andPast Master of Lone Star Lodge #85 – Hempstead, Texas andcurrently serves as Grand Junior Warden for the Most WorshipfulPrince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas and is a 33º Mason. He is anactive member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Epsilon TauLambda Chapter – Prairie View, Texas.

Frank D. Jackson was inducted into Prairie View A&M Univer-sity’s Sports Hall Of Fame with the Hall Of Fame Class of 2010. He isa 2012 recipient of the Texas Conference of the NAACP’s President’sAward. He is the author of five books: A Brief History of The City ofPrairie View, Texas; A Brief History of The Most Worshipful PrinceHall Grand Lodge of Texas & Jurisdiction; Juneteenth In the BrazosRiver Valley; His-Story – A History of Africans in America; Down ThatRoad – A Pictorial History of Prairie View A&M University.

Mayor Jackson is married to the former Marian Elaine Jones

and is the father of four children, Tracy, Ayanna, Cheikh & Okofo.

The Jackson’s have two grandchildren Chazrel & Simone.

CITY OF PRAIRIE VIEW, TXFEATURED SPONSOR

Frank D. JacksonMAYOR OF PRAIRIE VIEW, TEXAS

Regardless of the phenomenon we encounterin this life; it would be a whole lot better if we

just do it together” – Mayor Frank D. Jackson“

CITY OF PRAIRIE VIEW, TX“A city at the point on the frontiers of change”

City of Prairie View, Texas44500 Business Highway 290P.O. Box 817Prairie View, TX 77446

City Hall...................936-857-3711Municipal Court.......936-857-5327Police Department...936-857-3521

Americans2014

FEATURED SUPPORTER

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE WRIGHT CHOICE!“I am very grateful and humbled to keep the best job I've everhad. The effort in Harris County by so many individuals andgroups was overwhelming. Thank you all.” -- Judge Wright

Americans2014

…and Justice for ALL30 YEARS OF PROBATE ANDGUARDIANSHIP EXPERIENCE

From Judge Wright:In 2010 and just recently in 2014, I had the honor and

privilege of being elected Judge of Harris County ProbateCourt No. 1, one of the busiest probate courts in thecountry. I am near the end of my first term and it contin-ues to be the most rewarding experience of my career.

As an attorney with over 27 years experience in pro-bate, trust guardianship, estate planning, and elder law, Ideveloped a reputation for handling the matters en-trusted to me with diligence and integrity. I often repre-sented executors, administrators, trustees, guardians,and beneficiaries in complex probate proceedings, andrecovered millions of dollars in assets lost through fraud

and breach of fiduciary duty.Over the years, I was alsoappointed by the probatejudges to handle both con-tested and uncontested es-tate and guardianshipmatters. The experience Igarnered over the last thirtyyears has served me well onthe bench.

Prior to coming to thebench, I was licensed topractice in all Courts in theState of Texas, the UnitedStates District Court (South-ern District), the UnitedStates Court of Appeals (5th

Circuit), and the United States Tax Court.I also served two terms as a member of the District

4A grievance committee (which disciplines attorneys) andserved as Chair in 1994. I am a member of the State Barof Texas Real Estate, Probate and Trust Section, TaxationSection and Litigation Section and the Houston Bar Asso-ciation Probate, Trusts and Estate Section, Taxation Sec-tion and Litigation Section. I also belong to the HoustonBusiness and Estate Planning Council and the HoustonEstate and Financial Forum. I am also a member of theDisability and Elder Law Attorneys Association and Attor-neys in Tax and Probate.

I received my JD from the University of Houston in1981, and a BBA (1977 - accounting) and MBA (1980 -accounting/taxation) from the University of Texas.

I am grateful for the opportunity to continue toearn your trust and support as Judge of HarrisCounty Probate Court No. 1.

MAKE THE WRIGHT CHOICE AGAIN ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018

PAID POL. ADV. JUDGE LOYD WRIGHT CAMPAIGN 2018

THE WRIGHT FAMILY

Americans2014

Multi-Millionaire Blue Diamond Edwin Haynes Is On A Mission to Create More Millionaires

Edwin Haynes is a successful entrepreneur, international business consultant, motivational speaker, best-sell-ing author, and multi-millionaire who has experienced the highs and lows of success. After a successful 13-year ca-reer as an Entertainment Executive, Haynes experienced a devastating setback that crippled him personally,professionally and financially. As result of a series of setbacks Haynes hit rock bottom, free-falling from millionairestatus into foreclosure, bankruptcy and repossession.

When everything seemed to be crashing down around him, including emotional and physical health; at his worst mo-ment, Haynes would not let his circumstances consume him. He knew that he innately possessed the mindset of a mil-lionaire, and the tools that would lead him to his true purpose.

Although Edwin’s journey on the road to success was paved with obstacles that would normally sideline the averageperson, Haynes prepared for change and climbed his way back up the ladder by utilizing the “nine mile markers to suc-cess” outlined in his current book, “You Have Permission to Succeed.”

Blessed with the gift of captivating audiences with his seemingly effortless down to earth and honest style, Haynes positivelychanges the lives of thousands daily through powerful messages of faith, encouragement and empowerment. Today, he contin-ues to dominate his industry while empowering individuals worldwide to advance on both personal and professional levels.

WANT TO BE A PART OF EDWIN’S TEAM IN 2015?A “Blue Diamond” is an individual with over $30,000 per week “Dual Team”earning potential in ORGANO GOLD.

Organo Gold is on a mission, spreading the knowledge of Ganoderma to the four corners of the world. By using thecost effective network distribution system to deliver these Ganoderma products, more of every dollar is shared with ourgrowing Organo Gold family world-wide.

Think about your future. Where will you and your family be in 5 years from right now? You may know where you wantto be, but do you know how you are going to get there? Do you have a plan? Now more than ever it’s up to you to defineyour future. That’s where Organo Gold comes into the picture.

Organo Gold is a global family that is growing and thriving every day. A family that is caring and compassionate andbelieves that the knowledge of Ganoderma should be in the hands of people world-wide. It’s a family that cares about you.

YOU CAN BE A PART OF TEAM HAYNESEdwin is looking to Coach and Mentor 10 NEW individuals in his current business venture. If you

are serious about the secrets of a millionaire and creating wealth and want to know more Edwin Haynes visit

www.edwinhaynes.com today!

Edwin & Andrea Haynes2470 S. Dairy Ashford, Ste. 217 I Houston, TX 77077

Phone: 832-405-7187

FEATURED SPONSOR

Start with what you have and where you are. Don't wait for something big to occur.” – Edwin Haynes

Start with what you have and where you are. Don't wait for something big to occur.” – Edwin Haynes“

www.edwinhaynes.com

Americans2014

www.wesleyward.comPd. Pol. Ad by Wesley Ward Campaign, in compliance with the voluntary limits of the Judicial Campaign Fairness Act, Kaye T. Goolsby, Treasurer.

FAIR, HARDWORKING JUDGE■ Appointed by the Governor in November 2012■ Formal Investiture in December 2012■ Confirmed in a unanimous vote of the Texas

Senate in February 2013■ Ranked in the top tier of all Harris County Civil

District Judges in various categories

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND & COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES■ Eagle Scout■ Texas A&M, BBA-Accounting, National

Merit Scholar■ Certified Public Accountant since 1995■ Graduate of UT Law School, with Honors

Order of BarristersNiemann Cup as top advocate

Texas Supreme Court Judicial Intern

■ Highly-rated in the 2013 HBA Judicial Evaluation Poll

“Outstanding” rating in all areas evaluated:- Follows the law- Rules decisively and timely- Courteous & attentive- Demonstrated impartiality- Uses attorneys’ time efficiently- Works hard and is prepared

■ Captain on Houston Livestock Show TeamPenning & Ranch Sorting Committee

■ Past Chair of Associates’ Roundtable, Rice’sJames A. Baker III Center for Public Policy

■ St. Luke’s United Methodist Church – Sunday school teacher, usher, member of Board of Stewards, youth soccer coach

■ Married 17 years to the amazing Molly Ward, with 3 awesome children – Lily, Ava, and Wylie

“Wow! Thank you all so much for all your friendship andsupport through this long campaign. I am so honored and pleased to be able to continue to serve our community, and will work diligently to provide fair and efficient justice to all matters! Thank you!”

Judge Wesley Ward with his wife, Molly, and their three children.

Americans2014

We’re A+ Rated with the Better Business Bureau. So you can count on Greater

Houston Consulting & Tax Services, Inc. to getyour taxes done right.” - Jimmy Coleman“Americans

2014

Cheryl &Jimmy Coleman

LET GREATER HOUSTON CONSULTING & TAX SERVICES,INC. HANDLE YOUR TAX RELATED NEEDS IN 2015Since 1980, Jimmy Coleman and his fine team of Tax Professionals at Greater Houston Consulting & TaxServices, Inc. (GHCT), has been helping Houstonians to rest a little easier when it comes to knowing thattheir tax related business has been taken care of. That's because Greater Houston Consulting & Tax Serv-ices, Inc, has a firm stated commitment that they are governed by: to always put the needs of their customersfirst. GHCT specializes in Tax Preparation, IRS Representation, Business Start-up/Consulting, and Bookkeep-ing Services. Conveniently located at 12606 Hillcroft, GHCT is uniquely positioned to service the needs of in-dividuals living in southwest Houston, as well as those having to travel down South Main Street from MissouriCity, Sugarland, Richmond, Rosenberg and other parts of Fort Bend County to get to and from work in theHouston area – and other parts of Harris County.

GHCT HAS AN A+ RATING WITH THE BBB

Greater Houston Consulting & Tax Services, Inc., currently has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureauwith no complaints having ever been filed against it. So, if you're looking for an independent Tax PreparationService, where honesty, integrity, and putting you first is the order of the day: you should seriously considercalling Jimmy Coleman and his team of professionals at Greater Houston Consulting & Tax Services, Incorpo-rated at (713)723-2005 to schedule an appointment today!

GHCT HAS A CUSTOMER FIRST POLICY

What Cynthia Stewart had to say about Greater Houston Consulting & Tax Services, Incorporated: "I haveused Greater Houston Consulting and Tax Services to prepare my taxes for at least the last 20 years. Theyare prompt and dependable. I appreciate their honest approach to my taxes and the thoroughness employedin helping me pay only what is owed or ideally to receive a refund when appropriate. Jimmy Coleman's adviceand counsel concerning my personal finances and retirement planning has been invaluable. Cheryl andNicole are very helpful, efficient and personable, also. You will be well served by any of their staff. I highly rec-ommend this business."

What Tammy Michelle Davis had to say about Greater Houston Consulting & Tax Services, Incorporated:"Loyal, Professional, and Honesty at its BEST! ... I've been a very satisfied client of Greater Houston's Con-sulting and Tax Services for over 5 years. Each member of their staff are very professional, loyal and I cancount on their dependable and hardworking efforts to get the job done! Thanks Greater Houston!"

Another satisfied customer said this about Greater Houston Consulting & Tax Services Incorporated: "This istax service that cares about people. Greater Houston Tax Service has "great" employees that knows previousand current customers by their names. Some customers decide to seek other tax services, but they alwaysmanage to come back to Greater Houston Tax Service to prepare their taxes the correct way and to fix, whatmistakes that was made from other tax services."

GREATER HOUSTON CONSULTING & TAX SERVICES,INC., IS READY TO PUT YOUR NEEDS FIRST

For more information on Greater Houston Consulting & Tax Services, Inc., you should call Jimmy Coleman orone of his fine Tax Professionals at (713)723-2005, or feel free to stop by 12606 Hillcroft at South Main,Houston, Texas 77035. Email: [email protected] and expect to receive a fast, friendly, and educated an-swer to any tax related questions you may have today!

FEATURED SPONSOR

A CITY OF CHARACTER...GROWING STRONGER

Michael S. Wolfe, Sr.

Mayor of Hempstead Texas

City Hall1125 Austin StreetHempstead, TX 77445P: (979) 826-2486 F: (979) 826-6703

Public Works1405 8th StreetHempstead, TX 77445P: (979) 826-8313P: (979) 826-3557 F: (979) 921-0085

Municipal Court1015 11th StreetHempstead, Texas 77445 P: (979) 826-8838

Economic Development

733 12th StreetHempstead, Texas 77445P: (979) 826-2900F: (979) 826-2037

Street Department1820 14th StreetHempstead, Texas 77445P: (979) 826-8313P: (979) 826-9392

Police Department1015 11th StreetHempstead, TexasP: (979) 826-4972

“I am Michael S. Wolfe, Sr., theMayor of Hempstead, Texas. I gradu-ated from Hempstead High School. I received my B.A. in Political Scienceand my Master’s in Counseling atPrairie View A&M University.

I am the Pastor of BethlehemBaptist Church. My loving wife Deborah and I have two children;Demetria, and Michael S. Wolfe, Jr. We also have six grandchildren.

I am dedicated to making Hempstead the best city anyone would want to reside in.”

Americans2014

A CITY OF CHARACTER...GROWING STRONGER

Michael S. Wolfe, Sr.

Mayor of Hempstead Texas

“Older Men and Women teach the young children and theyoung adults that will listen. Each generation should starton our shoulders as we encourage,support and teach .We need finance,education and wisdom but we also needto pass down values.” - Bishop K.J. Brown Ministries

TITUS 2:1-5 IN THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION - You, however, must teach what is appropriateto sound doctrine. 2). Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and soundin faith, in love and in endurance. 3). Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live,not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4). Then they can urge theyounger women to love their husbands and children, 5). to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy athome, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

“I am the founder of Bishop K.J. Brown Ministries and The Pastor of ZionTabernacle Church. We’re located at 13155 Westheimer in Houston, Texas. ( Between Eldridge and Synott in the Wind Chimes Shopping Plaza ). We meet every 1st and 3rd Sunday at 12:15pm-2pm.” - Bishop

We’re Building Winning Lives...

www.bishopkjbrown.org

We’re Building Winning Lives...

Americans2014

Anthony A. AllenPresident/Apostle - (281)210-8374

Bishop Anthony A. Allen is an apostolic leader whoalso serves the community at large as a businessman, en-trepreneur, investor, author and entertainer. He is thefounder and president of Anthony Allen Ministries, a min-istry called to serve the urban community.

In 2001 Bishop Anthony A. Allen received a wordfrom the Holy Spirit instructing him to create systems thatwill keep and grow God’s people. Giving up his dream ofone day becoming a head coach for the NFL he set out topursue the call of God on his life. The first system he setout to create evolved from the first message he preachedentitled: “Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus.” This mes-sage which came from the book of St. Luke 9:23 leadBishop Anthony A. Allen to begin designing a church oper-ation system entitled Total Control. After years of develop-ment, his spiritual father the late Pastor Noah Newcosteand his mother Evengelist Christine Newcoste handedover the responsibility of carrying on their ministry, Houseof Hope International Church. Once given this responsibil-ity he was directed to implement the Total Control system.The first instructional book entitled: “Total Control 101”(You Are In Total Control) was released in February of2013, and the system was launched. Total Control 101serves as the first of a thirteen instructional book seriesthat ranges from you taking total control of you, to you tak-ing total control of your community duties abroad. Nowthat the book which serves as the foundation to the sys-tem has been released, Bishop Anthony A. Allen servesthe Kingdom of God eagerly awaiting a word from the HolySpirit on when to release the next book from this seriesalong with other material associated with the system.

Beyond his ministerial duties, Bishop Anthony A. Allenis also the owner of Allen Hip-Hop Enterprise LLC, a com-pany aimed at gaining the attention of the urban commu-nity at large with subsidiary companies like MBBGRecords, D.O.C FA LIFE (Urban Wear) and Bishop A En-terprise (Production Company). He is also a licensed T.V.Producer with the Houston Media Source, a music pro-ducer and music artist (TPK BISHOP A) with the groupHip-Hop Party League. His music group has been fea-tured on several reality shows, T.V. competitions and sit-coms. He is a former collegiate football and track athletefor Texas A&M Commerce who gives back to the future ofathletics by serving as an assistant coach with the Main-land Jaguars out of Galveston County. He is also theproud husband to First Lady Matishe R. Allen and the fa-ther of a combined family of 12 outstanding children andgrandfather to 6 blessed grandchildren.

Soon to celebrate 16 years in ministry, Bishop An-thony A. Allen looks forward to getting involved in his pas-sion of ministering economic growth to the masses. Abusiness major and licensed financial services agent,Bishop Anthony A. Allen plans to empower people aroundthe globe with the knowledge of how their economy worksverses how it really should work and how to get it to workfor them. His philosophy to life is “He that owns the dark-ness controls the darkness”.

Anthony Allen MinistriesFEATURED SPONSOR

Anthony Allen Ministries

www.anthonyallenministries.org

“The primary focus of Anthony AllenMinistries is to empower people withthe knowledge on how to achieveeconomic success within any society despite the current hardships at hand.” - Bishop A.

Americans 2014

Americans2014

WHY WE’RE PROUDTO BE AMERICANS

Americans2014

HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE 43

Meet Will Hurd

"Congressman Elect Will Hurd (23rdCongressional District of Texas) is a former CIA Officer who recently defeated a powerful Democratic Congressman by the name of PeteGallegos to become the first black Republican from Texas to ever win a United States Congressional seat."

Since June 2010 Will has been a Senior Advisor with the cyber-security firm FusionX, which he joined following a decade of federalservice and a run for public office in Texas. As a member of the Fu-sionX team Will helps tackle a wide range of complex cybersecuritychallenges facing large manufacturers, financial in-stitutions, major retailers and critical infrastructure

GET TO KNOW OUR “HISTORY MAKERS”AND “2014 PROUD AMERICANS”

providers. Additionally, from 2010 to 2013, Will was a partner with a

strategic advisory firm, Crumpton Group LLC, where he providedleadership across the full range of Crumpton Group’s service of-ferings—helping companies capture opportunities in internationalmarkets while managing risks to their physical assets, intellectualproperty and human resources.

Prior to returning to Texas in 2010, Will served for almost adecade as an undercover officer at the Central IntelligenceAgency. At the CIA, he worked at the nexus of some of America’smost important national security issues leading intelligence opera-tions on counterterrorism, cybersecurity and other critical threats.

The majority of his career was spent overseas in South Asia andthe Middle East where his primary mission was the recruitment offoreign assets, collection and dissemination of intelligence in sup-port of the President and senior government policymaker’s na-tional security decision making.

Will has the pleasure of serving on a School Advisory Com-mittee within the Northside Independent School District (NISD)and he had the honor of being recognized as one of NISD’s “Pil-lars of Character” for the 2011-2012 school year. He is also aboard member of the World Affairs Council of San Antonio.

A native of San Antonio, Texas and the youngest of three sib-lings, Will graduated in May 2000 from Texas A&M University inCollege Station with a Bachelor of Science degree in ComputerScience. While at A&M, he served as the President of the StudentUnion and was elected Student Body President.

Meet Mia Love

"Congresswoman Elect Mia Love(4th Congressional District ofUtah) is the first black Republicanwoman to be elected to the UnitedStates Congress."

Mayor Mia Love is the daughter of Haitian-American parentswho legally immigrated to the United States in the 1970s with thehope that they would one day achieve the American Dream forthemselves and their children. Born in Brooklyn, Mia was raisedprimarily in Connecticut and graduated from the University ofHartford with a degree in Fine Arts. Soon after graduation shemoved to Utah and married her husband, Jason Love.

Mia won a seat on the Saratoga Springs City Council in 2003,and six years later she was elected Mayor of Saratoga Springswith nearly 60 percent of the vote.

During her one full term as mayor, Mia pursued an agenda fo-cused on reducing city spending, fighting

against intrusions on personal liberty,and implementing sound fiscal policies. Despite the recent eco-nomic downturn, Saratoga Springs continues to hold the highestbond rating possible for a city of its size. Over the past three yearsthe city has also been awarded the Government Finance OfficersAssociation’s Distinguished Budget Presenta-tion Award. Only about 20 cities and towns in


Will Hurd

Mia Love

Dr. Patricia BathFight for the Right to Sight

Imagine living in a world rang-ing from hazy, clouded vision tothat of total darkness for 30 years.Before 1985, that was the plight ofthose with cataracts who did notwant to risk surgery with a me-chanical grinder. Now imagine sit-ting in a doctor's office withoutbeing able to see her as she ex-plains that it may be possible to restore your vision. Youcan't tell by studying body language whether to trustthis person or if they're pulling your leg. All you have togo by is the sound of the voice assuring you that thisprocedure is safe, more accurate and more comfortablethan traditional cataract surgery.

As a noted Opthamologist and famous black inven-tor, Dr. Patricia Bath has dedicated her life to the treat-ment and prevention of visual impairments. Her personalbelief that everyone has the "Right to Sight" led to her in-vention in 1985 of a specialized tool and procedure forthe removal of cataracts. With the Laserphaco Probeand procedure, Dr. Bath increased the accuracy and re-sults of cataract surgery, which had previously been per-formed manually with a mechanical grinder.

The difference between the old method and her newinvention was the difference between the use of highlyaccurate laser technology and the somewhat subjectiveaccuracy of a mechanical device. The LaserphacoProbe combined an optical laser, irrigation system andsuction tubes. In use, the laser is inserted into a tiny in-cision on the eye; the laser then vaporizes the cataractand lens material, which is removed via the suctiontubes. A replacement lens is then inserted on the eye.

With the Laserphaco Probe invention and the de-velopment of the procedure for its use, Dr. Bath helpedrestore the sight of several people who had beenblinded by cataracts for up to 30 years. Imagine the joythey felt when they opened their eyes to see Dr. Patri-

cia Bath's smiling face for the first time.

www.black-inventor.com

Dr. Patricia Bath

HISTORYMAKERS

& PROUD AMERICANS

the state of Utah receive this prestigious award each year.Citing the importance of getting federal spending under con-

trol, Mia announced last May that she is again running to repre-sent Utah’s 4th congressional district. At the 2014 UtahRepublican Nominating Convention, Mia received over 78 percentof the delegates’ votes to become the Republican nominee inUtah’s 4th congressional district.

Meet Tim Scott

"Senator Tim Scott, South Carolina'sfirst black elected senator is the firstblack senator elected in the Southern Region of the UnitedStates since Reconstruction.”

United States Senator Tim Scott is working daily to ensure thatevery American has the opportunity to succeed.

Growing up poor in a single parent household in NorthCharleston, South Carolina, Tim learned the importance of faith,hard work, and living within your means. By understanding thebasic economic principles Washington so often forgets, and withthe same determination he brings to advancing conservative princi-ples in the Senate, Scott grew from his humble beginnings to build

one of the most successful Allstate agencies in South Carolina. An unbridled optimist, Senator Scott believes that despite our

current challenges, our nation’s brightest days are ahead of us. Asa teenager, Tim had the fortune of meeting a strong, conservativementor, John Moniz. Moniz helped instill in Tim the notion that youcan think your way out of poverty, and that the golden opportunityis always right around the corner. The American Dream is aliveand well, and Tim’s story is a concrete example of that.

Senator Scott was sworn in to the U.S. Senate in January2013. He has launched his Opportunity Agenda, a new way for-ward including robust initiatives that give our students and work-ers the greatest chance to succeed. Tim knows that success iscreated in studio apartments and garages, at kitchen tables, andin classrooms across the nation - not in government conferencerooms in Washington.

His agenda will empower Americans through economic free-dom and high-quality education. Senator Scott will work with any-one else committed to building a better future to develop boldideas that break away from our past failures. This includes tax re-form to increase economic freedom, expanding school choice soevery child has a chance at a quality education, and providing al-ternatives for single parents to work their 40 hours a week by al-lowing for wider use of comp time.

Senator Scott is also working to find ways to help redevelopour poorest areas without pushing current residents out, bringdown energy costs that consume a quarter of after-tax income forfamilies making $30,000 or less, help young offenders and thoseaging out of the foster care system to receive the vital opportunityfor education, and ensure our kids who want to attend college cando so without incurring debilitating debt.

Tim also continues his work to get our nation’s spendingunder control, and has opposed measures he believes do not gofar enough. In his first hundred days as a Senator, he worked withcolleagues to introduce a Balanced Budget Amendment, and wasan original cosponsor on a bill to permanently ban the wastefulearmarking process.

Prior to being sworn in to the Senate, Senator Scott served inthe United States House of Representatives from 2011-2013,where he was a member of House leadership and sat on the influ-ential House Rules Committee. Tim also served on CharlestonCounty Council for 13 years, including four terms as Chair and inthe South Carolina House of Representatives for two years wherehe was elected Chairman of the Freshman Caucus and HouseWhip. He was the owner of Tim Scott Allstate and partner of Path-way Real Estate Group.

Meet Ronald C. Green

"Ronald C. Green made history bybecoming the first African AmericanController for the City of Houston."

On January 4th, 2010, former Houston City Council MemberRonald C. Green was sworn in as the first African American CityController in Houston’s nearly 200-year history.The City Controller is the second highest


Tim Scott

George AlcornInventor of the Imaging X-ray Spectrometer

Not many inventors have re-

sumes as impressive as GeorgeEdward Alcorn's. Among his cred-its, the African-American inventorreceived a B.A. in physics, amaster's degree in nuclearphysics and a Ph.D in atomic andmolecular physics. On top of that,Alcorn worked for the likes of Philco-Ford, Perkin-Elmer, IBM and NASA, created over 20different inventions and was granted eight patents.

Despite such impressive credentials, Alcorn isprobably most famous for his innovation of the imagingx-ray spectrometer – a device that helps scientists bet-ter understand what materials are composed of whenthey cannot be broken down. Receiving a patent forhis method in 1984, Alcorn's inclusion of the thermomi-gration of aluminum in the spectrometer was regardedas a major innovation by experts in the field. The in-vention led to Alcorn's reception of the NASA Inventorof the Year Award.

And that wasn't the only award George Edward Al-corn received. Along with being awarded a NASAmedal for his work in recruiting minority scientists andengineers, he also won the Government ExecutivesMagazine's prestigious Technology Leadership Awardfor the Airborne Lidar Topographical Mapping System.And, in 2001, Alcorn was awarded special congres-sional recognition for his efforts in helping Virgin Is-lands businesses through application of NASAtechnology and technology programs.

George Alcorn's work as an educator should notbe overlooked either. He held positions at both HowardUniversity and the University of the District of Colum-bia, where he taught courses in electrical engineering.He also was an organizer and mentor for the Univer-sity of Maryland, Baltimore County's (UMBC's) Myer-hoff Program, which works to promote minority Ph.Dsin science and mathematics.


George Alcorn

HISTORYMAKERS

& PROUD AMERICANS

elected office in the City of Houston, and serves as the public’s in-dependent “watchdog” over City finances.

Controller Ronald C. Green is a 1988 graduate of the HoustonIndependent School District's High School for Health Professions.Green earned both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business

Administration from the University of Houston, as well as alaw degree from Texas Southern University's ThurgoodMarshall School of Law. He is licensed to practice law inthe State of Texas, the District of Columbia, the 5th CircuitCourt of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.Green is also a licensed real estate broker.

Ronald Green is a founding partner of his own law firmand a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., 100 BlackMen of America, Inc., and Government Finance Officers As-sociation. Green and his wife, Justice of the Peace HillaryHarmon Green, have one son, Christopher. They are activemembers of Windsor Village United Methodist Church.

Meet Mayor Allen Owen

"Mayor Allen Owen, mayor of MissouriCity, Texas is one of the longest serving mayors in the state of Texas."

Mayor Owens has faithfully served as Missouri City’s mayor since1994. Mayor Owen has a long-standing documented track record ofplacing the citizens of Missouri City first. This track record and dedi-

cation was part of the reason Missouri City was honored as one ofthe top 10 safest cities in Texas by real estate website Movoto backin August of 2014. Movoto combined crime data from the top 100most populous municipalities in Texas, and used the FBI’s 2012Uniform Crime Report to determine that Missouri City is the sixthsafest city in Texas. 24/7 Wall St., a web-based corporation de-signed to report financial news and opinions, also recently rankedMissouri City 16th on their list of the top 50 places to live in theUnited States. Using data to rank municipalities based on factorssuch as employment, economy and infrastructure, 24/7 Wall St. cel-ebrated Missouri City’s low crime rate, proximity to Houston and af-fordability. Missouri City was the only city in the Houston area tomake the list; other Texas cities on the list include Richardson (#17)and Flower Mound (#9). The news organization’s profile of the

“Show Me City” also re-flected the following details: Median household income:$84,511; Median home value: $163,000; Average commutertravel time: 29.5 minutes. Missouri City is also one of the mostdiverse cities in America.


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Dr. James E. WestElectret Microphone Inventor

Ninety percent of micro-phones used today are based onthe ingenuity of James EdwardWest, an African-American in-ventor born in 1931 in Prince Ed-wards County, VA. If you’ve evertalked on the telephone, you’veprobably used his invention.

Dr. James E. West and a col-league, Gerhard Sessler, developed the mic (officiallyknown as the Electroacoustic Transducer Electret Mi-crophone) while with Bell Laboratories, and they re-ceived a patent for it in 1962. The acousticaltechnologies employed became widely used for manyreasons including high performance, acoustical accu-racy and reliability. It is also small, lightweight andcost effective.

West started at Bell labs as an intern and joinedthem full-time in 1957 after graduating from TempleUniversity. As the inventor of the microphone, JamesWest has received numerous awards and honors in-cluding a Fellow of IEEE, Industrial Research Insti-tute's 1998 Achievement Award, 1995 Inventor of theYear from the State of New Jersey and induction in theInventors Hall of Fame in 1999. James E. West holds47 US patents and more than 200 foreign patents fromhis 40-year career with Bell Laboratories.

During his career, West also involved himself withprograms designed to encourage minorities to takemore of a role in the sciences. In the 1970's, he was amember of the Association of Black Laboratories Em-ployees (ABLE) at Bell Labs that influenced manage-ment to fund the Summer Research Program (SRP)and Cooperate Research Fellowship Program(CRFP) – programs that helped more than 500 non-white students graduate with degrees in science, en-gineering and mathematics.

James Edward West now works with Johns Hop-kins University as a research professor.


Dr. James E. West

HISTORYMAKERS

& PROUD AMERICANS

Patriot Group Strategies11115 Sagevalley DrHouston, Texas [email protected]

Justin R. Jordan, CEO & FounderPatriot Group Strategies11115 Sagevalley Dr Houston, Texas 77089713.256.5756 Houston202.641.8502 Washington, D.C

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Patriot Group Strategies is a premier politicalconsulting firm located in Houston, Texas. Wespecialize in campaign strategy, radio and TV advertisement and direct mail. Our firm has a history of producing effective and hard hittingads. For a sample of our work send us a message. Our firm has expertise in targeting minority voters throughout the country.

Q&A with Judge Emmett

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be anAmerican?

HARRIS COUNTY JUDGE ED EMMETT: "As agrown man, I have had the privilege of holdingelected and appointed offices, and I have traveledthe world. As I saw the world, I reflected upon mygrowth and realized that the one factor most re-sponsible for my success was being born an Ameri-

can. The United States of America provides the fertile ground fromwhich an East Texas boy can become educated and play on the world stage.

And if the United States provides the fertile ground for accomplishment andprogress, it is the freedom given to each individual that nurtures their growth.

Every day, I am grateful that I was born an American."

Q&A with Orlando SanchezAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

COUNTY TREASURER ORLANDO SANCHEZ: "Because our country notonly fights to preserve my freedom, but it fights to preserve other's freedom andpromotes that concept around the world."


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Dr. Mark DeanComputer Inventions

As a child, MarkDean excelled in math.In elementary school, hetook advanced levelmath courses and, inhigh school, Dean evenbuilt his own computer,radio, and amplifier. Deancontinued his interests and went on to ob-tain a bachelor's degree in electrical engi-neering from the University of Tennessee,a masters degree in electrical engineeringfrom Florida Atlantic University and aPh.D. in electrical engineering from Stan-ford. He is one of the most prominentblack inventors in the field of computers.

Dr. Mark Dean started working at IBMin 1980 and was instrumental in the inven-tion of the Personal Computer (PC). Heholds three of IBM's original nine PCpatents and currently holds more than 20total patents. The famous African-Ameri-can inventor never thought the work hewas doing would end up being so useful tothe world, but he has helped IBM make in-strumental changes in areas ranging fromthe research and application of systemstechnology circuits to operating environ-ments. One of his most recent computerinventions occurred while leading theteam that produced the 1-Gigahertz chip,which contains one million transistors andhas nearly limitless potential.


Dr. Mark Dean

HISTORYMAKERS

& PROUD AMERICANS

Q&A with Controller GreenAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

CITY OF HOUSTON CONTROLLER RONALD C. GREEN:"People around the globe are envious of the enormous opportu-nities that most Americans have. I believe thegreatest advantage we have is the ability tochoose our leaders—and our history is richwith brilliant, humane and thoughtful leaders.Democracy is synonymous with America. I ampersonally proud that I have served my com-munity through elected office. In the largerscheme, I am proud of the ingenuity that de-fines America: our industrial and commercialstrengths, our medical and scientific break-throughs, our arts and cultural geniuses. Asan African-American, I take special pride inthat heritage and the many individual accom-plishments made to this country by those ofmy race who came before me."

Q&A with Justice WiseAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud tobe an American?

JUSTICE KEN WISE: "I am proud to bean American but even more than that I am so grateful to God forbeing born an American. No other country in the world gives itscitizens the freedom we enjoy. The freedom to worship as wechoose, build a business, raise a family, and do it all without agovernment directing how it is to be done is a precious state of af-fairs. I am proud of my country and I am grateful for the opportu-nity to serve as a small part of her government."

Q&A with Congressman Brady

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?CONGRESSMAN KEVIN BRADY: “I first understood why I’m

proud of being American from my mom. In 1967, my worldchanged when dad took on a difficult case for our local church.While helping an elderly woman escape an abusive marriage, wewere repeatedly threatened. Mom even learned to use a gun, justin case. When the trial started, this angry man burst into the court-room, killed his wife, killed my father and shot the judge – whothankfully lived. His actions left our mom to raise five children byherself – ages 14 to 3.

I tell you this because being an American is about making myfiercely independent and determined mother proud. She kept fivekids on the straight and narrow with a good offense. She had usserving our community from morning to night. For me, it was BoyScouts, altar boy at two churches, year-round sports and studentgovernment. In our community, if a club or activity existed, it was agood bet you’d find a Brady kid there.

She taught each of us to be independent, optimistic, to havefaith in God and to give back. Everything I am. Everything I knowabout being an American, I owe my mom.”

Q&A with Judge Bert RichardsonAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

JUDGE BERT RICHARDSON: "I am proud to be Americanbecause of the many opportunities we are afforded as citizens of

this great country in so manydifferent ways. To the personwho is willing to work hard,obtain an education, the op-portunities are limitless.These are opportunities notreadily available in otherparts of the world. While myfather had a successful mili-tary career, he and mymother both started their ownbusiness in the fine art indus-try after that career and haveone of the most successfulfine art galleries in San Anto-nio. My parents made surethat each of their children ob-tained college degrees gearedtowards helping us gain em-ployment and support ourfamilies. These are blessingsmany take for granted, butgiven my occupation as a for-mer State and federal prose-

cutor and judge, I am constantly aware that others would risk theirlives to come to this country just to have those advantages."

Q&A with Comptroller Elect HegarAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

TEXAS COMPTROLLER ELECT GLENN HEGAR: "I am ex-tremely proud of the millions of soldiers that have put their countrybefore themselves, all in order to defend these fought after liberties.Not only have they protected our freedom, they have also fought todefend the safety and freedom of millions all around the world.

Our Founding Fathers ensured that everyone is entitled to un-alienable rights given to them by God, and no one is allowed to in-fringe on these rights of ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It isbecause of this that I am proud to be an American and a Texan."

Q&A with Attorney RobertsAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?ATTORNEY SEAN ROBERTS: "I am proud to be an Ameri-

can because we strive to provide opportunities to succeed to any-one willing to work hard enough to achieve their goals."


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Q&A with State Rep. HarlessAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud tobe an American?

STATE REPRESENTATIVE PATRICIAHARLESS: "I am proud to be an American be-cause America is a country of people that un-derstand "to whom much is given, much isrequired". We have everyday citizens that givetheir time, talent and treasures to help others,not because they are required to by the govern-ment, but because they choose to. We are acountry founded, though at time it seems weak, on faith in Godand the Bible. We give, help, and sacrifice for others. It is just theAmerican way. Every time I see a disaster in some part of theUnited States, though my heart grieves for the loss, it also re-joices when I see complete strangers standing shoulder to shoul-der to help those in need. You don't see that in other countries,unless it is Americans that are there helping."

Q&A with Judge Elect NewellAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

JUDGE ELECT DAVID C. NEWELL: "I am proud to be anAmerican because it is founded upon self-governance and re-liance. Our government was the first of its kind to secure the free-dom and opportunities of the people the government serves ratherthan a select group of people or a single individual. Indeed, ourfounding fathers included checks and balances in the bones of ourrepublic so that when one group might edge towards tyranny an-other group has an institutional interest in curtailing that overreach.

Moreover, its citizens have a voice not only in their represen-tatives, but in the rule of law. Because America was founded uponthe principle that no man is above the law rather than the divineright of kings, citizens have a path through the court system to di-rectly challenge laws that infringe upon their constitutional rights.And where government exceeds its authority, it is always withinthe power of the governed to affect meaningful change.

This interplay between rights and responsibilities is unique inthe world, and it is the cornerstone of what makes America great.It provides an example to the rest of the world as a shining city ona hill and a harbor to those who want to share in the Americandream. And it fosters such an abundance of freedom and opportu-nity that those who enjoy its blessings rarely have occasion toquestion those gifts."

Q&A with Judge Elect YearyAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

JUDGE ELECT KEVIN PATRICK YEARY: "I am proud to bean American because no other country in the history of the worldhas secured more freedom for more men and women on theplanet than America. I believe that because America secures free-dom, it generates blessings for its own people and for all the peo-ple of the world. So many examples are apparent: the rejectionand defeat of slavery and racial segregation in this country, theexpansion of the vote to all citizens who have achieved the age of

18, the many examples of America's liberation of othernations from tyranny, the interstate highway system,the creation and maintenance of many of the worlds’greatest institutions of learning, the birth and growth ofcommercial airline transportation, our successes inour efforts to explore the universe beyond our ownplanet, the advance of life saving medical technology,tools, and medicines, the volunteer military that is un-paralleled in the history of the world, the peaceful co-existence of a diverse population, the fact that whatis known as poverty in America could pass for wealthin so many other nations in the world. I could go onand on. America's greatness is a product of her

commitment to freedom rightly understood and appropriately exer-cised. As freedom expands, so does opportunity and justice.When freedom contracts, both opportunity and justice diminish.America exists to serve the cause of freedom, and that makes meproud of my country."

Q&A with Judge ButtsAUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mission in life Judge Butts?

JUDGE CHRISTINE RIDDLE BUTTS: "My mission is toserve families in times of crisis in a thoughtful, compassionate,and deliberate way, whether that crisis involves the loss of a lovedone, the need for a guardianship, or a mental health issue."

Q&A with Businesswoman BoutteAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

BUSINESSWOMAN STEPHANIE BOUTTE: "I am proud tobe an American because even with all of the injustices found inour nation, we still stand proud. We still find a way to compete.We are a competitive nation. I am proud to be an American be-cause I know the truth about how this nation was built. I know thetruth about who the true inventors were. I know what MLK stoodfor. I understand what Malcom X was saying. I am proud to be anAmerican because I come from a legacy of doers. I come from alegacy of people who did what it took to get the job done. Forthese reasons and more I am proud to be an American.

I am also proud to be an American because, although shehas a deep, dark, storied history; it still provides some of thegreatest opportunities in the world. It gives me great pride to knowthat my willingness to face adversity, challenge the systems andwork diligently towards my goals can warrant me sweet successand a better life. Freedoms, which I take for granted and rightswhich are constitutionally protected are not easily guaranteed inother nations. I am proud to be an American because, it takescharacter, pride and dignity to accept the fact that I may always beseen as a third class citizen but I will never be deterred fromachieving greatness. I am proud to be an American, because ofthe defiance that was shown and the blood that was shed by myancestors to make this country great is the same blood that runsin my veins-today. I am proud to be an American, because I knowthat in this country you can actually have an idea that when nour-ished properly, planted in fertile soil, and watered meticulously canbecome a living legacy."


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Q&A with Judge Dan HindeAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

JUDGE DAN HINDE: "No country, no nation in history wasever founded on an idea—not Athens, Rome, nor Egypt; not Eng-land, France, Germany, Russia, nor China. No nation was built onan idea, that is, until the United States declared its independence

in 1776. And what an idea itwas! All men are createdequal and endowed byGod with the unalienablerights to life, liberty, andthe pursuit of happiness.

My pride in Americabegins with that greatconception of our nation,but it does not end there.The Framers wrote aConstitution to establisha national governmentdesigned to protect ourfreedom and liberty.Then, our nation foughta terrible civil war topreserve that then-rad-ical form of govern-ment—government ofthe people, by the

people, for the people—and to cleanse itof the horrible stain of slavery.

But in the rebirth that President Lincoln described, our free-dom and democratic manner of government nourished and nur-tured a society that has advanced not only its own population butall of humankind beyond belief.

Our society developed an economy that has lifted millions outof poverty, hunger, and illiteracy, not only at home but abroad. Ourcountry led the effort to vanquish the twin scourges of fascism andcommunism, giving the lie to the totalitarians’ pretensions to utopia.

The United States remains a shining beacon to the world—asafe harbor in times of difficulty and a light to guide the world. Ournation always—always—sends aid to countries suffering naturaldisasters, whether friend or foe. Our people generate new ideasin technology, industry, the arts, and music. We are what othercountries strive to be.

And I am proud to be a citizen of such an amazing, sub-lime country. God has blessed America, and may God con-tinue to do so!"

Q&A with Judge Elect SchmudeAUBREY R. TAYLOR: How important are our rights as Americans?

JUDGE ELECT JOHN SCHMUDE: "I believe that the funda-mental rights of individuals do not originate from government orfrom courts but from a higher law that is written on the hearts andconsciences of all by our Creator. This principle, which served asthe cornerstone of the common law system for centuries, is sadlybeing lost, and the inevitable result is a subjective system of ju-risprudence grounded in nothing more than the whims of judgesand legislators. Governments have no natural right to abolish orto compromise the rights of the people because such rights are

rooted in a higher order, and recognition of this principle, whichwas universally accepted by our founding fathers, serves as astrong check against intrusions by the government upon the lib-erty and dignity of individuals."

Q&A with Attorney FranklinAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

ATTORNEY RAMONA FRANKLIN: "I am proud to be anAmerican because of the rights we are all afforded. As an Ameri-can I have the right to vote and the right of religion. I do not takemy right of religion for granted. So many other people in othercountries do not have the right to worship their appointed gods.Here in America, I have the right to worship my God who providesfor me and my family daily without any interference. I am proud tobe an American because I am able to pursue my dreams, goals,desires and ambitions without restraints."

Q&A with Judge Loyd WrightAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

JUDGE LOYD WRIGHT: "I am proud to be an American be-cause I believe in the goodness and greatness of America. AlexisDe Tocqueville said, “I sought for the greatness and genius ofAmerica in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers – and itwas not there.... in her fertile fields and boundless forests and itwas not there....in her rich mines and her vast world commerce –and it was not there.... in her democraticCongress and hermatchless Constitu-tion – and it was notthere. Not until I wentinto the churches ofAmerica and heardher pulpits aflame withrighteousness did I un-derstand the secret ofher genius and power.America is great be-cause she is good, andif America ever ceasesto be good, she willcease to be great." DeTocqueville also said,“The greatness of Amer-ica lies not in being moreenlightened than anyother nation, but rather inher ability to repair herfaults.” The concepts behind this ability to repair her faults are pri-marily contained in three documents: the Declaration of Inde-pendence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. These revereddocuments, along with a historically Judeo-Christian philosophy,continue to provide the foundation for America to be the greatestforce for good the world has ever known.

Rush Limbaugh defines what he refers to as American great-ness as follows: “American Exceptionalism and greatness meansthat America is special because it is different from all other coun-tries in history…..It does not mean that weAmericans are better than anyone else. It does


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not mean that there is something uniquely different about us ashuman beings compared to other people in the world. It does notmean that we as a country have never faced problems of ourown…..Our country is the first country ever to be founded on theprinciple that all human beings are created as free people. TheFounders of this phenomenal country believed all people wereborn to be free as individuals. And so, they established a govern-ment and leadership that recognized and established this for thefirst time ever in the world….. The sad reality is that since the be-ginning of time, most citizens of the world have not been free. Forhundreds and thousands of years, many people in other civiliza-tions and countries were servants to their kings, leaders, and gov-ernment. It didn't matter how hard these people worked to improvetheir lives, because their lives were not their own…..[America] is aland built on true freedom and individual liberty……The role of theUnited States is to encourage individuals to be the best that theycan be, to try to improve their lives, reach their goals, and maketheir dreams come true.”

Ibelieve the greatness of America also lies in the American “melt-ing pot” where people of all races and ethnicities join and embracethe “American” culture, a culture not governed by race or ethnicity, butby initiative, hard work, personal responsibility, individuality combinedwith humility, and an understanding that, while we are all in this to-gether, most of what happens in our lives is up to each of us.

I am proud to be an American because time and time again,America has sacrificed its blood and treasure to expand freedomand fight tyranny around the world. Colin Powell said, “We havegone forth from our shores repeatedly over the last hundred yearsand we've done this as recently as the last year in Afghanistanand put wonderful young men and women at risk, many of whomhave lost their lives, and we have asked for nothing exceptenough ground to bury them in.”

I am proud to be an American because of our system of freeenterprise where any man or woman can go from rags to riches inthe blink of an eye. More often, though, it is the long-term commit-ment to hard work and sacrifice that leads to a better life - to the"American Dream". There is no other country that offers the limit-less opportunities of America and it is always inspiring to see themultitude of ways one can be successful. This could only happenin a free society.

I am proud to be an American because we are the most gen-erous country in the history of the world. Whether it is the charita-ble giving of its citizens or the foreign aid given around the world,America has always come to the aid of those in need. Americahas always made the effort and sacrifice to be a positive force fordemocracy, freedom and good around the world."

Q&A with Judge WardAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

JUDGE WESLEY WARD: "Why NOT?!? (That seems like agood place to start.).

My pride in America has always been thorough and complete.It did not start at some point, and it will not end. For America ismore than any single point in time or any single victory or mis-step, it is the promise of continuing improvement, eternally striv-ing to achieve the ideals of justice, equality and opportunity.

America is the greatest land of opportunity ever conceived.And not by a little. By a LOT. It is the beacon of hope for theworld, hope that the world can be better when we trust and loveour fellow man, and when we give people the opportunity to suc-

ceed. Through our adherence to our Constitution, free enterprise,and equal protection under rule of law, America has raised thestandard of living for the entire world.

America is not perfect; never has been and probably neverwill be. But it is by far the greatest system ever devised, and it isstill getting better (especially in Texas!).

Harry Truman said that “America was not built on fear. Amer-ica was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable de-termination to do the job at hand.” Every Monday morning, westart our court session in Texas’ 234th District Court with thePledge of Allegiance the flag of the United States of America, andthen to the flag of the Great State of Texas. We then set in to thehard work of justice, raising up the rule of law, seeking fairnessand rightness for all who bring their disputes. Everymonday morn-ing, and every minute of that day and every other day, I am soproud to serve America. (And why NOT?)."

Q&A with Nancy SimmsAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

POLITICAL CONSULTANT NANCY SIMS: "I am most proudto be an American when I think of our military and their commit-ment to protecting our freedoms. I am proud when I see our flagflying or hear voices raised in unison singing our national anthemand I am most proud when election day comes and voters casttheir ballots to protect and engage in our democracy."

Q&A with State Rep. Gary ElkinsAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why do you believe our rights as

Americans originated?STATE REPRESENTATIVE GARY ELKINS: "I possess a

Judeo-Christian world view. I believe like our founding fathers thatall men are created equal and are endowed with inalienable rightsthat come from God and not the State. So my world view is thatour rights are granted to us by God Almighty, and not the state(i.e. government)."

Q&A with Carl PittmanAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

2016 CANDIDATE FOR HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF CARLPITTMAN: "I am proud to be an American because it is truly thegreatest country on the face of this planet. It allowed a small boyfrom the most humbling of starts to do some incredible things,with more to come. I am proud to be an American because noother country in the world can come back from the brink of de-struction at the hands of a corrupt government like America willsurely have to do! I have always been proud of America, not be-cause America is perfect, but because America is mine. I knew asa 18 year old United States Marine that I was part of somethingfar greater than myself and I was willing if necessary to die to pro-tect it. I am proud of America because I love America."



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Q&A with Judge Jay KarahanAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

JUDGE JAY KARAHAN: "I am proud to be an American be-cause, as a first generation American, I observed first-hand my im-migrant father's struggle to seek and achieve the American Dream.To this day I marvel at my father's pride in his naturalized Americancitizenship. I marvel at his lifelong commitment to self-sufficiencyand personal responsibility. I marvel at his patience in waiting for a

visa to enter the U.S. to seek a better life for himself and toeventually become a responsible citizen. The U.S. gavemy father the freedom to work as many jobs and as hardas he could or wanted to accumulate the knowledgeand capital to start his own business. His enthusiasticpatriotism despite the ignorance and bigotry he en-countered along the way made him the successfulman I'm so proud of. His sacrifices, hard work and en-thusiasm - and that of all like him since the foundingof our great nation - gave me the freedom to enjoythe blessings of life in the U.S. It is my responsibilitynow to honor that and to pay it forward."

Q&A with Justice Jeff BrownAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

JUSTICE JEFF BROWN: "I’m proud to be an American be-cause our country is an exceptional place. It’s a place where big

dreams can come true for those willing to work hard to achievethem. Being an American is not about belonging to one ethnicity;it’s about buying into a collection of ideas about how peopleshould live their lives: freely, dutifully, and according to the rule oflaw. And I’m proud to be an American because more often thannot, America has stood up for goodness and decency and fairplay. America and Americans are far from perfect, but we are ex-ceptional because of the ideals we strive to realize, both for our-selves and the whole world."

Q&A with Judge Jeff ShadwickAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

JUDGE JEFF SHADWICK: "I am proud to be an Americanbecause we are the only country, ever,to be founded upon anidea rather than geographyor ethnicity. The idea is thatall men are created equal;that we are endowed by ourCreator with certain inalien-able rights, among which arelife, liberty and the pursuit ofhappiness. All anyone has todo is "buy in" to become anAmerican. You cannot be-come French, or become Chi-nese, but you can becomeAmerican. It is the origin of ourcountry around an idea thatmakes this so.

America is the greatestforce for good in history. I amproud of that."

Q&A with Judge Grant DorfmanAUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American?

JUDGE GRANT DORFMAN: "I am proud tobe an American not just for the blessingsof liberty that this birthright has affordedme. I am the grandson of an immigrantwho came to this country with no property,no family and no connections, but who suc-ceeded through hard work and ingenuity. Itwas this country that gave him that opportu-nity, regardless of cultural and language bar-riers and his commitment to a religion thatwas oppressed in his native land. And thatstory is far from unique in our country. I amproud to be an American because our excep-tional country has always been generous withits freedom -- a shining City upon a hill that is abeacon to all freedom-loving peoples; and we

have, at our best, endeavored to share and expand freedom toall the corners of the world, not to hoard it as our possession."


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Could this beyour time torun for office?“As a community of believers we must have the courage to go after our dreams. So don’t allow politicaloperatives, so-calledleaders or anyone else to deter you from stepping out infaith and going afteryour dream.” - Aubrey

-------------------------------------------------

CITY CONTROLLER GREEN Ronald C. Green iscurrently serving histhird and final term asController for the cityof Houston. Voters inHouston will elect a

new controller in the November 2015City of Houston Mayoral Election.

MAYOR ANNISE PARKER Mayor Annise Parkeris currently servingher third and finalterm as Mayor ofHouston. Voters inHouston will elect a

new mayor in the November 2015City of Houston Mayoral Election.

AT-LARGE POSITION 1 Council MemberStephen Costello iscurrently serving histhird and final term inoffice. The HoustonCity Council At-Large

Position 1 seat will be open in theNovember 2015 City of HoustonMayoral Election.

AT-LARGE POSITION 2 Council Member DavidRobinson is currentlyserving his first term inoffice and will be up forre-election in the No-vember 2015 City of

Houston Mayoral Election.

I AM IN! Dear Friends,

As we begin to prepare for another hol-iday season, I wanted to personally let youknow that, after much deliberation andprayer, I will run for City Controller in 2015.

I will officially launch my campaign inMarch 2015 at my annual Women forRobinson (WFR 2015) Meet, Greet andNetwork Reception.

Next year, the WFR Reception will beopen to all who want to join me in my com-mitment to: 1) empowering the women of ourcommunity; 2) ensuring that all the youngpeople in our city have “An Opportunity ToDo Better”, and 3) Making Houston Greater.

For all who support me – I am asking allof you who receive this letter for your sup-port and vote – we will run a positive cam-paign focused on common-sense solutionsfor fixing the city’s budget, paying down ourGeneral Fund Debt including the UnfundedPension Liability Debt; fixing our streets,sidewalks and infrastructure; modernizingcity government; attracting more good pay-ing jobs, business, entrepreneurs, collegegraduates, engineers, construction and de-velopment inside our city; consolidating andcutting city fees; consolidating city depart-ments to reduce the city’s operating ex-penses; auditing city departments andprograms and providing the Mayor and CityCouncil with a Financial Impact Analysis ofCity Council Agenda Items (like the Legisla-ture’s Fiscal Notes); increasing cooperationand coordination between the city andcounty on police protection, health careservices, parks and libraries; extending lightrail to Hobby Airport and from Hobby to theAstrodome/Reliant area; securing privatefunding for commuter rail and building theUniversity Light Rail Line; deepening andwidening the Port; and legalizing gaming.

We are going to do these things be-cause it is the job of the City Controller tooffer ideas and solutions to protect taxpay-ers while sustaining and growing the city’stax base and revenues without having to in-crease the property tax burden on home-owners and businesses or increasing cityfees on all Houstonians.

I helped pass the city’s spending “RevCap” City Charter Amendment and I stillsupport it. It forces fiscal discipline on CityHall and it is why the City Council Fiscal Af-fairs Committee is now engaged in theprocess of defining what “core” city servicesare and how they should be fully funded.

I support asking city voters to allow thecity to keep excess revenue above the “RevCap” to speed up paying down the General

Fund Debts and fully funding Public SafetyServices.

I opposed establishing a city garbagefee when I was a City Council Member and Iam still opposed.

I support Early Matters – the GreaterHouston Partnership’s Early Childhood Edu-cation/Pre-K Initiative; creating the SouthMain Innovation Zone and putting all existingpublic infrastructure plans and city buildingpermits into one common 3D GIS Databaseso that city, neighborhood and businessleaders can all see the cumulative impact ofwhat the city, Metro, TxDOT, H-GAC, GulfCoast Rail District, TIRZs, MUDs and WaterDistricts are planning to build over the nextfive (5) to fifty (50) years so we can mitigatetraffic congestion, storm water run-off, airpollution and avoid duplication, conflicts andwasting taxpayers money.

The database can also be used to helpimprove and better coordinate police patrolsamong local law enforcement agencies.

Together, we are going to run a differ-ent kind of campaign; a campaign focusedon Safety, Opportunity and Prosperity.

We are going to run a campaign of BIG,

BOLD, IDEAS and SOLUTIONS based onwhat I have heard from Houstonians duringthe last three years.

I have heard your hopes, your de-

sires and your concerns. I have heard

your voice.

I am personally asking you for

your vote and support to be your

voice at City Hall.

I am committed to making sure that citygovernment works for you, and that like you,city government does more with the revenueit already has so that you can keep more ofyour hard earned money to take care ofyourself and your family and grow your busi-ness, if you own one.

If you elect me your City Controller, Iwill be The Taxpayers Voice at City Hall.

Sincerely,

Carroll G. Robinson for Houston

P.S. Contributions cannot be accepted untilFebruary 1, 2015. If I can count on your support, I would greatly appreciate a contri-bution on February 1, 2015. The campaigncan only accept personal or PAC checks.-----------------------------------------------------------Carroll G. Robinson for Houston I P.O. Box 8325 I Hous-

ton, Texas 77288 Victor L. Cardenas, Jr., Treasurer

AT-LARGE POSITION 3 Council Member Kubosh is currentlyserving his first termin office and will be upfor re-election in theNovember 2015 City

of Houston Mayoral Election.

AT-LARGE POSITION 4 Council Member C.O.“Brad” Bradford iscurrently serving histhird and final term inoffice. The HoustonCity Council At-Large

Position 4 seat will be open in theNovember 2015 City of HoustonMayoral Election.

AT-LARGE POSITION 5 Council Member JackChristie is currentlyserving his secondterm and will be up forre-election in the No-vember 2015 City of


CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT A Council MemberBrenda Stardig iscurrently serving hersecond term in of-fice serving the peo-ple of Distrct A and

will be up for re-election in the No-vember 2015 City of Houston May-oral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT B Council Member JerryDavis is currentlyserving his secondterm in office servingthe people of DistrictB and will be up for re-

election in the November 2015 Cityof Houston Mayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT C Council MemberEllen Cohen is cur-rently serving hersecond term in office.Council Member EllenCohen will be running

for re-election in the November 2015City of Houston Mayoral Election forHouston City Council District C.

Meet Carroll G. Robinson

Carroll G. Robinson is an Associate Professor atthe Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Pub-lic Affairs at Texas Southern University (TSU)where he has served as Associate Dean of Exter-nal Affairs and is Associate Director of the E-MPAprogram. Professor Robinson is a Co-Principal In-vestigator of the TSU National Transportation Se-curity Center of Excellence-PetrochemicalTransportation Security and is Associate Director ofthe Master of Public Administration (MPA) E-Gov-ernment Center. He is Chairman of the HoustonCitizens Chamber of Commerce, a member of theBoard of Directors of the National Black Chamberof Commerce, Third Vice President of the NAACPHouston Branch and a former board member of theNortheast Family YMCA, a member of the HoustonIndependent School District™'s (HISD) Bond Over-sight Committee, was a member of the City ofHouston™'s Term Limits Review Commission, andis a former At-Large (elected citywide) member ofthe Houston (Texas) City Council where he servedas Chairman of the city™'s Transportation, Tech-nology and Infrastructure Committee. ProfessorRobinson is also a former member of the Board ofDirectors of Children at Risk (C@R) and the Na-tional League of Cities where he served as a mem-ber of the Board™s Finance Committee and was amember of the Energy, Environment, and NaturalResources Steering Committee.

He is a former member of the Texas MunicipalLeague™s Utilities and Environment Committeeand Transportation Task Force; a former Vice Chairof the Houston-Galveston Area Council™s (H-GAC) Transportation Policy Council, is a formermember of H-GAC™s Board of Directors; a formerAdvisory Board member of the Texas Environmen-tal Defense Fund; a past President of the TexasAssociation of Black City Council Members; hasserved as a member of the Texas Department ofTransportation (Tx-DOT) 2001 Work Group onTransportation Goals and Objectives, is a formerAdvisory Board Member of the Texas Transporta-tion Institute (TTI) at Texas A&M University and is amember of the Advisory Board of the TSU Centerfor Transportation Training and Research. Profes-sor Robinson provided testimony to the Texas Gov-ernor™s Task Force on Evacuation and Logisticson October 26, 2005 on how to use technology toimprove Emergency Preparedness.

Professor Robinson has worked in the TexasLegislature as Chief of Staff and General Counselto Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis. He receivedhis Bachelor of Arts (with Honors) in Political Sci-ence from Richard Stockton State College inPomona, New Jersey and his Juris Doctorate fromthe National Law Center at George WashingtonUniversity in Washington, D.C.

Professor Robinson is a Life Member of theNAACP, Omega Psi Phi and the author of numerouslegal and public policy articles and commentaries.

Prior to his election to the Houston City Coun-cil, Professor Robinson was an Associate Profes-sor at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law atTexas Southern University and served as Execu-tive Assistant to two Presidents of the University.He has also served as an Adjunct Law Professor atSouth Texas College of Law in Houston, Texaswhere he taught Constitutional Structure. ProfessorRobinson is a past President of the HoustonLawyers Association and has served on the Boardof Directors of the State Bar of Texas and NationalBar Association.


CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT D Council MemberDwight Boykins iscurrently serving hisfirst term in officeand will be up for re-election in the No-

vember 2015 City of HoustonMayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT E Council MemberDave Martin is cur-rently serving hisfirst term in officeand will be up for re-election in the No-


CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT F Council MemberRichard Nguyen iscurrently serving hisfirst term in office andwill be running for re-election in the No-vember 2015 City of


CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT GCouncil MemberOliver Penningtonis currently servinghis third and finalterm in office. TheHouston City Council

District G seat will be open in theNovember 2015 City of HoustonMayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT H Councilman Ed Gonzalez is the

Houston City CouncilDistrict H CouncilMember. CouncilMember Ed Gonzalezis currently servinghis third and finalterm. The Houston

City Council District H seat will beopen in the November 2015 City ofHouston Mayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT I Council MemberRobert Gallegos iscurrently serving hisfirst term in office andwill be running for re-election in the No-


CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT J Council Member MikeLaster is currentlyserving his secondterm in office and willbe up for re-electionin the November 2015

City of Houston Mayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT K Council Member LarryGreen is currentlyserving his secondterm in office and willbe up for re-election inthe November 2015

City of Houston Mayoral Election.

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According to Mayor Allen Owen,

every day, Missouri City officials and staff

members collaborat to provide excellent

services to citizens, businesses and stake-

holders residing in the “Show Me City.”

“By utilizing strategic policies and

goals, City leaders adhere to an alignment

to achievement approach, thereby ensur-

ing continuous progress across all opera-

tions, including public safety, fiscal

management, infrastructure improve-

ments, economic development initiatives,

parks programs and citizen outreach proj-

ects,” Mayor Owens explained recent

“State of the City” address.

With a cohesive focus on results, we all

adhere to the following principles:

*Number 1….City First: The top priority for

our 68,000 citizens, seven elected City offi-

cials and 300 City employees is maintain-

ing our vibrant Fort Bend community known

for its rich legacy of history and tradition, ro-

bust commercial development, dynamic di-

versity, and excellence in education.

*Number 2….Communication: All forms

must be clear, concise and constructive.

And, regular, objective feedback is also a

key factor to ensure all colleagues are on

the same page at all times.

*Number 3….Collaboration: Partnering

to enhance the City’s strategic position in

the region, state, nation and world, our

leaders regularly join together to attain the

four main organizational strategies:

Retain Existing Property Values

Increase Commercial Development

Create Value Added Services

Develop an Organization for Optimum

Performance

Implementation of these principles cre-

ates an opportunity for all parties to partici-

pate in the administrative process and to

consistently produce measurable results.

Here are a few “Show Me City” accomplishments from the pastyear that were made possiblethrough our strong partnerships:

*Our local economy remains robust:

Over the past year, more than 27 new

retail, commercial and industrial buildings

completed construction.

Within the same period, the new build-

ings completed added about 1,037,000

square feet of new nonresidential space.

Of that new square footage, industrial

growth amounted to the largest share with

the opening and additions of Ben E. Keith,

2 new buildings in the Lakeview Business

Mayor Owen: Missouri City’s Story is One That Features a Diversity of Strong Partnerships

Park and the continuation of Beltway

Crossing office/warehouses along the

South Gessner Road business corridor.

Both Lakeview Business Park and the

Beltway Crossing Business Complex are

conveniently located near major travel con-

nections—Beltway 8 and US90A—making

them an attractive location for companies.

New companies opening their doors

along Highway 6 in the City include:

* Discount Tire

* Sphier Emergency Room

* ALDI

* Taco Bell

* Bank of America

New companies to Lakeview Business

Park include:

Bimbo Bakeries

Rich’s Food Products, which is

under construction and will add another

200,000 feet of industrial space.

Allied Group Expansion, which will

add an additional 300,000-square-foot of-

fice warehouse.

CNC Manufacturing

And, Niagara Bottling, LLC. The

largest family-owned, private-label manu-

facturer of bottled water in the United

States hosted an open house ceremony at

the company’s newly constructed 357,000-

square-foot facility. The plant has a capac-

ity to make 1,350 water bottles a minute,

81,000 bottles an hour and 2.3 million to

2.5 million bottles each day.

Along the South Gessner/Cravens

Road business corridor, we have:

Ben E. Keith, the City’s largest em-

ployer, which hosted an open house at its

474,861-square-foot facility. The eighth

largest broad-line distributor in the nation

has based its Southwest distribution head-

quarters in the “Show Me City” and cur-

rently employs 350. The company plans t o

expand to more than 1 million square feet

in the future.

Texans Center, a gas station

And, Beltway Crossing Phase III. In

April, Tool Mart completed their 38,070

square-foot build out in Building 1 of the

new phase. And, a second company, In-

dustrial Income Trust, is under plan review

for 47,430 square feet in the same building.

Elsewhere around the City, we wel-

comed the Riverstone Office Center; a

condo office park in Riverstone; Dance

Works, a dance school on Knights Court;

and Safety America, a gymnastics and

karate school on Sienna Parkway.

With this business growth, we have

added more than 1,000 new jobs, which is

important to attracting new businesses and

residents to the area.

And, speaking of population

changes over the last year; with the com-

pletion and opening of The Huntington, our

newest senior retirement community on

Murphy Road, residential completions

within the City continued to grow. Almost

400 new housing units, including 120 units

in the Huntington were added within the

City limits. Meanwhile, residential growth in

the City’s ETJ, in the Riverstone and Si-

enna planned developments continued,

adding more than 700 new residential

units. Based upon this growth, our City

projects an addition of about 1,150 people

within the City limits and about 2,150 peo-

ple in our ETJ.

Additionally, we’re excited about:

Changes taking placealong the US90A corridor:

Millis Development & Construction

is building near Highway 90A and Cravens

Road. The company is relocating its con-

struction offices and storage yards into a

low-impact designed development to in-

clude a two-story office building and one

maintenance building.

Reinvestment in existing properties:

Burger King on Texas Parkway and

Wendy’s on Highway 6 recently completed

an update to their exterior building facades

and made improvements to the interior of

the restaurants.

Hampton Inn, our second hotel,

opened its doors along Highway 6 and is

set to cater to the needs of businesses and

visitors. The hotel is equipped with a

3,000-square-foot meeting room and offers

a variety of guest rooms and suites.

Also….we had a local house of

worship celebrate its 100th anniversary with

some special upgrades. Holy Family

Church on Fifth Street modernized its inte-

rior, expanding the building and adding a

new entry way and classrooms.

And, Toll Brothers, Inc. purchased

the area known as Sienna South and has

begun development plans for the construc-

tion of about 6,500 new homes on about

3,700 acres of land. The development will

be a continuation of the character and de-

sign of the Sienna planned development

community.

In the coming months, we’re looking

forward to continued commercial develop-

ment citywide, including the increase of

private, medical care facilities.

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospi-

tal’s emergent care facility is nearing com-

pletion on Highway 6 and is set to open

later this summer. The hospital’s new

9,600-square-foot center is located be-

tween the Sienna Plantation and River-

stone communities and will house 10

treatment rooms and the latest technology

in diagnostic imaging equipment.

Then, Memorial Hermann has plans

for a 23,000-square-foot emergency clinic

to be located in the Sienna Village shops

on Highway 6.

Also coming to town is LockTite Stor-

age, which is designed to be a superior

storage facility. The 500 unit operation is

scheduled to open in early 2015 and will

have special features including covered

loading, breezeways and drive-up access.

Another project we’re looking forward to

is the continued expansion of the Fort Bend

Toll Road, creating the opportunity for a vital

employment center in the Sienna area.

As you can see, business partners

are essential to the City’s future and as we

look at the fact that we have limited devel-

opment space remaining, we’re aware that

the decisions our leaders make today will

impact the City retaining its affordable tax

base and continuing to provide the quality

services homeowners and business own-

ers have come to expect.

Beyond the economy, Missouri City has marked numerous othermilestones, including:

*The passage of a $40 million bond

referendum by voters citywide to ensure

the maintenance and improvement of infra-

structure in all areas. The four-proposition

package was overwhelmingly approved


and will enable the City to devote:

- $6.5 million to drainage

projects

- $5.7 million to public facilities

- $5 million to the construction

of a future fire station; and

- $22.8 million to mobility

enhancements

The referendum was the result of a

citizen-city collaboration including leader-

ship from a 35-member Bond Exploratory

Committee that met with City officials and

Staff over an eight-month period to dis-

cuss and identify proposed projects. The

$40 million package was designed based

on the City’s capacity to sell bonds during

an approximate 10-year period with no

tax rate increase.

As you can see, this bond money is

very important to the future of Missouri City

and we will rely on our partnerships with

many of you to get these projects done.

In addition to the referendum, we are

also proud to announce:

*As part of our proactive crime pre-

vention measures, we’ve established a

Police Motorcycle Unit that will begin pa-

trol duty this summer. This specialized

group of officers will be help us to keep

our streets safe through traffic education

and enforcement.

*We’re moving toward the opening

of Fire Station 5, which will serve the

southern portion of Sienna Plantation.

The facility was fully funded by the Si-

enna Municipal Utility District #1 and is

located on Waters Lake Boulevard.

Four firefighters will staff the new sta-

tion and have use of a new fire engine.

And, most importantly, the new station

will allow us to reduce response times

in that area by 50 percent.

*Our first-class public amenities con-

tinue to see significant gains. Both the City

Centre at Quail Valley and the Recreation

& Tennis Center hosted dozens of tourna-

ments and events over the past year.

And, the award-winning Quail Valley

Golf Course recorded a 16 percent in-

crease in tournament rounds over the

past year and was the host site for the

Texas Golf Association South Region

Four Ball Tournament. The golf course is

also still proud to partner with the First

Tee of Greater Houston, a youth develop-

ment program that teaches life lessons

such as the importance of honesty,

sportsmanship, perseverance, responsi-

bility and judgment.

*The City is financially sound. Our Fi-

nance Department once again earned ac-

colades from the Government Finance

Officers Association of the United States

and Canada for the City Budget and

Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.

We were commended for our superior

budget policies and procedures and have

been recognized for this achievement for

more than 25 years.

*We partnered with our neighbor

Stafford to build and open a new, state-

of-the-art Animal Shelter that serves

both cities. The 2,600-square-foot shel-

ter was built through an interlocal agree-

ment and features 24 kennels for dogs

and 12 kennels for cats. The project cost

$620,000 and was funded through the

City’s Capital Improvement Program;

Stafford contributed 25 percent of the

total cost. Adoptions are steady and the

shelter is a prime part of our newly

launched Volunteers Program.

*And, one of our first subdivisions—

Fondren Park—turns 50 this year. The

community has been a great contributor

and friend to the City. In the fall, we will

gather with homeowners there to honor

their golden anniversary.

As you can see partnerships are a

capstone for us, and, the most important

is the one we share with our citizens.

We have our Senior Planning Coun-

cil that advises Staff on programs and

events as you saw in the video. Members

of the group are here with us today and

we salute them for their service.

Citizens are also instrumental in the

success of our premier parks’ programs,

our code enforcement initiatives which

help keep our communities among the

best in the nation, our new Community

Garden at Buffalo Run Park that pro-

motes healthy lifestyles and our environ-

mental projects, which protect our City’s

green spaces.

Missouri City and all of our partners

are accountable and responsible for the

City staying on its course of advance-

ment. Equally required is all of us being

fully engaged to ensure the sustainability

of the Show Me City’s vast social, eco-

nomic, political, educational and cultural

wealth. The future of our scenic City de-

pends on it.


Allen OwenMissouri City Mayor Mayor Allen Owen will be up for re-election in May of 2016

Jerry WyattCouncil Member - At Large Position #1Council Member Jerry Wyatt will up for

re-election in May of 2016

Chris PrestonCouncil Member - At Large Position #2Council Member Chris Preston will up for


Yolanda FordCouncil Member - District ACouncil Member Yolanda Ford will up for re-election

in May of 2015

Don SmithCouncil Member - District BCouncil Member Don Smithwill up for re-election

in May of 2015

Robin ElackattCouncil Member - Mayor Pro Tem, District CCouncil Member Robin Elackatt will up for


Floyd EmeryCouncil Member - District DCouncil Member Floyd Emery will up for



MIKE NEEDHAMGeneral Manager

Ben E. Keith Company

Mike began hiscareer with BenE. Keith in 1991,after graduatingfrom the Univer-sity of Texas atAustin with a BA

in History. He has served inmany capacities during histenure with the company includ-ing Warehouseman, DistrictSales Representative, ProduceSpecialist, Purchasing Man-ager, District Sales Manager,and Operations Manager. Since1997, he has served as the As-sistant General Manager and in2008, was named the GeneralManager of the San Antonio Di-vision. In July 2014, he wasnamed the General Manager ofthe new Houston Division.

SCOTT DAVISONAssistant General Manager


Scott, a SamHouston StateUniversity gradu-ate with a BS inAgriculture Busi-ness, has beenwith Ben E. Keith

since 1995. He has held posi-tions such as District SalesRepresentative, District SalesManager, and Branch Managerfor the Conroe Sales Office. In2008, Scott was named an As-sistant General Manager.

JERRY DUBOSEAssistant General Manager


Jerry is a gradu-ate of TexasA&M who beganhis career withBen E. Keith in1996 as a DSRin the Bryan/Col-

lege Station area. In 2001, hewas promoted to a DSM andthen in 2009 was promotedagain to the Director of SalesTraining and moved to theGeneral Office. In July 2014,Jerry became the newest As-sistant General Manager in theHouston Division.

MARK HERZOGDirector of Purchasing


Mark came toBen E. Keith in2007, with 20years of foodservice experi-ence, includingOperations as

well as extensive Purchasingduties. He has also served asa Senior Merchandiser and asa Director of Purchasing be-fore joining Ben E. Keith. Markbegan his tenure as the Direc-tor of Purchasing in our newHouston Division in 2008.

LOU CITROBranch Controller


Lou began hiscareer as a CPAin Public Ac-counting in 1981after graduatingwith a BS in Ac-countancy from

Northern Illinois University.Lou has over 30 years of ac-counting experience, most ofwhich has been in the food in-dustry with the following com-panies; Nabisco Brands, RTM(Arby’s), Huntington Restau-rant Group (Chili’s/Denny’s),and Shamrock Foods. Beforejoining Ben E Keith Foods inJuly of 2012, Lou spent tenyears with Shamrock Foods astheir Controller.

SHAUN MCFAULOperations Manager


Shaun began hisBen E. Keith ca-reer in 1999. Hehas an AA inBusiness Man-agement. Shaunstarted his ca-

reer at the Ben E. Keith Foodsdivision in Amarillo working inseveral warehouse positions. In2005 Shaun was promoted toOperations Manager in the Al-buquerque Division, Shaun alsoserved as the Safety Manager,DOT Compliance Manager,Transportation Manager andSanitation Manager while at the

Albuquerque Division. In 2012,Shaun moved to Houston to bethe Operations Manager.

JAMES WALLACETransportation Manager


James began hiscareer in 1994as a local RouteService Associ-ate for the Dal-las/Fort Worthdivision. He de-

livered in the Houston and Col-lage Station markets. As BenE. Keith grew in the market sodid his career. He moved fromRoute Service Associate tolead RSA then on to be the firstsupervisor in the Houston mar-ket. In 2010, James wasnamed the Transportation Manager for the Houston Division.

DREW SCUDDAYMarketing Manager


Drew joined BenE. Keith Com-pany in 2007.He has a BBA inFinance from theCox School ofBusiness at

Southern Methodist University.Beginning his career at theSan Antonio Division, he hasheld positions as a DistrictSales Representative, VPT An-


alyst, and Business Develop-ment /Marketing Specialist. In2012, Drew was named theMarketing Manager for theHouston Division.

IRENE GALVANCredit Manager


Irene began herBen E Keith ca-reer in March2001. She heldthe position ofAssistant CreditManager in the

San Antonio Division for thepast 11 years. In 2012, Irenewas named the Credit Man-ager for the Houston division.

CRAIG VAUGHNInformation Systems Manager


Craig joined BenE. Keith Com-pany in 1998 asan I.S. SupportSpecialist for theOklahoma CityDivision. He

transferred to Amarillo to as-sume the role of I.S. SupportManager in 2003. Craig is agraduate of UCO with a BBA inManagement Information Sys-tems. In 2008, Craig wasnamed the I.S. Support Man-ager for the Houston Division.

CHARLES DUPREFirst African American Superintendent for FBISD

Fort Bend ISD Board of

Trustees extends Superin-

tendent Dr. Charles Dupre’s

contract through April 2018

Fort Bend ISD – At aRegular Board Meeting onNovember 17, members of

the Fort Bend ISD Board ofTrustees unanimously votedto amend the employmentcontract of SuperintendentDr. Charles Dupre, extendingthe agreement through April30, 2018.

Dupre’s initial contract,signed in April of 2013, wasdue to expire in 2016. In addi-tion to extending the durationof the contract, the Fort BendISD Board of Trustees alsoagreed to a five percent in-crease in Dupre’s base salaryof $285,000 to $299,000 an-nually and an additional 10vacation days.

“Under Dr. Dupre’s leader-ship, the Board of Trusteesfeels the District has madegreat strides during the lastyear and a half,” said FortBend ISD Board of TrusteesPresident Grayle James. “Mov-ing forward, our Board is com-

mitted to continuing to work asa team, with the community,and with Dr. Dupre in order tofulfill the District’s mission.”Dupre was named the Super-intendent of Fort Bend ISD inApril of 2013, joining Fort BendISD from Pflugerville, where heserved six years as thePflugerville ISD Superinten-dent and was named the Re-gion 13 Superintendent of theYear in 2012.

Before his time inPflugerville, Dupre worked 11years in Fort Bend ISD, serv-ing as the District’s AssociateSuperintendent and Chief Fi-nancial Officer.

Under the agreementsigned Monday, all other termsof Dupre’s previous contractremain in effect. In addition tohis base salary, Dupre re-ceives $700 a month for a ve-hicle and vehicle-relatedexpenses and a $300 a monthtechnology allowance. Thecontract, including the amend-ment, is available to view onthe District’s website atwww.fortbendisd.com.

Meet the Fort BendISD Board of Trustees

The mission of the FortBend ISD Board of Trustees isto focus on the knowledge,skills, and character develop-ment of each of our studentsby providing policies, over-sight, and support to ensurecontinued district growth andimprovement.

The local School Boardconcept grew out of American

history dating back more than300 years. Times havechanged, but the basic functionof School Boards remains thesame: to provide local citizensupervision and control overeducation at a point close tothe parent and child. Thismeans that the School Boardshould represent the citizens ofthe school district — not justsome of the citizens — all ofthem. Because different citi-zens have different ideas aboutschools, this responsibility al-ways presents a challenge.

The ultimate responsibilityfor public education rests withthe state. Texas has dele-gated much of that responsi-bility to the local SchoolBoard. Within the frameworkof state and federal law, andState Board of Education andCommissioner of Educationrules, local school districtshave significant latitude inshaping the educational pro-grams of their schools.

Because a School Board isa governmental body, it cantake action only by majorityvote at a legally called publicmeeting. The individual BoardMember’s major responsibilityis to study, evaluate, and delib-erate the policy issues con-fronting his or her district; thento vote in the best interest ofALL students. A Board Memberwho steps out of the policy-making role and attempts —without authorization — tospeak for the total Board, di-rect members of the staff, in-terfere with the administrationof policy, or make other individ-ual decisions, is exceeding hisor her authority.

CHARLES DUPRE

CHARLES DUPRE


Grayle James PresidentFort Bend ISD - Position 2

Term Expires - 2015

Grayle Jameswas elected toPosition 2 in May2012. She re-ceived her Bach-elor of Sciencedegree in Chem-

ical Engineering from the Uni-versity of California, Berkeley,and her Secondary Educationteaching credentials in mathe-matics and physical sciencesfrom California State Univer-sity, Bakersfield. Grayle hasvolunteered for many years atmultiple FBISD schools, andhas served as the PTO/PTAPresident for Lakeview Ele-mentary, First Colony MiddleSchool and Kempner HighSchool. In the past, she hasserved as PTO/PTA Treasurerand VIPS Coordinator, as wellas serving on the FBISD Par-ent Advisory, Health Advisoryand Discipline Advisory com-mittees. Grayle and her hus-band, David, have threechildren, who all currently at-tend or have graduated fromFBISD schools.

Dave RosenthalVice PresidentFort Bend ISD - Position 7

Term Expires - 2016

Dave Rosenthalwas elected toPosition 7 in May2013. Dave is ageophysicist witha private oil andgas firm in Hous-

ton and more than 25 years ofexperience in the oil and gasindustry. He graduated with aMaster of Arts Degree in Geo-logical Sciences in 1987 fromthe University of Texas atAustin and received a Bachelorof Science degree (cum laude)in Geology from the Universityof Delaware in 1983. Daveand his wife, Joan, have threechildren, two of which attend

Fort Bend ISD schools.

Jenny BaileySecretaryFort Bend ISD - Position 6

Term Expires - 2015

Jenny Baileywas elected toPosition 6 in May2012. Jennyworked for theVariable AnnuityLife Insurance

Company (VALIC), a financialfirm specializing in teacher re-tirement annuities, as a man-ager, project coordinator andresearch analyst. She alsoworked for Nova Pension Valu-ations (NPV) as retirement planadministrator. Jenny receivedher bachelor’s degree in Busi-ness Administration from Bowl-ing Green State University ofOhio in 1984. Jenny’s schoolvolunteer experience includesserving on the PTO, fundrais-ing committees, room parent,and a Junior Achievementteacher, providing her numer-ous opportunities to interactwith teachers and parents. Be-sides being an active volunteerin FBISD, her other volunteerexperience includes FirstColony Community Associa-tion, Fort Bend Boys Choir, BoyScouts of America, and FirstUnited Methodist Church inMissouri City. Jenny and herhusband, Bob, have two sonsenrolled in FBISD schools.They have been residents inMissouri City since 1998.

Jason BurdineFort Bend ISD - Position 1

Term Expires - 2017

Jason Burdinewas elected toPosition 1 in2014. His familyhas called FortBend their homefor the past

seven years. He is a graduate

of Texas A&M University, wherehe received his Bachelor of Sci-ence in Education Degree. Asan independent contractor withInvestment Professionals,Jason has earned numerousaccolades for his commitmentto exemplary service. He cur-rently partners with a moneymanagement firm that special-izes in the area of EducationalTrusts.

In the Fort Bend commu-nity, Jason mentors at-riskyouth, and serves as a mem-ber of the Ridgemont Elemen-tary and Early ChildhoodCenter’s Campus-Based Lead-ership Team. Other communityinvolvement has included vol-unteering at M.D. AndersonCancer Center, where over thepast ten years he has logged atotal of 500 volunteer hours.Additionally, he has served onthe District Strategic SteeringCommittee working collabora-tively on the Master FacilitiesPlan for FBISD. Jason has twoyoung children that will be at-tending Fort Bend ISD schoolsin the near future.

KP GeorgeFort Bend ISD - Position 5

Term Expires - 2017

KP George waselected to Posi-tion 5 in 2014.He grew up in atiny village inSouth India. Hebegan his edu-

cation learning the local lan-guage as he walked barefoot toget to school. As he did hishomework in his straw hut bythe light of a kerosene lampand helped his parents farmbefore and after school, KPdreamed of achieving hisgreatest goal: coming to theland of opportunity and livingthe American Dream.

His hard work propelledhim out of the poverty of hishometown. He arrived in theU.S. in 1993 to work for a fi-nancial firm, and has sinceearned multiple financial certifi-

cations and licenses. KP is cur-rently self-employed as aBoard Certified Financial Plan-ner and owns and manages anindependent financial planningpractice with six other advisors.Since 1999, KP and his wifeSheeba (an FBISD educator)have raised their three childrenin Sugar Land. One of his chil-dren is a recent graduate, andtwo are currently attending FortBend ISD schools.

KP took the lead in estab-lishing the Hightower HighSchool Academies’ BoosterClub in 2013 and served asits first president. He hasalso served local Indo-Ameri-can groups, the Sugar LandRotary Club, and the FortBend Chamber of Commerce.He is a member of the FBISDParents Advisory Team andState Elections Policy & Af-fairs Team for State Repre-sentative Rick Miller.

KP George is very thankfulthat God has given him the op-portunity to live The Dream.Now, he wants to ensure thatour children have the neces-sary tools to achieve theirDREAMS, because they areour future.

Jim RiceFort Bend ISD - Position 3

Term Expires - 2016

Jim Rice waselected to Posi-tion 3 in 2013and has previ-ously served asBoard Presidentand Board Sec-

retary. He has been a residentof Sugar Land since 1981 andis the president of Rice &Gardner Consultants, an engi-neering and construction man-agement firm. Jim is an activemember of the Boy Scouts ofAmerica and is currently serv-ing on the Sam Houston AreaCouncil Board of Directors. Hehas extensive experienceworking directly with youth inthe Boy Scouts and church,and all three of his sons are


Eagle Scouts. In addition, Jimhas served on the Fort BendChamber of Commerce Boardof Directors since 2005 and iscurrently serving a secondterm as Vice Chair of theChamber’s Education Division.

Jim is also a 2005 graduateof the Fort Bend Chamber’sLeadership Forum Class. Heserves on the Board of Direc-tors for the Literacy Council ofFort Bend County; the FortBend Regional P16 Council,which is dedicated to support-ing student achievement; and isco-founder and current Chair-man of the Board of Directorsof Fort Bend Cares - a 501 c(3)charitable foundation. Jim andhis wife Mary have raised threesons who graduated from FortBend ISD schools.

Kristin K. TassinFort Bend ISD - Position 4

Term Expires - 2017

Kristin Tassinwas elected toPosition 4 in2014. She haslived in MissouriCity for 17 years.She is a gradu-

ate of Louisiana State Univer-sity, where she obtained herBachelor of Science Degree inQuantitative Business Analysis(Computer Science option).She also earned her Juris Doc-tor from Louisiana State Uni-versity Law School. She iscurrently employed as an attor-ney at Dry & Tassin and is Co-Founder/Director of thecharitable organization, Fa-ther's Joy. Kristin is a memberof the Fort Bend Chamber ofCommerce, Houston YoungLawyers Association and theExchange Club of Sugar Land.In 2011, she was named aTexas Rising Star by TexasSuper Lawyers magazine. Kristin was founding PTO presi-dent at Heritage Rose Elemen-tary and has served in thatposition for three consecutiveyears. She also served as headof fundraising for three consec-

utive years, as well as on theCampus-Based LeadershipTeam and numerous other PTOleadership positions. She is amember of the FBISD ParentAdvisory Council, member ofthe FBISD Steering Committeefor Facilities Planning and is aMentor Program volunteer.Kristin and her husband, Shan-non, have three children – all ofwhom attend FBISD schools.

Attend a Fort Bend ISDBoard Meetings

Fort Bend ISD Board Meetingswill generally take place thesecond Monday of the monthto discuss all items that will beconsidered as part of theagenda at a regular businessmeeting on the third Monday ofthe month. The meetings areheld in the Board Room of theFBISD Administration Building,16431 Lexington Blvd., in

Sugar Land. Meetings begin at6 p.m. with Board Recognitionsand other Special Meetingsthat are open to the public. TheBoard regular business meet-ings begin at 7 p.m. CalledMeetings are scheduled on anas-needed basis, althoughTexas law does allow theBoard to call an emergencymeeting in a crisis situation.In accordance with the TexasOpen Meetings Act, the Boardhas the privilege to meet pri-vately in closed session to dis-cuss matters related topersonnel, student discipline,security, land acquisition or toconsult with legal counsel. Noaction, however, may be takenduring a closed session.

Board of Trustee Elections Information

Your Board of Trustees, com-prised of seven local citizens,

provides an important publicservice to the Fort Bend com-munity and serves withoutcompensation. In accordancewith the Texas Elections Code,Fort Bend ISD calls Boardelections for the second Satur-day in May of each year. Va-cancies occurring after theelection are filled by appoint-ment until the next election isconducted.

Trustees are elected tothree-year terms on a rotatingbasis. Two are elected eachyear, one from each side of thedistrict (Position 1, 2 and 3 onthe West, and Positions 5, 6and 7 on the East). Also, everythird year, the “at large” Posi-tion 4, is elected.

The seven Board ofTrustees members are votedon by all residents of the dis-trict, and represent all resi-dents of the district.

Kristin K. Tassin

JimRice

JennyBailey

JasonBurdine

DaveRosenthal

GrayleJames

K.P.George


2015 Jaguar F-Type Coupe 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class 2015 Range Rover Sport SVR 2015 Honda CR-V 2015 GMC Sierra HD

2015 Ford Expedition 2015 Lincoln Navigator 2015 Ford Mustang 2015 Volvo V60 2015 Mini Cooper Hardtop 4-Door

2015 Dodge Challenger

“I’m challenging you to buy your next car from one of our “PREFERED AUTO DEALERS” listed on the next page of Houston Business Connections Magazine!” - AUBREY R. TAYLOR

PREFERRED AUTOMOBILEDEALERS

Mercedes-Benz of Sugar Landwww.mbsugarland.com

15625 Southwest Fwy, Sugar Land, TX 77478(281) 207-1500

Momentum BMWwww.momentumbmw.net

10002 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77074(713) 596-3100

Momentum Land Roverwww.momentumlandrover.com

10150 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77074(713) 596-3000

Fort Bend Toyotawww.fortbendtoyota.com

20465 Southwest FwyRichmond, TX(281) 341-5900

Gillman Honda Fort Bendwww.gillmanhondaftbend.com

26029 Southwest FwyRosenberg, TX(281) 341-2277

Fort Bend Kiawww.fortbendkia.com26633 Southwest FwyRosenberg, TX(281) 239-1000

Gillman Nissanwww.gillmannissan.com

26001 Southwest FwyRosenberg, TX(281) 633-5555

Finnegan Chevrolet Buick GMCwww.finneganautogroup.com

26529 Southwest FreewayRosenberg, TX(281) 342-4200

Classic Chevy Sugar Landwww.classicchevysugarland.com

13115 Southwest FwySugar Land, TX(877) 284-0644

------------------------------------------This Listing of “Preferred Auto Deal-ers” is for example purposes only.

history makers and proud americans edition

Documents

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