houston business connections magazine featuring interviews with ben hall and other leaders

Ben Hall, 2015 Candidate for Mayor. (upper-left). Dwight Boykins, Houston City Council Member. Judge John

Schmude with his family. C.O. Bradford, Houston City Council Member. Businesswoman Pamela Ellis. Business-

man Durrel Douglas. Attorney Ramona Franklin. Floyd Emery, the Missouri City, Council Member for District D. At-

torney Keryl L. Douglas. Barack Obama, President of the United States (Lower-Right). Pastor Steve Riggle and

his wife. Businessman Bill Frazer. Businessman Craig Joseph. Dr. Michael O. Adams, Program Director at TSU.

Dr. Charles Dupre, the Superintendent of Public Schools for FBISD. Allen Owen, the Mayor of Missouri City, Texas.

Ronald C. Green, City of Houston Controller. Judge Loyd Wright. Judge Christine Riddle-Butts. Grayle James,

Fort Bend ISD Board President. Carroll G. Robinson, a 2015 Candidate Controller. Pastor Ed Young (Lower-left).

COULD 2015 BE YOUR TIME TO SHINE?“As a community of Believers we must have the courage to go after our dreams. So don’t allow politicaloperatives, or anyone else to deter you from stepping out infaith.” - Aubrey

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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

Parker is currentlyserving her third andfinal term as Mayorof Houston. 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 MemberDavid Robinson iscurrently serving hisfirst term in office andwill be up for re-elec-tion in the November

2015 City of Houston Mayoral Election.

____________________CONTINUED ON (PAGE - 69)

CONTROLLERMAYOR AT-LARGE #1AT-LARGE #4DISTRICT GDISTRICT H

“Ben Hall is asking for ourvote, prayers, and support

in his quest to become thenext mayor of Houston in

the 2015 Mayoral Election.”

-- AUBREY R. TAYLORHouston Business Connections Magazine

Dear Neighbor:

I am Ben Hall and I want to be Mayor of this great

city! Many of you probably know me, but for those of

you who don't, I am a husband, father, businessman and

attorney. I left the private sector during Mayor Bob

Lanier's term, to lead the City Attorney's office. During

that time, I gained the skills and knowledge to move our

city forward, by using private sector experience to solve

problems. I learned from Mayor Bob that in order to

lead this City it requires a focused and committed leader.

Saundra and I love Houston and the opportunity it

has given us to be a positive force in the lives of others.

We want to continue that by giving back to a city that

has given so much to us.

Our streets need to be repaired; our neighborhoods

need to be protected; Houstonians need jobs; and our city

debt must be addressed. We can't do this if we don't work

together. As your next Mayor,my focus will be on our

City's basic needs, and to make sure that businesses can

flourish without the harsh penalty of more taxes and fees.

I am asking you to join Saundra and me in moving

our city forward.

Join us in focusing on the things that matter to ALL

Houstonians. I am asking for your prayers, your votes and

your thoughts on how we can move Houston forward.

Sincerely,

Benjamin L. "Ben" Hall, III

2015 Candidate for Mayor of Houston

HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE 05

“We can do this!”

"I’m no saint. I’m just the pub-lisher of the good news you’rereading. I’m also a person striv-ing to use my talent, gifting,and resources to empower, inspire, inform, and encouragepeople (like you) striving toreach their full God-ordainedpotential in their personal andprofessional endeavors.

Sincerely,

Aubrey R. TaylorAUBREY R. TAYLORHouston Business Connections Magazine957 NASA PARKWAY #251Houston, Texas 77058Phone: (832)212-8735Email: [email protected]: aubreyrtaylor.blogspot.com

Don’t Forget This!“According to an ABCNews/Beliefnet Poll 83 per-cent of Americans identify themselves as Chris-tians. So to this end, it makes perfect sense for usto get Christians engaged, empowered, informed,and excited about the process of choosing thosewho govern on the local, state, and federal levels inAmerica. So don't forget about what Proverbs 29:2teaches us: "When the righteous are in authority,the people rejoice: but when the wicked bearethrule, the people mourn." – AUBREY R. TAYLOR

“Carroll G. Robinson is asking forour vote, prayers, and support in

his quest to become the next CityController for the City of Houston in

the 2015 Mayoral Election.” -- AUBREY R. TAYLOR

Houston Business Connections Magazine

Dear Fellow Houstonian:

On Friday, a federal judge ruled that candidates for city office, in the 2015

city election, could immediately begin raising campaign contributions.

I am writing to ask you for as generous a contribution as you are able to

give at this time to my campaign for Houston City Controller.

As you may remember, I am a former At-Large City Council Member. I cur-

rently serve on the Board of Directors of the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and

Retirement Fund and Houston Community College System.

I have also served on the Board of the National League of Cities, State Bar of

Texas, K9s4COPS, Children at Risk and the Northeast YMCA.

I would like to work with you to help make life better for all Houstonians and

to help make our city greater.

Protecting Taxpayers’ money, Fixing the City Budget, Fixing our Streets,

Modernizing city government to reduce its operating expenses, paying down

the unfunded pension liability debt and attracting more good paying jobs,

businesses, entrepreneurs, construction and development to our city - while

respecting and protecting our neighborhoods - will be my top priorities.

I support legalizing casino gaming in Houston and using private invest-

ments to connect Hobby and Bush Intercontinental Airports to our light rail

system to attract more tourists to our city to generate more sales tax revenue

to help pay for core city services.

As City Controller, I will be the Taxpayers’ Voice at City Hall and will

work with you to make the City Controller’s Office the Solution Center of

City Government.

Please consider making a contribution of $25, $50, $100, $250, $500 or

more today to my campaign. Together, we can Make Houston Greater! Visit

CARROLLGROBINSON.COM to make your donation.

Sincerely,

Carroll G. Robinson

2015 Candidate for City of Houston Controller

COUNCIL MEMBER DWIGHT

BOYKINS is the Houston City Councilrepresentative for District D. He is cur-

rently serving his first term in office and will be upfor reelection in the 2015 General Election.

COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD”

BRADFORD is the Houston City Coun-cil representative for At-Large Position4. He is currently serving his third and

final term and cannot run for reelection.

COUNCIL MEMBER FLOYD EMERY isthe Missouri City, Texas District D. Coun-cil Member. He has been married 52years to his wife, Linda. They have been

homeowners in Quail Valley for more than 35 years,where they raised their two sons, Brian and Dennis.

ATTORNEY RAMONA FRANKLIN is anative Floridian but has resided inTexas since 2001. Ramona resides in

Katy, TX and has been a member of BrookhollowBaptist Church-Church Without Walls for nine years.

JUDGE JOHN SCHMUDE currentlyserves as the State District Judge forthe 247th Family District Court of Har-

ris County. Judge John Schmude re-sides with his wife and two children in Spring.Judge Schmude is a lifetime Republican.

DURREL DOUGLAS is one of theCo-Founders of the Houston JusticeCoalition. He grew up in South Park

on Selinsky Street. In 2005 he took a job as acorrectional officer with the Texas Department ofCriminal Justice (TDCJ) for five years eventuallyrising to the rank of Lieutenant.

PAMELA ELLIS is the Principal Consult-ant and Owner of Smahrt Solutions.Smahrt provides management consulting

for fortune 500 companies and large public sector enti-ties in the areas of Human Resources Managementand Business Process Engineering.

KERYL L. DOUGLAS, avid volunteerand attorney in private practice in Hous-ton, graduated summa cum laude, with

standing of #5 out of 202 students, from ThurgoodMarshall School of Law in May 2008.


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Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Con-gress, my fellow Americans:Today in America, a teacher spent extratime with a student who neededit, and did her part to lift Amer-ica’s graduation rate to itshighest level in more thanthree decades.

An entrepreneurflipped on the lights inher tech startup, anddid her part to add tothe more than eight mil-lion new jobs our busi-nesses have created overthe past four years.

An autoworker fine-tunedsome of the best, most fuel-effi-cient cars in the world, and did his partto help America wean itself off foreign oil.

A farmer prepared for the spring after thestrongest five-year stretch of farm exports in ourhistory. A rural doctor gave a young child the firstprescription to treat asthma that his mother could af-ford. A man took the bus home from the graveyardshift, bone-tired but dreaming big dreams for hisson. And in tight-knit communities across America,fathers and mothers will tuck in their kids, put anarm around their spouse, remember fallen com-rades, and give thanks for being home from a war

that, after twelve long years, is finally coming to anend.

Tonight, this chamber speaks with one voice tothe people we represent: it is you, our citizens,

who make the state of our union strong.Here are the results of your efforts: The

lowest unemployment rate in over fiveyears. A rebounding housing market. Amanufacturing sector that’s adding jobsfor the first time since the 1990s. Moreoil produced at home than we buyfrom the rest of the world – the firsttime that’s happened in nearly twenty

years. Our deficits – cut by more thanhalf. And for the first time in over a

decade, business leaders around the worldhave declared that China is no longer the

world’s number one place to invest; America is.That’s why I believe this can be a breakthrough

year for America. After five years of grit and deter-mined effort, the United States is better-positionedfor the 21st century than any other nation on Earth.

The question for everyone in this chamber, run-ning through every decision we make this year, iswhether we are going to help or hinder thisprogress. For several years now, this town hasbeen consumed by a rancorous argument over theproper size of the federal government. It’s an im-portant debate – one that dates back to our veryfounding. But when that debate prevents us fromcarrying out even the most basic functions of ourdemocracy – when our differences shut down gov-ernment or threaten the full faith and credit of theUnited States – then we are not doing right by theAmerican people.

As President, I’m committed to making Wash-ington work better, and rebuilding the trust of thepeople who sent us here. I believe most of you are,too. Last month, thanks to the work of Democratsand Republicans, this Congress finally produced abudget that undoes some of last year’s severe cutsto priorities like education. Nobody got everythingthey wanted, and we can still do more to invest inthis country’s future while bringing down our deficit

President BarackObama's 2015 State of

the Union Address

President Barack Obama

speaks with First Lady

Michelle Obama following

his State of the Union ad-

dress at the U.S. Capitol in

Washington, D.C., Jan. 20,

2015. (Official White House

Photo by Pete Souza)


CITY OF HOUSTON CONTROLLER

RONALD C. GREEN was elected asthe first African American City of Hous-

ton Controller on December 12, 2009.

BUSINESSMAN CRAIG JOSEPH is awell-known successful entrepreneurwho owns one of the oldest family-

owned restaurants in the Houston area.

MAYOR ALLEN OWEN is MissouriCity's 10th mayor since the city's incor-poration in 1956. He’s faithfully served

as Missouri City’s mayor since first being elected torepresent “The Show Me City” back in 1994.

FBISD SUPERINTENDENT DR.

CHARLES DUPRE is the first AfricanAmerican to serve as the superinten-

dent for the FBISD School District.

JUDGE LOYD WRIGHT currentlyserves as the Probate Judge for Dis-trict Court #1 in Harris County.

JUDGE CHRISTINE RIDDLE

BUTTS currently serves as the Pro-bate Judge for District Court #4 inHarris County.

BUSINESSMAN BILL FRAZER plansto put his vast experience to work forthe people of Houston should voters

choose to elect him on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015.

FBISD PRESIDENT GRAYLE JAMES

currently serves as the President ofthe Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees.

EDUCATOR AND ATTORNEY CAR-

ROLL G. ROBINSON plans to put hisvast experience to work for the people

of Houston should voters choose to elect him onTuesday, Nov. 3, 2015.Professor Robinson is aformer At-Large (elected citywide) member ofthe Houston (Texas) City Council. As a memberof the City Council, Professor Robinson chairedthe city’s Transportation, Technology and Infra-structure Committee.

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in a balanced way. But the budget com-promise should leave us freer to focus oncreating new jobs, not creating new crises.

In the coming months, let’s see whereelse we can make progress together. Let’smake this a year of action. That’s whatmost Americans want – for all of us in thischamber to focus on their lives, theirhopes, their aspirations. And what I be-lieve unites the people of this nation, re-gardless of race or region or party, youngor old, rich or poor, is the simple, profoundbelief in opportunity for all – the notion thatif you work hard and take responsibility,you can get ahead.

Let’s face it: that belief has sufferedsome serious blows. Over more thanthree decades, even before the Great Re-cession hit, massive shifts in technologyand global competition had eliminated a lotof good, middle-class jobs, and weakenedthe economic foundations that families de-pend on.

Today, after four years of economicgrowth, corporate profits and stock priceshave rarely been higher, and those at thetop have never done better. But averagewages have barely budged. Inequality hasdeepened. Upward mobility has stalled.The cold, hard fact is that even in the midstof recovery, too many Americans are work-ing more than ever just to get by – letalone get ahead. And too many still aren’tworking at all.

Our job is to reverse these trends. Itwon’t happen right away, and we won’tagree on everything. But what I offertonight is a set of concrete, practical pro-posals to speed up growth, strengthen themiddle class, and build new ladders of op-portunity into the middle class. Some re-quire Congressional action, and I’m eagerto work with all of you. But America doesnot stand still – and neither will I. So wher-ever and whenever I can take steps with-out legislation to expand opportunity formore American families, that’s what I’mgoing to do.

As usual, our First Lady sets a goodexample. Michelle’s Let’s Move partner-ship with schools, businesses, and localleaders has helped bring down childhoodobesity rates for the first time in thirty years– an achievement that will improve livesand reduce health care costs for decadesto come. The Joining Forces alliance thatMichelle and Jill Biden launched has al-ready encouraged employers to hire ortrain nearly 400,000 veterans and militaryspouses. Taking a page from that play-book, the White House just organized aCollege Opportunity Summit where al-ready, 150 universities, businesses, andnonprofits have made concrete commit-

ments to reduce inequality in access tohigher education – and help every hard-working kid go to college and succeedwhen they get to campus. Across thecountry, we’re partnering with mayors, gov-ernors, and state legislatures on issuesfrom homelessness to marriage equality.The point is, there are millions of Ameri-cans outside Washington who are tired ofstale political arguments, and are movingthis country forward. They believe, and Ibelieve, that here in America, our successshould depend not on accident of birth, butthe strength of our work ethic and thescope of our dreams. That’s what drewour forebears here. It’s how the daughterof a factory worker is CEO of America’slargest automaker; how the son of a bar-keeper is Speaker of the House; how theson of a single mom can be President ofthe greatest nation on Earth.

Opportunity is who we are. And thedefining project of our generation is to re-store that promise.

We know where to start: the bestmeasure of opportunity is access to a goodjob. With the economy picking up speed,companies say they intend to hire morepeople this year. And over half of big man-ufacturers say they’re thinking of insourc-ing jobs from abroad.

So let’s make that decision easier formore companies. Both Democrats andRepublicans have argued that our tax codeis riddled with wasteful, complicated loop-holes that punish businesses investinghere, and reward companies that keepprofits abroad. Let’s flip that equation.Let’s work together to close those loop-holes, end those incentives to ship jobsoverseas, and lower tax rates for busi-nesses that create jobs here at home.Moreover, we can take the money we savewith this transition to tax reform to createjobs rebuilding our roads, upgrading ourports, unclogging our commutes – be-cause in today’s global economy, first-class jobs gravitate to first-classinfrastructure. We’ll need Congress to pro-tect more than three million jobs by finish-ing transportation and waterways bills thissummer. But I will act on my own to slashbureaucracy and streamline the permittingprocess for key projects, so we can getmore construction workers on the job asfast as possible.

We also have the chance, right now, tobeat other countries in the race for the nextwave of high-tech manufacturing jobs. Myadministration has launched two hubs forhigh-tech manufacturing in Raleigh andYoungstown, where we’ve connected busi-nesses to research universities that canhelp America lead the world in advanced

technologies. Tonight, I’m announcingwe’ll launch six more this year. Bipartisanbills in both houses could double the num-ber of these hubs and the jobs they create.So get those bills to my desk and put moreAmericans back to work.

Let’s do more to help the entrepre-neurs and small business owners who cre-ate most new jobs in America. Over thepast five years, my administration hasmade more loans to small business own-ers than any other. And when ninety-eightpercent of our exporters are small busi-nesses, new trade partnerships with Eu-rope and the Asia-Pacific will help themcreate more jobs. We need to work to-gether on tools like bipartisan trade promo-tion authority to protect our workers,protect our environment, and open newmarkets to new goods stamped “Made inthe USA.” China and Europe aren’t stand-ing on the sidelines. Neither should we.We know that the nation that goes all-in oninnovation today will own the global econ-omy tomorrow. This is an edge Americacannot surrender. Federally-funded re-search helped lead to the ideas and inven-tions behind Google and smartphones.That’s why Congress should undo the dam-age done by last year’s cuts to basic re-search so we can unleash the next greatAmerican discovery – whether it’s vaccinesthat stay ahead of drug-resistant bacteria,or paper-thin material that’s stronger thansteel. And let’s pass a patent reform billthat allows our businesses to stay focusedon innovation, not costly, needless litigation.

Now, one of the biggest factors inbringing more jobs back is our commitmentto American energy. The all-of-the-aboveenergy strategy I announced a few yearsago is working, and today, America iscloser to energy independence than we’vebeen in decades.

One of the reasons why is natural gas– if extracted safely, it’s the bridge fuel thatcan power our economy with less of thecarbon pollution that causes climatechange. Businesses plan to invest almost$100 billion in new factories that use natu-ral gas. I’ll cut red tape to help states getthose factories built, and this Congresscan help by putting people to work buildingfueling stations that shift more cars andtrucks from foreign oil to American naturalgas. My administration will keep workingwith the industry to sustain production andjob growth while strengthening protectionof our air, our water, and our communities.And while we’re at it, I’ll use my authorityto protect more of our pristine federal landsfor future generations.

It’s not just oil and natural gas produc-tion that’s booming; we’re becoming a

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global leader in solar, too. Every four min-utes, another American home or businessgoes solar; every panel pounded into placeby a worker whose job can’t be out-sourced. Let’s continue that progress witha smarter tax policy that stops giving $4billion a year to fossil fuel industries thatdon’t need it, so that we can invest more infuels of the future that do.

And even as we’ve increased energyproduction, we’ve partnered with busi-nesses, builders, and local communities toreduce the energy we consume. When werescued our automakers, for example, weworked with them to set higher fuel effi-ciency standards for our cars. In the com-ing months, I’ll build on that success bysetting new standards for our trucks, so wecan keep driving down oil imports andwhat we pay at the pump.

Taken together, our energy policy iscreating jobs and leading to a cleaner,safer planet. Over the past eight years,the United States has reduced our totalcarbon pollution more than any other na-tion on Earth. But we have to act withmore urgency – because a changing cli-mate is already harming western commu-nities struggling with drought, and coastalcities dealing with floods. That’s why I di-rected my administration to work withstates, utilities, and others to set new stan-dards on the amount of carbon pollutionour power plants are allowed to dump intothe air. The shift to a cleaner energy econ-omy won’t happen overnight, and it will re-quire tough choices along the way. But thedebate is settled. Climate change is a fact.And when our children’s children look us inthe eye and ask if we did all we could toleave them a safer, more stable world, withnew sources of energy, I want us to beable to say yes, we did.

Finally, if we are serious about eco-nomic growth, it is time to heed the call ofbusiness leaders, labor leaders, faith lead-ers, and law enforcement – and fix our bro-ken immigration system. Republicans andDemocrats in the Senate have acted. Iknow that members of both parties in theHouse want to do the same. Independenteconomists say immigration reform willgrow our economy and shrink our deficitsby almost $1 trillion in the next twodecades. And for good reason: when peo-ple come here to fulfill their dreams – tostudy, invent, and contribute to our culture– they make our country a more attractiveplace for businesses to locate and createjobs for everyone. So let’s get immigrationreform done this year.

The ideas I’ve outlined so far canspeed up growth and create more jobs.But in this rapidly-changing economy, we

have to make sure that every Americanhas the skills to fill those jobs.

The good news is, we know how to doit. Two years ago, as the auto industrycame roaring back, Andra Rush opened upa manufacturing firm in Detroit. She knewthat Ford needed parts for the best-sellingtruck in America, and she knew how tomake them. She just needed the work-force. So she dialed up what we call anAmerican Job Center – places where folkscan walk in to get the help or training theyneed to find a new job, or better job. Shewas flooded with new workers. And today,Detroit Manufacturing Systems has morethan 700 employees.

What Andra and her employees experi-enced is how it should be for every em-ployer – and every job seeker. So tonight,I’ve asked Vice President Biden to lead anacross-the-board reform of America’s train-ing programs to make sure they have onemission: train Americans with the skills em-ployers need, and match them to good jobsthat need to be filled right now. Thatmeans more on-the-job training, and moreapprenticeships that set a young worker onan upward trajectory for life. It means con-necting companies to community collegesthat can help design training to fill their spe-cific needs. And if Congress wants to help,you can concentrate funding on provenprograms that connect more ready-to-workAmericans with ready-to-be-filled jobs.

I’m also convinced we can help Ameri-cans return to the workforce faster by re-forming unemployment insurance so thatit’s more effective in today’s economy. Butfirst, this Congress needs to restore theunemployment insurance you just let ex-pire for 1.6 million people.

Let me tell you why.Misty DeMars is a mother of two young

boys. She’d been steadily employed sinceshe was a teenager. She put herselfthrough college. She’d never collected un-employment benefits. In May, she and herhusband used their life savings to buy theirfirst home. A week later, budget cutsclaimed the job she loved. Last month,when their unemployment insurance wascut off, she sat down and wrote me a letter– the kind I get every day. “We are theface of the unemployment crisis,” shewrote. “I am not dependent on the govern-ment…Our country depends on people likeus who build careers, contribute to soci-ety…care about our neighbors…I am con-fident that in time I will find a job…I will paymy taxes, and we will raise our children intheir own home in the community we love.Please give us this chance.”

Congress, give these hardworking, re-sponsible Americans that chance. They

need our help, but more important, thiscountry needs them in the game. That’swhy I’ve been asking CEOs to give morelong-term unemployed workers a fair shotat that new job and new chance to supporttheir families; this week, many will come tothe White House to make that commitmentreal. Tonight, I ask every business leaderin America to join us and to do the same –because we are stronger when Americafields a full team.

Of course, it’s not enough to traintoday’s workforce. We also have to pre-pare tomorrow’s workforce, by guarantee-ing every child access to a world-classeducation.

Estiven Rodriguez couldn’t speak aword of English when he moved to NewYork City at age nine. But last month,thanks to the support of great teachers andan innovative tutoring program, he led amarch of his classmates – through a crowdof cheering parents and neighbors – fromtheir high school to the post office, wherethey mailed off their college applications.And this son of a factory worker just foundout he’s going to college this fall.

Five years ago, we set out to changethe odds for all our kids. We worked withlenders to reform student loans, and today,more young people are earning college de-grees than ever before. Race to the Top,with the help of governors from both par-ties, has helped states raise expectationsand performance. Teachers and principalsin schools from Tennessee to Washington,D.C. are making big strides in preparingstudents with skills for the new economy –problem solving, critical thinking, science,technology, engineering, and math. Someof this change is hard. It requires every-thing from more challenging curriculumsand more demanding parents to bettersupport for teachers and new ways tomeasure how well our kids think, not howwell they can fill in a bubble on a test. Butit’s worth it – and it’s working.

The problem is we’re still not reachingenough kids, and we’re not reaching themin time. That has to change.

Research shows that one of the bestinvestments we can make in a child’s life ishigh-quality early education. Last year, Iasked this Congress to help states makehigh-quality pre-K available to every fouryear-old. As a parent as well as a Presi-dent, I repeat that request tonight. But inthe meantime, thirty states have raisedpre-k funding on their own. They know wecan’t wait. So just as we worked withstates to reform our schools, this year,


AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What was life like for you as achild growing up?

ATTORNEY BEN HALL: I was one of six (6) chil-dren born into a family of school teachers. My mothertaught French and father taught mechanical drawing.Both parents worked hard to keep us clothed and fed,and I remember missing them sorely at times becauseof their workload. I always felt loved even when out-ward conditions seemed difficult. We were a close-knitfamily, living in tight quarters initially with our grandpar-ents. The children had to share beds because ofcramped quarters. Food was not plentiful, but my par-ents always ensured we had something to eat. We at-tended church every Sunday as a family and wereconstantly lectured about proper living and the duty tobe of service to others. Toys were a luxury and my par-ents would work extra jobs and teach during summerschool to make sure we received at least one of ourwished-for gifts at Christmas. While living with mygrandparents, we did not have central heating or airconditioning. The house was warmed in the winter bycoal-burning stoves, and in the summer we were cooledwith fans and open windows. Life was rugged, but en-joyable. Through these early years, I learned to believethat the product of hard work could be success.

Ben Hall sharesinsights into his childhoodgrowing up, hisoutlook for 2015,his mission, andmuch more ashe endeavors to become mayor of Houston, Texas


AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What did youdream of becoming as you were a childgrowing up?

ATTORNEY BEN HALL: The honestanswer is that I really don't rememberdreaming about "becoming" anything asa child. My most dominant recollection isjust trying to be comfortable. I rememberpraying a simple prayer every morningand night for everyone to be healthy andsafe. This simple prayer was comfortingto me. Perhaps it developed from myinner concerns about some of the ruggedaspects of my life. Perhaps it was simplythe result of indoctrination from religiousgrandparents/parents. Whatever the ori-gin, I had a solid confidence that thingswould work out if I believed and workedas hard as I could. I do not rememberhoping to be any particular professionalas a child. Life itself seemed fulfillingand challenging enough. It was not untilcollege that I began attempting to fore-cast a career path.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mis-sion in life?

ATTORNEY BEN HALL: This is a dif-ficult question to answer. There are so

many levels at which this question solicitsa response. At a spiritual level, I wouldhope to perfect myself in conformity withmy faith structure. At the family level, Iwould hope to ensure that all family mem-bers (wife, sons, sisters, etc.) know mylove for them without any doubt. As abusinessman, I would hope to serve allclients and employees with the highestdegree of integrity and honesty. And, as aservant, to develop a persistent commit-ment to help others without need for re-ward or acknowledgement.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Can you tell us alittle about what you do for a living?

ATTORNEY BEN HALL: I am a busi-nessman. I presently own and operatefour (4) businesses: a law firm, a real-es-tate-holding company, a radio station anda newly-formed TV company.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Do you have arecent accomplishment you would liketo share?

ATTORNEY BEN HALL: A couple ofrecent events may be of interest. I hadthe honor of representing SHAPE Com-

munity Center in a piece of litigation that

resulted in a favorable result for SHAPE.We were able to prevent the wrongfulseizure of SHAPE's property. Anotherpiece of litigation I am handling ispresently ongoing and involves our effortsto protect the bricks laid in Fourth Ward

over 100 years ago by freed formerslaves. The bricks are historic and I ampleased to have been asked to representthe effort to save this irreplaceable treas-ure. Also, my wife, Saundra, and I havehad the opportunity to purchase the his-toric KCOH radio station. We intend tocontinue and grow the impressive legacyof this great radio institution. Finally, I wasrecently afforded the opportunity to hostMrs. Sarah Collins-Rudolph in ourhome. Mrs. Collins-Rudolph is the solesurviving child victim of the Birminghamchurch bombing that killed four little girlsat the hands of professed racist klansmen.Her overcoming spirit filled our home.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your out-look for 2015?

ATTORNEY BEN HALL: Houston'smayoral race this year will consume mostof my time and energy. Houston has anumber of systemic and chronic issues


that must be addressed in a measuredand persistent manner. All neighbor-hoods need a mayor who representsthem and applauds our diversity.Streets and potholes must be ad-dressed immediately; the City's pen-sion obligations must be providedcreative and constructive solutions;while core city services (police, fire, in-frastructure, etc.) cannot be neglected.The mayor's race must be about morethan personal agendas, and moreabout the peoples' business. The Cityand her citizens deserve answers totough questions from anyone applyingto sit in the mayor's chair. I intend torun an aggressive campaign this yearto make sure voters know what we willdo as their mayor.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What advicewould you give to someone out there

striving to achieve their dream?ATTORNEY BEN HALL: Believe!

The nativity site of success is an un-yielding belief that you can and will dowhat you dream. Life's harsh windswill blow against your dreams; cloudsof doubt will arise to rob you of hope;and the rains of struggle will test yourresolve; but the bright sunshine ofyour faith in what you believe mustpierce the despair to get you throughthe difficult times. When no one elsebelieves you can do it, believe any-way! Remember Barack Obama'sseeming impossible run against HillaryClinton to become President!

Ride your faith to success!

I am a businessman. I presently own

and operate four (4) businesses: a law

firm, a real-estate-holding company, a

radio station and a newly-formed TV company. “Another piece of litigation I am handling is presently ongoing and involvesour efforts to protect the bricks laid in Fourth Ward over 100 years ago byfreed former slaves. The bricks are historic and I am pleased to have beenasked to represent the effort

to save this irreplaceable treasure.”“

LEADERS BUSINESSEDUCATION

PUBLIC SERVICECORPORATE AMERICA

VALUEREQUEST

A FEW INSIGHTSINTO LIFE GROWINGUP, OUTLOOK FOR 2015 &THEIR MISSION IN LIFE.


"Our mission is to do

all we can to create an

"ENVIRONMENT" to

assist "BELIEVERS"in

identifying "LEADERS"

in Education, Corporate

America, Business, and

our LOCAL, STATE, and

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

who value our lives,

support, and vote. I

believe we can make

America even better

by accomplishing this

mission together."

______________________

-- AUBREY R. TAYLOR,

publisher of Houston

Business Connections

Magazine - Call

(832)212-8735 today!

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What was life likefor you as a child growing up?

COUNCILMAN BOYKINS: As a childgrowing up in the South Union community,I focused on always putting family first.My mother provided us with the opportu-nity to play sports including baseball andfootball and discipline was enforced.


COUNCILMAN BOYKINS: As a childI wanted to become a public servant.


COUNCILMAN BOYKINS: My mis-sion in life is to become the best publicservant possible and always remember togive back to my community.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Can you tell us alittle about what you do for a living?

COUNCILMAN BOYKINS: I own a busi-ness development firm and I am also theDistrict D Houston City Council Member.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Do you have a recentaccomplishment you would like to share?

COUNCILMAN BOYKINS: I estab-lished the Seniors Assistance Fund andraised over 50,000 to assist senior citi-zens in District D with minor home repairsno cost to them or taxpayers. I also raiseddollars to bring the first of its kind HolidayTree Lighting & Kwanzaa Celebration onAlmeda to the District D community.


COUNCILMAN BOYKINS:My out-look for 2015 focuses on my SecondChance Program which provides individu-als who have made mistakes in the past,including non-violent ex-felons with an op-portunity, without discrimination, for em-ployment. Also, my office is working onthe first of its kind second chance homebuying opportunity to assist hard to qualifyhome ownership individuals.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What advicewould you give to someone out therestriving to achieve their dream?

COUNCILMAN BOYKINS: Always re-member to put God first and believe in yourself.

WITH A COUNCILMAN WHO VALUES US:

COUNCILMAN DWIGHT BOYKINS

INTERVIEW

Dwight Boykins is the Houston

City Councilman for District D

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What was life like for you as a childgrowing up?

COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD: I grew upon our family farm in north Louisiana. My father, mother, six boysand six girls raised cattle, cotton, soybeans, corn and - yes, turnipgreens. Thanks to my mother all twelve children are college edu-cated people.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What did you dream of becoming as youwere a child growing up?

COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD: It was notfarming. I had had enough! My passion was machinery, automo-bile mechanics and automotive engineering.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mission in life?COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD: My mis-

sion is to initiate and support efforts which benefit the greatergood of all. Try to leave a little piece of the world a better placethan I found it.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Can you tell us a little about what you dofor a living?

COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD:I am an at-torney, public safety consultant and former Chief of Police inHouston, Texas. I combine my education, legal training and policeexperience to work with neighborhoods and businesses, nation-ally and internationally, to help develop safety strategies.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Do you have a recent accomplishmentyou would like to share?

COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD: As an at-large member of the Houston City Council, I am an advocate forafter-school programs and summer jobs for our youth. Workingwith others on city council the last budget cycle, I was able tospearhead efforts which allocated more than two million dollarsfor these much needed strategies. Also, I authored a Council Dis-trict Service Budget amendment which allocated, for the first timeever at City Hall, one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) to each dis-trict council member for use in their respective districts.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your outlook for 2015?COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD: I am com-

mitted to exhausting utmost efforts to re-focus city government onthe delivery of core services which include water, garbage, infra-structure issues and safety services.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What advice would you give to someone

out there striving to achieve their dream?COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD: Reward is

attached to performance and anything worth having isn’t easy toget. Always remember that at the end of the day, when it is all saidand done; the question is going to be: ‘What have you done tohelp others?’ Degrees, titles and positions won’t matter.

ON THE COVER

C.O. "BRAD" BRADFORD is an Attorney, Public Safety Consult-ant, former Houston Chief of Police and Vice Mayor Pro-Tem forthe City of Houston. In January 2012, members of the HoustonCity Council elected Bradford as Vice Mayor Pro-Tem via unani-mous vote. Bradford ran three successful citywide campaigns, themaximum (three terms) permitted under law. During his secondand third campaign, he won in every council district, without arun-off and got the highest number of votes in all of the citywidecontested races.

He became a resident of the city of Houston in 1979. Brad-ford has lived in Hiram Clarke, Alief, Fondren Southwest, andMacGregor areas, he understands the various characteristics ofthe Houston community and appreciates efforts to focus onneighborhood needs.

Bradford served 24 years as a Houston police officer andseven years as Chief of Police. He was appointed Houston's Po-lice Chief by Mayor Bob Lanier and re-appointed by Mayor Lee P.Brown. While serving as Chief of Police, Bradford managed 7,000personnel and $500 million annual budget. During his tenure, citi-zens' fear of crime and public safety concerns went from 59% in1996 to only 10% by the time he left office in 2003, as docu-mented by Dr. Stephen Klineberg, Rice University.

He holds degrees in law from the University of Houston LawCenter, criminal justice from Grambling State University, and apublic administration degree from Texas Southern University.Also, he is a graduate of the FBI Academy and Harvard Univer-sity's Kennedy School of Government Program for State andLocal Executives.

Bradford has served as a Precinct Chair and Election Judgein Harris County, Texas. Also, he has extensive experience as aSenior Consultant in the international consulting firm of BrownGroup International (BGI). BGI is a full-service consulting firm thatprovides solutions to problems of government, corporations andindividuals. BGI offers services in the areas of Public Safety,Homeland Security, Crisis Management, Government Relations,Community Government, Personnel Selection, Litigation Support,Technology Services and International Trade.

WITH A COUNCIL MEMBER WHO VALUES US:

C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD

INTERVIEW


AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What was life like for you as a childgrowing up?

COUNCILMAN FLOYD EMERY: I was raised in a Mid-west-city by a blue collar worker father and homemakermother. My father was a strict disciplinarian with a strong com-petitive spirit. He worked hard and long hours to provide myyounger sister and I with the basics required to live a safe andcomfortable life. My mother with great homemaker skills pro-vided a loving atmosphere instilling religious principals in mylife, and was fully supportive of my fathers’ decisions.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What did you dream of becoming asyou were a child growing up?

COUNCILMAN FLOYD EMERY: Like many young boys, Iwanted to be a major league baseball player; playing for myhome town heroes -- the St. Louis Cardinals. After that, Iwanted to build a life where I would not have to face the hard-ships my father endured due in part to his lack of formal educa-tion; but would imitate his hard and competitive work ethic.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mission in life?COUNCILMAN FLOYD EMERY: To provide a loving at-

mosphere for my wife and sons while setting a good examplein both my personal and business life. Giving back to my com-munity, country and faith, through service and commitment toeach, with an overall goal of being recognized as a good hus-band, father, friend and citizen is extremely important to me.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Can you tell us a little about what youdo for a living?

COUNCILMAN FLOYD EMERY: I retired from businesslife after 47 years of service with Baroid/Halliburton, achievingdirectorships in the disciplines of IT, Finance and HR. Cur-rently, I have dedicated my time and energy to the job of per-forming the duties, and meeting the responsibilities as theMissouri City Council-member representing District D.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Do you have a recent accomplish-ment you would like to share?

COUNCILMAN FLOYD EMERY: I am equally proud of twoaccomplishments. The attention and actions brought to thesupport of our Public Safety (fire/police) is most rewarding.Working with the City Staff and my Council counterparts we’veimplemented processes to bring their pay (firemen/police offi-cers) and benefits to a competitive level; provided budget andassets required to make them effective while providing for theirsafety, and the safety of our residents. Their performance (fire-

men/police officers) positioned Missouri City as the 6th safestCity in Texas.

Additionally, the strengthening of our partnership with ourHOA’s is rewarding. My commitment to attend most HOA meet-ings while directing City actions needed to address their is-sues; insuring we have City representation at these meetingsto listen to, and address issues, promoting the National NightOut event by City Staff; and the review and development ofCity ordinances that assist the HOA’s in maintaining home val-ues is an accomplishment in which I am very proud to haveplayed a part in.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your outlook for 2015?COUNCILMAN FLOYD EMERY: I have a very positive

outlook for Missouri City and its residents. Taxes collected andjobs created from our current and newly projected businesspark(s); increases in sales tax revenue, and existing home val-uation, will provide the revenue required to meet our budgetaryneeds and potential City tax rate considerations.

The City is in sound financial condition, the standards es-tablished for ratios and reserves by credit and bonding institu-tions reflect we are above the norms. Development ofresidential properties has a healthy outlook as evidenced in Si-enna South, Riverstone and Olympia Estates among others.

The City is making great strides in providing transparencyin our financial, ordinance, and land planning activities, andmobility for our residents will continue to improve. Missouri Citywill continue to move forward.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What advice would you give to some-one out there striving to achieve their dream?

COUNCILMAN FLOYD EMERY: Educate yourself bothformally and in the attributes needed to make yourself a viablecandidate for the station in life in which you ascribe. Associateyourself with activities and individuals through volunteerism,public service or other means of involvement. I was given ad-vice early in my career that a job given is a job worth doingwell; going over and above what might be expected. In all thatyou do, build a reputation of reliability, consistency, honestyand truthfulness.

ON THE COVER

COUNCIL MEMBER FLOYD EMERY has been married 52years to his wife, Linda. They have been homeowners in QuailValley for more than 35 years, where they raised their twosons, Brian and Dennis.

WITH A COUNCIL MEMBER WHO VALUES US:

COUNCILMAN FLOYD EMERY

INTERVIEW


Re-Elect Floyd Emery for Missouri CityCouncil District (D) on May 9, 2015

Vote Early: April 27th - May 5th

Dear Friends:

In May 2011, I was elected to this position by a substan-tial majority of District D voters. I was re-elected in May 2013without opposition. I appreciate your support and confidence.

In the election of 2011, I ran on a platform of "Ensuring

Public Safety", "Protecting Property Values" and "Attract-

ing New Business". I'm proud of the awards, recognition andbusiness success Missouri City has experienced during mytenure. Our City being recognized as one of the safest citiesin the US, most diverse city in the Houston area, best place tolive and most affordable for homebuyers gives me satisfac-tion, knowing I have worked hard to keep those campaignpledges. The completion of the City Centre at Quail Valley,Recreation and Tennis Center at Cypress Point and the $50million Water Treatment Plant at Steep Bank exemplifies oursuccess. Missouri City has worked hard to develop and fos-ter a business-friendly environment. As a result, our commer-cial tax base reflects a substantial increase as a percent ofCity revenue and our retail sales tax revenue reflects steadygrowth. I'm pleased to state that Missouri City is viewed bymany as the best place to live, work, shop and play.

With the experience I have gained, I am positioned to

continue the work with my colleagues on City Council

and our City Staff to move Missouri City forward. Wemust maintain our current path of growth and look for newopportunities to build our business base. Funding of our Pub-lic Safety sectors and addressing our infrastructure andwater needs while continuing to improve our alliances withour HOAs must be our priorities as we build an environmentthat meets the expectations of our residents.

Thank you to the residents of District D and Missouri

City. I will continue my hard work for Missouri City's future.

Thank You,

Floyd EmeryFloyd Emery

Missouri City Councilmember for District D

“Experienced, Effective, and

Hard-Working for Missouri City”

INTERVIEW

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What was life like for you as a child grow-ing up?

ATTORNEY RAMONA FRANKLIN: Life was wonderful. Ilived a care free life that was well guarded by two God fearing,loving and protective parents. I was able to live and play as achild free from adult responsibilities. I had the love, guidance,nurturing and protection from both of my loving parents. I wasalso blessed by my neighborhood. You see, I was raised duringthe time when the “Village” joined in and raised the child. So es-sentially, I had hundreds of loving mothers and hundreds of lov-ing fathers who guided, encouraged, and instilled values in mylife that I still carry today.


ATTORNEY RAMONA FRANKLIN: I wanted to be the fe-male version of Johnny Cochran. I always knew that I wanted tobe an attorney and live a life of service to others.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Did you achieve your childhood dream, ordid it evolve into something different?

ATTORNEY RAMONA FRANKLIN: Yes and No. Yes, I haveachieved the dream of becoming an attorney. However, each dayas I grow into my God-given purpose I am discovering untappeddreams that have been instilled in me before my birth that haveyet to be completed. No, there are still so many childhooddreams that I am still pursuing.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mission in life?ATTORNEY RAMONA FRANKLIN: My mission in life is to

be a woman of God that encourages, inspires, empowers, edu-cates and equips people with the knowledge of God.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What advice would you give to someoneout there striving to achieve their dream?

ATTORNEY RAMONA FRANKLIN: First, keep your focusand eyes on God. I think it is also important to have dreams thatare bigger than you that requires outside help. Never give up ona dream! Brush yourself off if you pursue a dream and you findyourself in a holding pattern waiting for your time. Give yourselftime to reflect on plans to effectively carry out your dreams. It isalways easy to give up on our dreams when they appear to benon-existent, and delayed.

ON THE COVER

ATTORNEY RAMONA FRANKLIN is a native Floridian but has

resided in Texas since 2001. Ramona resides in Katy, TX andhas been a member of Brookhollow Baptist Church-Church With-out Walls for nine years. Ramona graduated from Florida Agricul-ture and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, FL with aBachelor of Arts Degree in English and a Minor in Criminal Jus-tice. Following her graduation from Florida Agriculture and Me-chanical University she pursued a Masters of Science in SportsAdministration from Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL. Immedi-ately following her graduation from Lynn University Ramona pur-sued her Juris Doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School inLansing, MI.

In law school Ramona participated in the Moot Court Com-petition and was awarded the Best Advocate Award, she partici-pated in the Mock Trial Competition and served on the MootCourt and Mock Trial Executive Board. She served as a SenateRepresentative, Law School Marshall, Ambassador and served

as the President of the Black Law Student Association. Follow-ing her graduation from law school she moved to Houston, TXand worked as an Assistant District Attorney at the HarrisCounty District Attorney’s Office before entering into privatepractice in 2006. While in private practice Ms. Franklin beganher law firm concentrating on criminal law, family law and wills.Ramona has handled an extensive variety of legal cases butprimarily focuses her practice on zealously advocating criminalcases.

Ramona Franklin is an Adjunct Instructor at Remington Col-lege, Houston, TX with a main concentration on Criminal JusticeStudies. Ramona Franklin is passionate about serving the HarrisCounty Community. She has volunteered in the Houston Volun-teer’s Lawyer Program, NAACP Pro Bono Legal Defense Pro-gram, The Lady League Mentor Program and the Diamond In theRough Mentor Program.

Ramona Franklin is a motivational speaker, working on com-pleting her first book and is the mother of a precocious 4 monthold Malti Poo named Bailey. Ramona Franklin is a member ofAlpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.

WITH A LEGAL LEADER WHO VALUES US:

ATTORNEY RAMONA FRANKLIN

- www.thebulletinboard.biz - HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE 23

My mission in life is to

be a woman of God that

encourages, inspires,

empowers, educates and equips

people with the knowledge of God.”“


JUDGE JOHN SCHMUDE: I grew upin Spring, Texas as the youngest of 10 chil-dren. My father was an appellate attorneyfor the US Department of Justice beforebecoming a corporate attorney for Exxon.My mother was a homemaker. Being partof such a large family, there was never adull moment growing up.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What did you dreamof becoming as you were a child growing up?

JUDGE JOHN SCHMUDE: When Iwas a child, I dreamed of being a majorleague baseball player.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mission in life?

JUDGE JOHN SCHMUDE: My mis-sion in life is to be the best husband andfather that I can be; to serve families as afair, impartial, compassionate and hardworking judge; and, through the mercy ofGod, to save my soul.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Can you tell us a lit-tle about what you do for a living?

JUDGE JOHN SCHMUDE: I am aState District Judge for the 247th FamilyDistrict Court of Harris County.


JUDGE JOHN SCHMUDE: I am hum-bled and honored that the people of HarrisCounty elected me in November 2014 tobe Judge of the 247th District Court.


JUDGE JOHN SCHMUDE: In 2015, Iwill work hard to bring greater efficiency tothe 247th District Court and to work dili-gently to make judgments that apply the lawfairly and impartially while treating lawyersand litigants with dignity and respect.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What advice wouldyou give to someone out there striving toachieve their dream?

JUDGE JOHN SCHMUDE: Do notever let anybody tell you that you cannotdo something. With hard work, a positiveattitude and an indomitable spirit, you canaccomplish anything you set your mind to.

ON THE COVER

JUDGE JOHN SCHMUDE currently servesas the State District Judge for the 247thFamily District Court of Harris County.

Judge John Schmude resides withhis wife and two children in Spring.John is a lifetime Republican with astrong record of service to childrenand to families - especially those chil-dren and families who have faced sub-stantial challenges involving extremepoverty and abuse. John's wife, Kelly,was employed by Lockheed MartinSpace Operations at NASA and MDAnderson Hospital before becoming afull time homemaker. John's commit-ment to family law is motivated by hisstrong faith and his recognition thatfamilies are the first and firmest foun-dation upon which any healthy societyis built. John is an active member inAnnunciation Catholic Church indowntown Houston.

WITH A JUDGE WHO VALUES US:

JOHN SCHMUDE

My mission in

life is to be the

best husband

and father that I can be;

to serve families as a fair,

impartial, compassionate

and hard working judge;

and, through the mercy

of God, to save my soul.“


INTERVIEW

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What was life like for you as a child growing up?BUSINESSMAN DURREL DOUGLAS: I grew up in the South

Park neighborhood of Houston, Texas on Selinsky Street. We lived inCrestmont Village, an apartment complex my mother managed. Peo-ple tell me I have an "old soul" all the time and I believe this was be-cause of the way my family raised me -- around people much olderthan myself. I remember my mother explaining the reasoning behinddecisions she made so that I'd make wise decisions if I happened tobe by myself. For instance, when I played outside and it was darkand I was called in, I would ask "Why," to which she'd respond: "Youhave to come inside because I have to get up early in the morning togo to work," instead of saying, "Because I said so."


BUSINESSMAN DURREL DOUGLAS: As a child, I wantedto be a lawyer. Looking back, I never really understood the rea-soning behind it, but it may have been because that was one ofthe two ideal professions I'd heard of. If you wanted to be some-one, you had to be either a doctor or a lawyer -- I chose lawyer.When I run into young children in passing -- on the elevator orso, that's one of my favorite things to ask them: What are yougoing to be when you grow up?

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mission in life? BUSINESSMAN DURREL DOUGLAS: I'll use one of the best

answers I'd ever heard from a 4 year-old to answer this question. Iwas on the elevator at my apartment building heading to my carwhen I saw a mother and daughter already on the elevator. Aftertelling both of the "Good morning," I asked the little girl how old shewas and she told me she was 4. I asked her what she was going tobe when she grew up, she paused and gave me an answer thatgave me chills -- she said "5." I believe God speaks to us throughpeople, and that was God's way of reaching out to me through that4 year old telling me to worry about the next step in life, not the endof the staircase. She could've said ballerina, doctor, lawyer or amultitude of other things, but she replied "5." I'd have to say mymission in life is to make it better for those around me.


BUSINESSMAN DURREL DOUGLAS: As a consultant, I workon issue based campaigns, political campaigns and do a bit of ad-vocacy work here and there. In Layman's terms, organizations hireme to strategize -- it seems to be one of my strengths. I work formyself, so I get to pick and choose issues that I work on and only

choose issues/candidates that I care about.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Do you have a recent accomplishment youwould like to share?

BUSINESSMAN DURREL DOUGLAS:Ahh...I grew my beardback and it's fuller than ever LOL. Years ago, I worked for Texas'prison system and couldn't wear facial hair. Once I resigned there,I told myself I'd never do two things: work somewhere I couldn'twear whatever I wanted and work somewhere I couldn't wear fa-cial hair when I wanted to.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your outlook for 2015? BUSINESSMAN DURREL DOUGLAS: 2015 is going to be a

great year. As tensions rise around certain issues, we'll makeprogress. This year is a mayoral year and things are already get-ting heated. Personally, I'm looking forward to spending time withmy friends and family -- just making the most out of every day.


BUSINESSMAN DURREL DOUGLAS:The best advice I couldgive would be to follow your dream. Understand that most of theirfriends and families won't see the dream as clearly as they do. Un-derstand that to follow your dream you'll lose friends and col-leagues through envy and jealousy. Understand that it won't be aseasy as it appears in your head. Understand that at the end of theday, you must follow your instinct.

ON THE COVER

DURREL DOUGLAS is one of the Co-Founders of the HoustonJustice Coalition. He grew up in South Park on Selinsky Street.In 2005 he took a job as a correctional officer with the TexasDepartment of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) for five years eventuallyrising to the rank of Lieutenant. After seeing the trend of hall-ways filled with young men of color coming from marginalizedcommunities like his, he resigned in 2010 determined to bal-ance the scales of justice through advocacy, grassroots organ-izing and community empowerment that would lead more fromhis community on a path to success. He currently serves on theboard of directors for the historic League of Women Voters; wasa LWV Rising Star Class 2013-2014, Chair of the ResolutionsCommittee of the Harris County Democratic Party and is amember of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church.

WITH A COMMUNITY LEADER WHO VALUES US:

BUSINESSMAN DURREL DOUGLAS

INTERVIEW


AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What was life like for you as a child growing up?BUSINESSWOMAN PAMELA ELLIS: I grew up in a very

small town in Texas. For most of my childhood, my mother was asingle working mom. I was the 3rd of 4 girls. My mother alwaysencouraged me to work hard and be the best at whatever I setout to do. My grandmother, who was my greatest inspiration, wasa huge influence in my life. Serving as our second mom, shetaught me about the love of God and the power of prayer. As achild, when I wasn’t busy with church and after-school activities:girl scouts, sports, student associations, etc., I was looking forways to earn money; cleaning houses for the elderly, sellingChristmas cards, recycling aluminum cans, selling bags ofpecans, you name it I did it. I was fascinated with making money.


BUSINESSWOMAN PAMELA ELLIS: As a child, I don’t re-call dreaming of a particular profession. My mother always en-couraged me to be the best at whatever I chose to do. Ispecifically recall how she used to say, “I want you to be some-body.” By the time I got to college, my dream was to be “In-charge”, make a lot of money and help people. It was just thatsimple and in that order.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mission in life?BUSINESSWOMAN PAMELA ELLIS: My mission is life to

serve God in all that I do. In serving God, I know that means toserve humankind. I am on a mission to “be somebody”. I’velearned that what really makes you “somebody” is when can pro-vide solutions to someone else’s problems. In that way, my mis-sion is to encourage and foster opportunities for teen girls andyoung women to live the life of their dreams.


BUSINESSWOMAN PAMELA ELLIS: I am the PrincipalConsultant and Owner of Smahrt Solutions. Smahrt providesmanagement consulting for fortune 500 companies and largepublic sector entities in the areas of Human Resources Manage-ment and Business Process Engineering.


BUSINESSWOMAN PAMELA ELLIS: A recent accomplish-ment that I’d like to share would be the expansion of The SmahrtGirl Foundation, a non-profit that I established in 2003 as ascholarship fund for graduating seniors living in rural communi-ties. In 2013, we expanded to a full program providing mentoring,

resources and special programs for teen girls in rural and urbanunderserved communities. In 2014, we hosted our first charitygala which helped to raise funds for the Smahrt Girl SummerCamp this year.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your outlook for 2015? BUSINESSWOMAN PAMELA ELLIS: I am very excited

about 2015! 2015 marks my 13th year of business. I am lookingforward to executing a new service delivery model. We are ex-panding our capabilities to offer services to a broader marketthereby creating opportunities for substantial revenue increase.In 2015, my long anticipated book geared towards Human Re-sources professionals will be released in the fall of 2015.


BUSINESSWOMAN PAMELA ELLIS: My advice to anyoneout there striving to achieve their dreams is to become very awareof the moral and ethical values. Your values are at the root ofeverything you produce. I like to look at it as my personal constitu-tion. It establishes what I believe (faith), how I live my life and whyI live (purpose). Don’t worry about how your dreams will cometrue; just know that they will if you take action. You won’t have allthe answers when you start, but start anyway. Learn everythingyou can that will equip you to achieve and sustain your dreams.Be open, yet never compromise your values, you will only end upwith regrets. Allow God to order your steps, and make smartchoices. Lying, cheating, or stealing your way to it will only causeyour dream to be short-lived, or take longer. Be smart!

ON THE COVER

PAMELA ELLIS is the Principal Consultant and Owner of SmahrtSolutions. Smahrt provides management consulting for fortune500 companies and large public sector entities in the areas ofHuman Resources Management and Business Process Engi-neering. Ellis has managed the growth of the firm into a key serv-ice provider to Fortune 1000 companies in the greater Houstonarea and nationwide. Smahrt’s clients have included ServiceCorporation International (SCI), Anadarko Petroleum, TurnerBroadcast Systems, U.S. State Department and most recentlythe State of Maryland where she and her team successfully leadplanning, procurement and program management efforts for theMaryland Statewide Personnel System (SPS) Modernizationproject which was budgeted at $67 million dollars and includedmore that 64 agencies statewide.

WITH A BUSINESSWOMAN WHO VALUES US:

BUSINESSWOMAN PAM ELLIS

INTERVIEW


AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What was life for you as a child growing up? ATTORNEY KERYL L. DOUGLAS: I borrow from Charles

Dickens to say my childhood was both “The best of times ANDthe worst of times.” I grew up with a blessed, albeit somewhat‘sheltered’ life that afforded me and my siblings, a positive, pro-tected upbringing. But I also was raised in the deep racial unrestof the 60’s in the south. Blacks were still being lynched and op-pressed. But our family went unscathed. We and others weknew were passionately engaged in efforts for social justice/civilrights. “Whites Only” signs still adorned water fountains andother accommodations. Yet Blacks we knew, especially my fam-ily, were undaunted and determinedly committed to advance,thrive, and achieve. I credit my wonderful parents, especially mymom, Johnnie M. Burgess for rearing us with strong convictionthat NO man is superior, nor inferior to others; but ALL are cre-ated equal. Christianity was the pinnacle, foundation, and an-chor of lives then, as now.


ATTORNEY KERYL L. DOUGLAS: First and foremost, Idreamt of being a mother, with hope and prayer of being even justa fraction of the mother my mother was. GOD blessed me in thisregard with my wonderful son, James Matthew Douglas II, 11thgrade honor student at Westbury Christian School. I dreamt ofbeing successful and having a positive impact on society and theworld. I continue to build upon both of these throughout what I prayand expect to be a very long, successful life -- Cliché, but true.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mission in life?ATTORNEY KERYL L. DOUGLAS: My mission in life is to fulfillthe purpose for which my GOD created, sent, called, equipped,and assigned me; including, to provide CHRISTIAN, positive up-bringing for my son; to contribute positively to society, the world,and the advancement of humanity by helping establish, secure,and assure that ALL people are “free,” and empowered with ac-cess, opportunity, liberty, and justice.


ATTORNEY KERYL L. DOUGLAS: I “do” law as my occupa-tion; but for my true “ living,” I do all I can to help advance hu-manity, secure justice, freedom, and equality for ALL by servingGOD and humanity in meaningful ways that advance society.


ATTORNEY KERYL L. DOUGLAS: When there are so

many dismal statistics regarding education and our youth, Ipraise GOD for HIS blessings in raising my son who is well-rounded, Christian, prayerful, conscientious, caring, compassion-ate, accomplished, academically blessed, self-directed, studious,eager to pursue college and make positive impact on the world.Already sought out by major universities, he again volunteered tome a few days ago how much he looks forward to going to col-lege. I praise GOD I’ve been able to inspire, empower and opendoors for many others to achieve as well through my profes-sional work and volunteerism.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your outlook for 2015?ATTORNEY KERYL L. DOUGLAS: My outlook for 2015 is

again one of unrelenting faith, hope, and optimism as I believeand plead with GOD for a mighty move of HIS hand in my life,my family, sphere of friends; and in the hearts of people aroundthe world. My outlook is fueled by my pleas to GOD for revival ofmonumental magnitude resulting in true and lasting positivechange in society.


ATTORNEY KERYL L. DOUGLAS: My advice to all regard-ing their “DREAMS:” A) ALWAYS Have a Current Dream; B)NEVER Give Up on Achieving EACH Dream; C) COMMIT tochoosing dreams that HONOR GOD and ADVANCE HUMANITY.

ON THE COVER

KERYL L. DOUGLAS, avid volunteer and attorney in private prac-tice in Houston, graduated summa cum laude, with standing of #5out of 202 students, from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in May2008. She passed the Bar upon first attempt and is admitted toState of Texas Bar and the Federal Bar. Founder and owner ofAdvancing America and Optimum Solutions Consulting, she’s ex-perienced in public affairs, political empowerment/voter mobiliza-tion strategies, fund development, mediation, advocacy, writing,public speaking, poise and etiquette coaching, business develop-ment/branding. Douglas received her M.S. in Chemistry, magnacum laude, from Texas Southern University, B.S. in Biology, cumlaude, from Florida A&M University, and completed coursework fora Ph.D. in Epidemiology at UTHSC. She’s served as an instructorand administrator at TSU and HCC. She’s member of numerouslegal and community organizations, Counsel for Friends of Eman-cipation Park Board, Chair of Ready Women, Inc., which assistsunderprivileged, abused, and/or financially challenged womensuccessfully prepare for integration into work/independence. Shehas one son, James Matthew Douglas II.

WITH AN ATTORNEY WHO VALUES US:

ATTORNEY KERYL L. DOUGLAS

INTERVIEW


AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What was life like foryou as a child growing up?

CONTROLLER GREEN: I was fortunateto have loving parents and grandparents whoencouraged my inquisitiveness and school in-terests. Even as a youngster, I had a strongsense of community, in my case Houston’sThird Ward—where I still live.


CONTROLLER GREEN: I always knewI wanted to be a part of my community andbe of help to others; that came from my par-ents I think.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Did you achieveyour childhood dream, or did it evolve intosomething different?

CONTROLLER GREEN: Early on, Ithought I wanted to be a doctor, and so I at-tended Debakey High School for HealthProfessions. When I was attending the Uni-versity of Houston, I became interested insocial issues and the sense of serving thecommunity became even stronger. After Ireceived my BS degree from the UH Schoolof Social Science, I attended the ThurgoodMarshall School of Law at Texas SouthernUniversity, and then while I served on Hous-ton City Council, I went back to UH and ob-tained my MBA.


CONTROLLER GREEN: I do not havea single “mission in life.” Rather, I have amission to serve my city—and to elucidatethe complexities of municipal finance to thepublic; a mission to serve and mentor youngpeople; a mission to especially encourageand empower young African-Americans asthey begin their careers; a mission to collab-oratively work with other municipalities inour country to address the large challengescities face—and my position on the Board ofDirectors of the National League of Citieshas given me that opportunity. Finally, ofcourse, I have the all-important mission ofbeing an encouraging and loving father toChristopher, as my parents were to me.


CONTROLLER GREEN: I am especiallyproud that as Controller I have been involvedin the aggressive re-financing of the City’ mu-nicipal bonds; our office has seen successfulbond transactions that will save the city wellover $450 million this next decade, moneythat will fund services for our citizens. I amalso proud that the Controller’s Office has aheightened level of transparency and thatmore people are aware of what exactly thisoffice accomplishes.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your outlookfor 2015?

CONTROLLER GREEN: My outlook for2015 is very optimistic. Houston is doing well,post-recession. The City’s two main sourcesof revenue—property and sales taxes—haverebounded significantly from their lows duringthe recession, and that translates into Cityservices such a libraries and parks andhealth clinics that benefit citizens across thecity. There is an infectious civic pride inHouston—and, I think, the notion that we areall better off when there is a lessening of any“prosperity divide” among our citizens.


CONTROLLER GREEN: Dreams needa plan. Most dreams that are realized havea lot of hard work and commitment behindthem. Most dreams are team efforts really,and include parents and teachers and sup-portive friends. I do think it is important tochoose your friends wisely and to playwithin the rules. I also think it’s important tonot jeopardize your dreams by doing some-thing stupid on Facebook or YouTube!!

ON THE COVER

CITY OF HOUSTON CONTROLLER

RONALD C. GREEN – Ronald C. Green waselected as the first African American HoustonCity Controller on December 12, 2009.

WITH A CITY CONTROLLER WHO VALUES US:

RONALD C. GREEN

INTERVIEW


INTERVIEW


BUSINESSMAN CRAIG JOSEPH: Ihad a normal childhood growing up; al-though I was around our family business themajority of the time -- simply because I wasraised by my grandparents. My mother livednext door to my grandparents, so I wouldspend the night with her on occasions.Growing up in the inner city was not as chal-lenging as it is today. Everybody for the mostpart looked out for everybody; even in theabsence of parents. But living with mygrandparents was just what they wanted todo. Thus it kept me mainly around therestaurant and instilled a lot of values in me.


BUSINESSMAN CRAIG JOSEPH: Asa child growing up I want to become a civilengineer.


BUSINESSMAN CRAIG JOSEPH: No,I didn't achieve that dream of becoming acivil engineer; because in the late 70's theengineering market was going down. And Iprospects of getting a job as an engineerwas slim to none. So, I decided to becomea Houston Fire Fighter in 1980.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is yourmission in life?

BUSINESSMAN CRAIG JOSEPH: Mymission in life has always been to serve.Serving people has always been a passionof mine. As a matter of fact: that has been afamily tradition for us.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Do you have a re-cent accomplishment you would like toshare?

BUSINESSMAN CRAIG JOSEPH:

Some of my recent accomplishments havebeen being selected in the top 50 Black Pro-fessional & Entrepreneurs; my retirementfrom the City of Houston Fire Departmentafter 34 years of service. I’m also proud andblessed to continue be affiliated with TIRR

Memorial Hermann.


BUSINESSMAN CRAIG JOSEPH: Myoutlook for 2015 is to take Houston’s ThisIs It Soul Food to a much higher level.Perhaps franchising the restaurant or evenrelocating to another city. I also would liketo start a mentor program to train new busi-ness owners, passing the business on tomy son (Christopher). I am attending theGoldman Sachs 10 Program to increasemy knowledge of operating a business.


BUSINESSMAN CRAIG JOSEPH: Thebest advice, I believe, is to have commit-ment and dedication to your business.Never give up; because a door is close inyour face. If one door is closing, go to an-other and try and try again. WD-40 didn't ac-complish their goal until after the 39th time.That's how it became WD-40. I was turneddown 8 times, but I kept on trying. Eventu-ally the door will open. If you don't continueto try, how would you know whether or notyou can do it? No one likes a quitter. Thereis greatness on the inside of all of us. Wejust have to expose it. God didn't make us a“good people”, He made us a “Great Na-tion”. There is “GREATNESS” on the insideof each of us. So always remember Joshua1:8 – “This book of the law shall not departout of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditatetherein day and night, that thou mayest ob-serve to do according to all that is writtentherein for then thou shalt make thy wayprosperous, and then thou shalt have goodsuccess.”

So, put God first and you can't help

but to win!

ON THE COVER

BUSINESSMAN CRAIG JOSEPH – CraigJoseph is a well-known successful busi-nessman who owns one of the oldest fam-ily-owned restaurants in the Houston area.

WITH A BUSINESSMAN WHO VALUES US:

CRAIG JOSEPH


MAYOR ALLEN OWEN: My mother wasan Elementary Teacher and my dad ownedan Insurance Company. I was the middlechild with an older and younger sister. I grewup in East Texas and graduated from collegeat Stephen F. Austin State University. I playedsports like most kids and even played minorleague baseball during my college days. Iknew I would not be a big leaguer so I de-cided to coach and got my coaching/teachingcertificate. During that time I began workingin a bank and decided that I would like to dothat instead. Job was much more secure andyou didn't have to have a winning season tokeep your job. I had just married and wanteda better future for us.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What did you dream ofbecoming as you were a child growing up?

MAYOR ALLEN OWEN: I really wanted tobe a doctor as a child but science courses incollege changed my mind. They were toomuch of a struggle.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Did you achieve yourchildhood dream, or did it evolve into some-thing different?

MAYOR ALLEN OWEN: I did play minorleague baseball and that was not necessarilya dream, but something I enjoyed doing.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mission in life? MAYOR ALLEN OWEN: My mission was

just to be successful in whatever I did with mylife. I have always said that I thought God putme on this earth to serve others and I havestrived to do that in the best way I could. Notonly as Mayor but through the many non-profitorganizations I serve on.


MAYOR ALLEN OWEN: I have alwayssaid that I hope to be remembered after leav-ing office for helping guide the City in the de-velopment of it being one of the best in theUSA to call home. This has been done throughthe development of Sienna Plantation, River-

stone, Lake Colony, Colony Lakes, Brightwa-ter, Lake Olympia, and the acquisition of QuailValley Country Club and the preservation ofthe 400 acres of parkland. Being named oneof the safest cities in the USA is another ac-complishment I am proud of for our City. I didnone of this alone. It took a good Council anddedicated staff to accomplish it all.


MAYOR ALLEN OWEN: I see a verybright future for our City. Increased propertyvalues give our citizens equity in their largestinvestment-their homes. I see continuedgrowth in our commercial and industrial seg-ments. Placing more value on the ground andcreating more jobs for our community meansthat we can continue to look at ways of takingthe tax burden off of the roof tops and placingit on sales and commercial property taxes.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What advice would yougive to someone out there striving to achievetheir dream?

MAYOR ALLEN OWEN: Never give up trying.

ON THE COVER

MAYOR ALLEN OWEN – Mayor Allen Owenis Missouri City's 10th mayor since the city'sincorporation in 1956. He’s faithfully servedas Missouri City’s mayor since 1994. He hasa long-standing documented track record ofplacing the citizens of Missouri City first. Histrack record and dedication was part of thereason Missouri City was honored as one ofthe top 10 safest cities in Texas by real estatewebsite Movoto back in August of 2014.Movoto combined crime data from the top100 most populous municipalities in Texas,and used the FBI’s 2012 Uniform Crime Re-port to determine that Missouri City is thesixth safest city in Texas. 24/7 Wall St., aweb-based corporation designed to report fi-nancial news and opinions, also recentlyranked Missouri City 16th on their list of thetop 50 places to live in the United States.

MAYOR ALLEN OWEN

INTERVIEW

WITH A MAYOR WHO VALUES US:



SUPERINTENDENT DUPRE: I had a com-plicated childhood. My mother died when I wasfive years old, and when I was seven, my fathersent me to live in a faith-based children's home.I lived there until I finished high school. I wasblessed to be well taken care of, and I receiveda good education that provided the foundationfor future opportunities; but, it was challenging tobe raised by people who were not my parents.


SUPERINTENDENT DUPRE: From ayoung age, I enjoyed performing, and publicspeaking. I wanted to be a performer orbroadcast journalist.


SUPERINTENDENT DUPRE: In terms ofoverall success, I have far exceeded my child-hood dream, but I am definitely not doing what Ioriginally dreamed! When I speak to students, Ioften remind them that it is likely they will endup in a job or profession they can't even con-ceive of today. In FBISD, our mission is to in-spire and equip all students to pursue futuresbeyond what they can imagine. I feel blessedthat teachers and others in my life prepared mein that way. I began my career as Certified Pub-lic Accountant. Today, I am Superintendent/CEOof one of the largest public school districts inTexas and the U.S. Who knew!?

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your missionin life?

SUPERINTENDENT DUPRE: My primarymission in life is to glorify God in all I do. As aleader in public education, I feel I am fulfillingmy calling to invest in the lives of others. Thework we do as educators shapes the future ofeach child we touch, along with that of theirfamilies and any spouse or children they mighthave in the future. Our work also shapes thefuture of our community. If our community is tothrive, public schools must send productive,contributing citizens into the workforce. Wemust develop leaders and prepare students togive back to their communities and invest inthe lives of others.


SUPERINTENDENT DUPRE: On a per-sonal level, in 2014, I completed a doctoratedegree after four years of graduate school.Professionally, I am proud that, during thepast two years, FBISD has engaged morestakeholders than ever before in developingcomprehensive plans for the future. An impor-tant result of the community engagement isthat 74 percent of voters approved the No-vember 2014 bond election.


SUPERINTENDENT DUPRE: In 2015, Iwill begin my third year as superintendent ofFBISD, so I look forward to moving out of the"transition" phase of organizational develop-ment as we begin to bring to fruition two yearsof extensive planning done in partnership witha strong School Board, an engaged commu-nity and a dedicated staff. I will also completemy 20th year in public education, which is amajor milestone. Even more importantly, I willcelebrate 30 years of marriage to the beautifulwoman who has faithfully shared life's journeywith me in a loving, supportive way.


SUPERINTENDENT DUPRE: To achieveyour dreams, you must be a person of integrityin all things and invest in authentic relation-ships with others, including colleagues at alllevels of the organization. This is different thansimply "networking." You must be a life-longlearner, and demonstrate you are willing towork hard. It's also important to be flexible,nimble, and willing to stretch the boundaries ofthe status quo. You must possess the courageto take risks, learn from your mistakes and set-backs, and keep pressing forward.

ON THE COVER

FBISD SUPERINTENDENT DR. CHARLES

DUPRE – Dr. Dupre is the first African Ameri-can to serve as superintendent for the FBISDSchool District.

WITH A SUPERINTENDENT WHO VALUES US:

DR. CHARLES DUPRE

INTERVIEW

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What waslife like for you as a child grow-ing up?

JUDGE LOYD WRIGHT: I hada great childhood, playing sandlotand organized baseball, footballand basketball. I had loving andsupportive parents and an olderbrother, all of whom provided guid-ance and good advice throughoutmy life. My mother and father alsostressed academics. I will never for-get my father's frequent admonish-ment to not come home with a "B"! Itook him very seriously and tried mybest to never disappoint him.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What didyou dream of becoming as youwere a child growing up?

JUDGE LOYD WRIGHT: I sup-pose if I had a main dream it was toplay baseball and football for RiceUniversity. I was admitted to Ricebut made a late decision to "get outof town" and attend the Universityof Texas. I sometimes think aboutthe choices I made, like we all do.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Did youachieve your childhood dream, or did itevolve into something different?

JUDGE LOYD WRIGHT: I didnot become the star left handedpitcher or tight end I dreamed ofbeing, but the emphasis on aca-demics paved the way for a goodlegal career which ultimately led tothe job I have now as Judge of Pro-bate Court No. 1. Who could com-plain about that? As a solepractitioner for nineteen years, I hadcontrol over my time and was oftenable to coach my son's and daugh-ter's teams. I would not trade thosedays being with them for anything.


JUDGE LOYD WRIGHT: Mymission in life now is to enjoy myfamily, continue to do my job to thebest of my ability, and help others

whenever I can.AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Do you

have a recent accomplishment youwould like to share?

JUDGE LOYD WRIGHT: Mybiggest professional accomplish-ment has been to win two terms asJudge of Probate Court No. 1. I wantto continue to earn the confidence ofthose who come into court and reaf-firm that I will always do my utmostto be fair, impartial and diligent.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What isyour outlook for 2015?

JUDGE LOYD WRIGHT: I think2015 is going to be another greatyear for the Texas and Houston. Iam looking forward to another fouryears on the bench. I have a won-derful staff that keeps things runningsmoothly "behind the scenes." It isjust a great place to show up to inthe morning.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What ad-vice would you give to someoneout there striving to achieve theirdream?

JUDGE LOYD WRIGHT:

Everyone should start by givingtheir best effort in school. Therereally is no consistently better wayto change the circumstances ofyour life than through achievementand success in school. Doing wellacademically will give you moreopportunities and choices in whatto do with your life. Of course,working hard at whatever you de-cide to do will also make a tremen-dous difference, perhaps thebiggest difference. These coreprinciples become cliches for areason! America offers so manydifferent opportunities to be suc-cessful in one way or another. Butyou have to be a participant. Youhave to make a good faith effort.You have to be "in the game".Don't be someone who sits on thesidelines and then complains thatthings are not fair.

36 HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE - (832)212-8735


JUDGE LOYD WRIGHTINTERVIEW


JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: I grew up inNorthwest Houston and went to WestfieldHigh School. My first job was at a skatingrink working in the snack bar when I was inthe eighth grade. During high school, I en-joyed serving as a waitress at our localsteak house, Del Friscos. My father was anattorney and I spent high school and collegesummers working in his office and accompa-nying him to court. As a high school junior,Rotary International sponsored me as an ex-change student to Germany, where I stayedwith a wonderful family in Vreden, a smallfarming town outside Cologne. My parentswere very supportive of me and instilled inme the values of faith, diligence, education,and service.


JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: When I wasvery young, my mother required an expen-sive surgery and, fresh out of law school, myfather was desperate to raise the money forher surgery. I gave him the two quarters Ihad earned from weeding and sweeping aneighbor's driveway and asked what else Icould do to help. He said I could grow upand become a lawyer to help him in his pro-bate practice and to serve other families fac-ing crisis. In that moment, my father gaveme my mission, and from that point on Iknew that I would become a probate lawyer.


JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: When I ac-companied my father to court, I enjoyed sit-ting in on Judge Scanlan's guardianshipdocket. His demeanor on the bench demon-strated empathy for family members, com-passion and respect toward the disabled,and a mastery of probate law. My desire tofollow in his footsteps developed at a youngage in the crowded spaces within the FamilyLaw Building. Now, I look out the windowfrom my 7th floor office in the Civil Courtsbuilding and see where my dreams took rootas I fondly remember the colorful mural inJudge Austin's courtroom, the shadedbenches where I often ate lunch, and the

painted signs of demonstrators who seemedever present in the late 1980's.


JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: In addition toraising a noble family of my own, my missionis to help families in crisis when the crisis in-volves the loss or incapacity of a loved one.


JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: The probatecourts have developed a handbook forguardians and such handbook has beentranslated into Spanish and Hindi by tal-ented lawyers dedicated to servingguardians in their community. We also offera quarterly CLE program to attorneys andhave updated our website to include onlinedocket setting and useful practice informa-tion for attorneys, all designed to make thepractice of law more efficient and cost effec-tive for attorneys and those they serve.


JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: 2015 will seea renewed focus on enhancing services forthe mentally ill. The assisted outpatienttreatment program, which is designed to as-sist the mentally ill with treatment compli-ance outside of a hospital setting, is set toexpand in the next several years. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What advice wouldyou give to someone out there striving toachieve their dream?

JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS OFFERED

THIS QUOTE: "Every great dream beginswith a dreamer. Always remember, youhave within you the strength, the patience,and the passion to reach for the stars tochange the world." Harriet Tubman.

ON THE COVER

JUDGE CHRISTINE RIDDLE BUTTS – cur-rently serves as the Probate Judge for Dis-trict Court #4 in Harris County.



CHRISTINE RIDDLE BUTTS

INTERVIEW

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What was life like for you as a child growing up?BUSINESSMAN BILL FRAZER: I grew up in a neighborhood

with lots of families with lots of kids, plus we had a lot of family andfriends of my parents who were always around our house. The onething that was paramount was to be respectful of other people no mat-ter who they are or how different they appear to be. We were also ex-pected to work for whatever we wanted. My parents provided all thebasics, everything else was up to me. So from an early age I hadsome sort of job, ultimately leading to waiting on tables in high schooland throughout college.


BUSINESSMAN BILL FRAZER: I wanted to own a restaurant.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Did you achieve your childhood dream, ordid it evolve into something different?

BUSINESSMAN BILL FRAZER: Let’s just say I haven’t stoppeddreaming. I got a job working in the lease accounting department ofthe Texas Land Office my junior year in college. It paid a whole lotbetter than restaurant work and allowed me to get some experiencein my major and finish school. That led to a job offer in Houston witha major accounting firm, Ernst & Ernst, and my career as a CPA tookoff. However, working in the restaurant industry taught me a lotabout people, and solidified what my parents taught me about hardwork, always dealing honestly with people and being respectful.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mission in life?BUSINESSMAN BILL FRAZER: To live according to the

Seven Christian Habits: A personal relationship with God, dailypersonal prayer, regular study of the Bible, adjusting my will toGod’s will, service to others, maintaining a relationship with peoplewho serve God, and maintaining stewardship of the resources pro-vided to me.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Do you have a recent accomplishment youwould like to share?

BUSINESSMAN BILL FRAZER: I give thanks each day forthe loving relationship I have with my wife, Jean. We’ve beenmarried for over 42 years and have 2 wonderful children, nowgrown and “out of the house”, who remind us of how trulyblessed we are.

But I also like to tell as many people as I can about two organi-zations I serve. One is with Volunteer Interfaith Caregivers – South-west. Its mission is to help frail, elderly, and health-impaired peoplein the southwest Houston area remain independent in their ownhomes and to be able to meet their health care needs to preservetheir quality of life. Our basic service is to help them meet very criti-cal transportation needs, such as trips to doctor appointments and

to the grocery store. Such basic needs are critical in helping themremain in their existing homes. Transportation needs of seniors is agrowing problem in this City and we all need to do more to addressthese issues. As a Board member I’ve been able to help this groupraise needed operating capital and to address some critical issuesin data management and volunteer outreach. This group must beable to keep track of the seniors who need our services as well asvolunteers who provide free transportation. Better computer anddata systems help us deliver better service.

The other organization I work with is a skilled nursing homein Baytown, which is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. Asa Trustee I’ve been able to help the permanent staff solve somepressing financial issues. This has enabled the facility to keepup with falling Medicaid reimbursements and to utilize donationsmore effectively. Most of our residents rely completely on Medi-caid funds for a place to live. These funds are woefully short ofactual cost of care, and we are able to bridge the gap to providea safe, clean and caring home that our residents and their fami-lies can be proud of.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your outlook for 2015? BUSINESSMAN BILL FRAZER: My goal for 2015 is to help the

residents of the City of Houston how we can better utilize the re-sources we have to solve some very difficult and important issues.To do this will require being honest in our assessment of our pen-sion systems and the condition of our streets and other infrastruc-ture. It is a difficult task and it won’t be easy. But I firmly believe thatby addressing these difficult issues now we will become better or-ganized and the skills and hard work of the best and brightest peo-ple in the City will develop meaningful solutions.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What advice would you give to someone outthere striving to achieve their dream?

BUSINESSMAN BILL FRAZER: Andrew Jackson’s mothergave him the following advice, and I’ve always liked to repeat itwhen someone starting their career asks me what advice I’d give.“Andrew….in this world you will have to make your own way. To dothat you must have friends. You can make friends by being honest,and you can keep them by being steadfast. You must keep in mindthat friends worth having will, in the long run, expect as much fromyou as they give to you.”

ON THE COVER

BUSINESSMAN BILL FRAZER – Frazer plans to put hisvast experience to work for the people of Houston should vot-ers choose to elect him on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015.


Q&AWITH A BUSINESSMAN WHO VALUES US:

BUSINESSMAN BILL FRAZER

INTERVIEW


GRAYLE JAMES: I grew up in Califor-nia where my family has farmed since the1850s. My mother worked on the farm andeveryday I would accompany her to work.When I started school, she went to workwhile I was at school and then would pick meup after school and take me with her back towork. I learned to appreciate hard work,completing the job you are given, and theloyalty of my family to the family business.


GRAYLE JAMES: When I was grow-ing up, I dreamed of working in an officeand not on a farm! When I had the chanceto go to college, I didn't know what I wantedto study. I especially remember telling mymother I didn't want to be a math teacher.


GRAYLE JAMES: My childhood dreamevolved because in my 20s I finished collegeand became a math teacher. I also taught sci-ence to high school students. I loved teachingand inspiring students to pursue their dreams.


GRAYLE JAMES: Currently, my life'smission is to be a supportive, loving wifeand to raise my children with love and in-tegrity. At the same time, I am devoted tohelping every student in Fort Bend ISDreach their full potential.


GRAYLE JAMES: In my role on theFort Bend ISD School Board, I have partici-pated in numerous accomplishments.School Board Trustees work as a team. Wemust work to build consensus on our pathforward and have agreement in order to ac-complish any goal. I have worked hard tofacilitate our Board's team-building over the

past year. As a result, we have hired Dr.Charles Dupre as superintendent of schoolsand he has demonstrated leadership, in-tegrity and commitment to our students.Also. we have gotten voter approval for a$484 million Bond Package for FBISD. Thiswill enable us to keep up with the growth inour community.


GRAYLE JAMES: Looking ahead into2015, our school district expects continuedgrowth. We have a major project currentlyunderway to align feeder patterns in ourschool system. We expect to complete thiswork in January. We also expect to open anew elementary school in 2015 and anotherin 2016. Additionally, the district will work toimprove our technology infrastructure to fa-cilitate the education of every student.


GRAYLE JAMES: To those striving toachieve their dream, I would say, "Greatjob! The first step to achieving somethingremarkable is to have a dream." Next Iwould advise the following:

a) Never give up! -Obstacles are partof life and are unavoidable.

b) Don't be afraid of change! -Cir-cumstances change, opportunities change,and life will change; As our perspectiveschange, we can learn and grow andachieve. If we "fight" change, we will alwaysstruggle.

c) Be a problem solver! -When you en-counter an obstacle, challenge it and conquerit. Always, think creatively and find solutions;Excuses are not a wise option because prob-lems rarely go away by themselves. Prob-lems need problem solvers to fix them!

ON THE COVER

FBISD PRESIDENT GRAYLE JAMES –

Grayle James currently serves as the Presi-dent of the Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees.


Q&AWITH A TRUSTEE WHO VALUES US:

GRAYLE JAMES INTERVIEW

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What was lifelike for you as a child growing up?

CARROLL G. ROBINSON: I hada great childhood. My parents werehardworking and loving.

My brother, sisters and I en-joyed each other and our do Ger-man Shepard.

We were not rich with materialthings, but we were rich in other ways--love and support.

My parents made sure we couldachieve anything we wanted in life ifwe got a good education, worked hard,took care of our family and money andavoided trouble.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What did youdream of becoming as you were achild growing up?

CARROLL G. ROBINSON: Mydream was to go to college, make myparents proud of me and be able tohelp take care of them as thanks for allthey were doing for me, my brotherand sisters.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Did youachieve your childhood dream, or didit evolve into something different?

CARROLL G. ROBINSON: Yes Idid. God is good all of the time.


CARROLL G. ROBINSON:Mymission in life is to take care of myfamily and to try and make a positivedifference in my community.


CARROLL G. ROBINSON: As aHouston Community College TrusteeI got the Board to approve a 6thGrade Pre-Admission program and amillion dollars in scholarships forlocal students.

As a City Council member i sup-ported what would become the city's"Rev Cap" spending limit, worked withcouncil members to establish the city'sRainy Day Fund and lead the effort topass the No Trucks In The Left Laneordinance to improve traffic safety onlocal highways.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is youroutlook for 2015?

CARROLL G. ROBINSON: I ampraying for Health, Safety, Peace andProsperity for everyone in 2015.

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What advicewould you give to someone out therestriving to achieve their dream?

CARROLL G. ROBINSON: Be-lieve in yourself, love yourself andyour family and be willing to helpand serve others.

ON THE COVER

EDUCATOR AND ATTORNEY CAR-

ROLL G. ROBINSON – Carroll G.Robinson is an Associate Professorand a former Associate Dean of Exter-nal Affairs at the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairsat Texas Southern University (TSU) inHouston, Texas. Professor Robinson iscurrently a member of the Board ofTrustees of the Houston CommunityCollege System (HCC) and a CitizenMember of the Board of Trustees ofthe Houston Firefighters’ Relief andRetirement Fund. He is a formermember of the Board of Directors andBoard of Advisors of K9s4COPs. He isalso a past chairman of the HoustonCitizens Chamber of Commerce.

Professor Robinson is a formerAt-Large (elected citywide) memberof the Houston (Texas) City Council.As a member of the City Council,Professor Robinson chaired the city’sTransportation, Technology and In-frastructure Committee.

Professor Robinson is a LifeMember of the NAACP and OmegaPsi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He is the au-thor or co-author of numerous legaland public policy articles and com-mentaries. Robinson plans to put hisvast experience and know-how towork for the people of Houstonshould voters choose him as the bestcandidate in the race for City ofHouston Controller on the Tuesday,November 3, 2015 City of HoustonMayoral Election ballot.

Q&AWITH A LEADER WHO VALUES US:

CARROLL G. ROBINSON

INTERVIEW


Michael O. Adams, Ph.D., is theInterim Chair of the Department ofPolitical Science, Director of theMaster of Public Administration andFounding Director of the Online Ex-ecutive Master of Public Adminis-tration programs at Texas SouthernUniversity. He currently serves asthe Interim Director of the BarbaraJordan Research Institute. He is atenured professor, teaching classesin Public Administration and Politi-cal Science, while continuously

contributing to the academic bodyof knowledge through research.He provides expertise and profi-ciency where education, policy ad-ministrations, and communityparticipation intersect.

Dr. Adams has authored and co-authored five books since 1987,which cover the fields of AmericanGovernment, Public Administrationand Public Policy. He has pub-lished twenty-five papers since

1982. He has also written numer-ous newspaper columns and edito-rials, made several scholarlypresentations, acted as a consult-ant and aided in many educationaldevelopments. He has also au-thored many grants ranging from$1,000 to $1 million. Dr. Adamshas received numerous awards in-cluding, the Ford Foundation Doc-toral Fellowship and theCommittee on Institutional Cooper-ation Fellowship.

PEOPLE EMPOWERING OUR FUTURE

DR. MICHAEL O. ADAMS: LEADING IN EXCELLENCE


Dr. Adams is at the cusp of ad-dressing pivotal policy issues. In re-cent years, in relation to HomelandSecurity and terrorism, Dr. Adamsreceived a fellowship from theFoundation for the Defense ofDemocracy to participate in its Aca-demic Fellows Program in Tel Aviv,Israel. The program, entitled, “De-fending Democracy, Defeating Ter-rorism,” featured lectures byacademics, diplomats, military andintelligence officials, and politiciansfrom Israel, Jordan, India, Turkeyand the United States. It also con-sisted of visits to military bases,border zones, and other security in-stallations to learn the practical sideof deterring terrorist attacks. Thegoal of the program was to offer in-formation and training to teachingprofessionals about the latesttrends in terrorists’ ideologies, mo-tives, and operations.

He volunteers as a political andeducational consultant, and is anavid speaker, serving on aplethora of panels and speakingon various topics as a representa-tive of the University. He is also amember of the Network of Schoolsof Public Policy, Affairs and Ad-ministration (NASPAA) Small Pro-grams Committee.

He has received several awards in-cluding the Barbara Jordan-MickeyLeland School of Public Affairs In-ternational Service Award, theTexas Southern University Re-search Scholar Award, the Schoolof Public Affairs Research ScholarAward, and the Quiester CraigTeaching Award.

Dr. Adams received his Bachelor ofArts degree in Political Sciencefrom Tougaloo College (1976), hisMaster of Arts in Political Sciencefrom The Atlanta University (1978),and his Ph.D. in Political Sciencefrom The Atlanta University (1984).

Excellence in AchievementPrograms At Texas Southern University

Armed with the motto, “Excellence inAchievement,” Texas Southern Uni-versity has produced some of themost prominent leaders of our time.

Some of this prominence wasbirthed in 1974 when the TexasHigher Education CoordinatingBoard approved the establishmentof a School of Public Affairs at TSU,and helped the school to fulfill itsrole as a special purpose institution.

Later, in 2002, the school wasnamed the Barbara Jordan – MickeyLeland School of Public Affairs.

With the foundation of two greatnamesakes, the Barbara Jordan –Mickey Leland School of Public Af-fairs at Texas Southern Universityleads the way in the realm of emer-gency management, homeland se-curity, human resources, publicpolicy, international development,social justice, executive manage-ment, sustainability and urban plan-ning through the undergraduate andgraduate degree programs it offers.

To name a few, the school is hometo an emergency management andhomeland security (EMHS) under-graduate program, a NASPAA-ac-credited master of publicadministration (MPA) program, andan online executive master of publicadministration (eMPA) program.

Launched in Fall 2013, the emer-gency management and homelandsecurity (EMHS) program is de-signed to create graduates withextensive theoretical and appliedknowledge in emergency manage-ment and disaster research. TheBachelor of Science in EmergencyManagement and Homeland Secu-rity prepares students for careersin emergency management and

public safety careers and will intro-duce students to the all-hazardsapproach, emergency disastermanagement phases, risk assess-ment, prevention and manage-ment, counter-terrorism,consequence management, miti-gation, and recovery.

Boasting accreditation from the Net-work of Schools of Public Policy, Af-fairs and Administration (NASPAA),the master of public administration(MPA) program at TSU is a 48-credit-hour program that has pro-duced key change agents in humanresources, international develop-ment and policy.

On the cutting edge of public admin-istration, one of its greatest assetslies in its potential to alleviate theshortage of professionally educatedpersons, especially those from mi-nority groups, in local, state, na-tional and international publicservice. As a matter of fact, the MPAprogram is the only NASPAA ac-credited program in the Houstonmetropolitan area.

Another program housed in theSchool of Public Affairs is onlineeMPA program, which launch in fall2010. This 16-month program grad-uated its first cohort in fall 2011 andhas a curriculum uniquely designedto meet the growing demand formid-career professionals in the pub-lic sector who wish to pursue an ex-ecutive MPA degree.

In addition, eMPA candidates canbroaden their international scope byparticipation in the program’s studyabroad program, which is a part ofthe program’s tuition package. Todate, the program has traveled toBrazil, China and Ghana.------------------------------------------------For more information about these

programs, please contact Dr.

Michael O. Adams, 713-313-7760.


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 Managerfor 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.

FORT BEND ISD - Makingthe world a better place is achallenge taken on by seventh-grade Quail Valley MiddleSchool GT Academy students.To address the issue of bully-ing, the students recently pre-sented their Third AnnualAnti-Bullying Expo to revealtheir action plans to help endbullying.

To prepare for their proj-ects, the GT English LanguageArts students generated theirown questions regarding bully-ing and researched the topicthrough FBISD databases.They then created an actionplan to present their projects

Quail Valley Middle School GT Academy’s Anti-Bullying Expo Highlights Solutions to Addressing World-wide Issue

GT students Rohun Rajaram and Susmitha Sree Dharmalingam are pictured with an anti-bullying poster.

Anna Brooks gives Austin Parkway ElementarySchool students instructions on viewing her team’s“Go and Stop Bullying Scavenger Hunt” exhibit.


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

Jim

Rice

Jenny

Bailey

Jason

Burdine

Dave

RosenthalGrayle

James

K.P.

George


Higher Dimension Churchwww.higherd.net

Pastor Terrance H. Johnson, frequentlyreferred to as Pastor J, is the founder andsenior pastor of Higher Dimension Church.

His education de-rives from AmericanBaptist College lo-cated in Nashville,TN, where he ob-tained a Bachelor ofArts in Bible andSociology. Pastor Jis known throughoutthe country as apremier preacherwith extraordinarygifts in biblical expo-sition, interpretation,

and proclamation according to the HigherDimension Church website.

His wife First Lady Torsha Johnson, isspiritually gifted in leading women to theheart of God by developing and nurturingdynamic women's ministries. They areboth native Houstonians and have threesons, Terrance, Thailan, and Theophilus,and one daughter, Tirzah. Pastor Johnsonand First Lady Johnson uphold and exem-plify strong family values; believing thechurch is only as strong as its families.

Visit the website link for more

information on this ministry.

Brentwood Baptist Churchwww.brentwoodbaptist.org

The Reverend Dr. Joe Samuel Ratliffhas been married to the former DorisErnestine Gardner since 1980. He is a na-tive of Lumberton, North Carolina; where in1962, he began his Christian journey byuniting with The Mt. Sinai United Holy

Church of Lumberton. Seven years later,he answered his Call to Ministry while at-tending Morehouse College. He served aspastor of the Cobb Memorial United HolyChurch in Atlanta, Georgia for eight years.

Dr. Joe Samuel Ratliffwas elected as pastor ofBrentwood Baptist Churchof Houston, Texas in Feb-ruary 1980 and by theyear 2000 had grown itfrom a 500 member con-gregation to a mega-church of 12,000. The

congregation has reached a plateau ofmore than 7,000 members with over 5,000worshipers attending its two Sunday morn-ing worship services.



St John’s Church www.stjohnsdowntown.org

Juanita Rasmus is a Spiritual Directorwith a desire to see a merger between thecontemplative life and active life in society.Rudy Rasmus is an author, and global hu-

manitarian with apassion for outreachto the world’s poor-est citizens. To-gether theyco-pastor the St.John’s UnitedMethodist Church lo-cated in DowntownHouston that beganwith 9 existing mem-

bers in 1992. St. John’s has grown to over9,000 members (30% were formerly home-less) in 21 years into one of the most cul-turally diverse congregations in the countrywhere every week people of every socialand economic background and ethnicity

share the same pew.The Rasmus’ attribute the success of

the church to a compassionate group ofpeople who have embraced the vision oftearing down the walls of classism, sexism,and racism and building bridges of uncon-ditional love, universal recovery, and un-precedented hope. A recent in-house pollrevealed the number one reason peopleattend St. John’s is because they can “feelthe love” from the parking lot to the pew.



Lakewood Churchwww.lakewoodchurch.com/

Joel Osteen is a native Texan and thePastor of Lakewood Church, which accord-ing to Church Growth Today is America’slargest and fastest growing church. On July16, 2005 after completing $95 million dol-lars in renovations, Joel moved LakewoodChurch into its new 16,000-seat home —the former Compaq Center. It is the largestregularly-used worship center in the UnitedStates. Each week Joel delivers God’smessage of hope and encouragement tomore than 38,000 attendees. According toNielsen Media Research, Joel is the mostwatched inspirational figure in America. Hisweekly sermon is broadcast into every U.S.television market where it is viewed by


seven million Americans each week andmore than 20 million each month. Hisweekly broadcast is also seen in almost100 nations around the world according tothe Lakewood Church website.

A life-long Houstonian, Victoria beganher career in her family’s business. Now asa supportive wife, mother of two childrenand a co-pastor of Lakewood Church inHouston, TX, Victoria is an inspiration andmentor to women everywhere. She is com-mitted to helping women, children andfamilies discover their purpose and reachtheir highest potential in Christ.

Victoria has recently released a newbook from Simon and Schuster, calledLove Your Life: Living Happy, Healthy andWhole. In the book, Victoria offers today’sbusy modern woman a simple and practi-cal plan to help them embrace joy and livelife to the fullest. She speaks directly towomen harried by the pressures.



Windsor Village UnitedMethodist Churchwww.kingdombuilders.com

Kirbyjon H. Caldwell is Senior Pastor ofWindsor Village United Methodist Church.Under the leadership of Caldwell since1982, Windsor Village Church membershiphas increased from 25 members to morethan 16,000, making it one of the largestProtestant Churches in the country. As a

result of Caldwell’seffective social en-trepreneurship,both Caldwell andthe Windsor Vil-lage Church Fam-ily have beenfeatured exten-sively in nationaland internationalprint and broad-cast media, includ-ing U.S. News &World Report, the

British Broadcasting Corporation, The WallStreet Journal and the CBS EveningNews. Caldwell was included inNewsweek’s “Century Club”, the publica-tion’s list of 100 people to watch as Amer-ica moved into the 21st century. .

Second Baptist Churchwww.second.org

Dr. H. Edwin Young was born andraised in Laurel, Mississippi and accepted

Jesus Christ as hisSavior at the age of12. While in collegeat the University ofAlabama , he felt ledby God to become apastor, and trans-ferred to MississippiCollege to continuehis education. Dr.Young's preparationfor the ministry con-

tinued at Southeastern Baptist TheologicalSeminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

His first pastorate was in North Car-olina, and he pastored in North and SouthCarolina until 1978 when he moved toHouston, Texas to become the pastor atSecond Baptist Church where he contin-ues as senior pastor today. The congrega-tion has grown from 2,000 members in1978 to over 60,000 members on 5 churchcampuses. Dr. Young served two terms aspresident of the Southern Baptist Conven-tion and has authored many books includ-ing The 10 Commandments of Marriage,The 10 Commandments of Parenting, andHealing Broken America.

Dr. Young and his wife, Jo Beth, havethree sons, all in ministry: Ed (author,speaker and senior pastor of FellowshipChurch in Grapevine, Texas), Ben (author,speaker and associate pastor at SecondBaptist Church, Houston), and Cliff (CreativeMedia and Communications director and as-sociate pastor for Second Baptist Church,Houston, and founding leader of the con-temporary Christian group Caedmon’s Call.)Dr. Young and Jo Beth have eleven grand-children who light up their lives.



Wheeler Avenue Baptist Churchwww.wheeleravebc.org

The Reverend Dr. Marcus D. Cosby, thethird child born to the late Mr. RogersCosby and Mrs. Bobbie J. Cosby, servesas the Senior Pastor of Wheeler Avenue

Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. A proudnative of Chicago, Illinois and a product ofEmmanuel Baptist Church where Dr. L.K.Curry served as pastor, Cosby receivedthe Bachelor of Arts De-gree in Religion and Eng-lish from Fisk Universityin Nashville, Tennessee,the Master of Divinity De-gree in Homiletics andChristian Education fromthe Morehouse School ofReligion at the Interde-nominational Theological Center (ITC) inAtlanta, Georgia and the Doctor of MinistryDegree in Homiletics from Northern BaptistTheological Seminary in Lombard, Illinois.

Dr. Cosby is married to his high schoolsweetheart, Mrs. Audrey Marie Cosby, andthey have been blessed with three beauti-ful daughters, Adrienne Marie, AshleyMarie and Aliyah Marie and two sons, Mar-cus D., II and Matthew D. Cosby.



Grace Churchwww.grace.tv

Pastor Steve Riggle is the foundingpastor of Grace church, the president ofGrace International, and executive memberof the Houston Area Pastors Council. Steveholds a Masters Degreefrom Oral Roberts Uni-versity and a Doctoratefrom The Kings Univer-sity. Becky has ledwomen’s ministry in thelocal church, taught biblestudies, and speaks atconferences andwomen’s events acrossthe United States and in-ternationally. Her desire is to encouragewomen of all ages to grow in God’s wordand to live out their God given purpose.Steve and Becky take every opportunity tobe with their family and friends.

A motion picture is in production thatchronicles the unmistakable hand of Godmoving in Steve and Becky’s life during amission trip in the Philippines where theywere taken hostage in an attemptedprison break and were the only survivors.Click here to view “Between the Gates”movie trailer.

Dear Citizens of the Lone Star State:

I am happy to report that Plano Citizens United, a coalition of local citizens, leaders and

pastors, announced they have collected more than double the necessary signatures required

to force the Plano City Council to repeal or place on the ballot the recently passed "Equal

Rights Ordinance." Like the Houston ERO ordinance, the Plano ERO infringes on the reli-

gious liberties of Plano citizens and small businesses by criminalizing mainstream religious

views about sexuality and gender. Jonathan Saenz of Texas Values stated, "These LGBT special

rights ordinances are designed to be used as weapons against people of sincere faith, as we

have seen in Houston. The people of Plano, just like in Houston, are ready to put an

end to government hostility towards our First Freedom."

A spokesperson for Plano Citizens United

released the following statement:"In spite of the challenges created by the suspect timing

of the City Council's passage of this ordinance, we set a

goal to collect twice the minimum number of signatures

needed. We want to send a clear message to Mayor

LaRosiliere, and Councilmen Miner, Davidson, Smith, and

Downs who all voted for this ordinance. You can ignore

the citizens at the City Council meeting, but we will

make our voices heard with this petition and next May

at the polls. We are certain that once Plano citizens re-

alize the City Council has criminalized religious views

about sex and gender, the ordinance will be rejected

overwhelmingly at the polls. The citizens of Plano are

good and decent and treat one another with respect,

so criminalizing the beliefs of our diverse communi-

ties of faith does not advance the common good."

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

It is now time to move to phase II and make sure

the referendum passes at the ballot box. I will

keep you posted on how you can help our friends

in Plano. Information about the ordinance

and repeal efforts is available on the web

at www.PlanoEqualRights.com.

Thank You,

Jared WoodfillJared Woodfill

52 HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS

Plano Residents Collect over 7,000 Signatures

The mission of Bishop K.J. Brown Ministries is that through thepreaching and teaching of the gospel that a multitude of men, womenboys and girls will come to know the Lord Jesus as Savior. We alsoendeavor to be a source of encouragement, inspiration, informationand for those that already know the Lord as Savior and desire to

strengthen their relationship with the Lord.

Our vision at Bishop K.J. Brown Ministries is to raise up a Churchthat is a light in the world . Not just the local assembly, but the Bodyof Christ. We endeavor to be strength for the weary, hope for theworn, healing for the wounded, and encouragement for the well. As

we patiently wait for the return of Jesus Christ our Lord.

2015

w w w. b i s h o p k j b r o w n . o r g

We’re Building Winning Lives...

“God Wants U 2 Win! God has a plan to prosper your life. Trust in God's Ways Listen to God's

Voice. Follow God's Instructions. Move Forward in Faith and Win!” -- Bishop K J Brown


Quail Valley Middle School GT Academy’s Anti-Bullying Expo Highlights Solutions to Addressing World-wide Issue

with the intention of making a difference inthe world.

“Some of the students were skepticalabout anti-bullying initia-tives that already exist, sothis project gave them anopportunity to create some-thing real that they couldpresent before an actualaudience,” said GT English LanguageArts teacher Joe Bernhart, “The projectwas an act of real-world writing, publish-ing and research with an outcome for so-cial action.

The GT students invited fifth-gradersfrom Austin Parkway and Lantern Lane El-ementary Schools to experience the inter-active, anti-bullying exhibits. The

elementary youngsters went through a“Sticky Situation,” “SPYder Hunt,” a “Bul-lying through the Ages Time Travel Expe-rience” and other interactive exhibits tolearn how to recognize, report and take a

stand against bullying.“Bullying can be a bad

experience for everyone,”said GT student Gabriel Her-rera. “By presenting our proj-ects, we are teaching kids

how big a problem bullying is and how weneed to help put an end to it.”

“I believe if you teach kids at ayoung age that bullying is wrong, they’llkeep that information in the back of theirminds and know how to react if they areever faced with bullying,” said GT stu-dent Evan Blackwell.

Presenting their anti-bullying project to elementary school students are GT students Derek Lu, Timothy Nguyen and Varun Riddy.

Shown explaining components oftheir Time Travel Experience are sev-enth-graders Sarah Anderson, NylaJones and Maya Bergen.

A MOMENT ‘N TIME PHOTOGRAPHYCall Ray Spencer to schedule your appointment today!

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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

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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.com

FEATURED SUPPORTER

Captain Paul J. MatthewsFounder of the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum

www.buffalosoldiermuseum.com

KERYL L. DOUGLAS3730 Kirby Drive, Suite 1200

Houston, TX 77098

Phone: 713-819-9945

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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

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35 Years in Business


HERE’S A FEW OF THEJANUARY 2015 U.S. DOD CONTRACTS AWARDED

U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey,

chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,

walks next to his Italian counterpart,

Navy Adm. Luigi Binelli-Mantelli,

during a pass and review ceremony

in Rome, Jan. 19, 2015.

DoD photo by D. Myles Cullen

No: CR-001-15

January 02, 2015

CONTRACTS

NAVY

The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington,

is being awarded a $60,745,967 modifica-tion to a previously awarded fixed-price-in-centive-firm contract (N00019-12-C-0112)for the procurement of recurring AdvancedAirborne Sensor Capability Platform Inte-gration Kit In-Line modifications in supportof the P-8A Poseidon Low Rate Initial Pro-duction Lot IV (13 aircraft) and Full RateProduction Lot I (16 aircraft). Work will beperformed in Seattle, Washington (78 per-cent); Glendale, California (14 percent);Greenlawn, New York (4 percent); Tor-rance, California (3 percent); and Killdeer,North Dakota (1 percent), and is expectedto be completed in April 2017. Fiscal 2013and 2014 aircraft procurement (Navy)funds in the amount of $60,745,967 will beobligated on this award, $30,017,873 ofwhich will expire at the end of the currentfiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Com-mand, Patuxent River, Maryland, is thecontracting activity.

BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards

Mayport, LLC, Jacksonville, Florida, isbeing awarded a $14,572,040 modificationto a previously awarded contract (N40024-10-C-4406) for the selected restrictedavailability of USS Roosevelt (DDG-80), toinclude hull, machinery, electrical, electron-ics, ship alterations, and piping alterationand repair work. The primary focus of thisrepair package is to accomplish structuralrepairs and habitability upgrades. Work willbe performed in Jacksonville, Florida, andis expected to be completed by May 2015.Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance(Navy) and fiscal 2015 other procurement(Navy) funding in the amount of$14,572,040 will be obligated at time ofaward. Contract funds in the amount of$14,363,237 will expire at the end of thecurrent fiscal year. The Southeast RegionalMaintenance Center, Jacksonville, Florida,is the contracting activity.

No: CR-003-15

January 06, 2015

CONTRACTS

AIR FORCE

General Atomics, Aeronautical Sys-

tems, Inc., Poway, California, has been

awarded a $43,291,564 firm-fixed-pricecontract for MQ-9 Reaper field retrofit. Con-tractor will provide retrofit kits for the MQ-9Reaper Block 1 configuration aircraft withfield retrofit capabilities. Work will be per-formed at Poway, California, and is ex-pected to be completed by July 5, 2017.This award is the result of a sole-source ac-quisition. Fiscal 2013 funds in the amount of$27,047,122 and fiscal 2014 funds in theamount of $16,244,442 are being obligatedat the time of award. Air Force Life CycleManagement Center, Wright-Patterson AirForce Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity(FA8620-10-G-3038 0060).

Exelis, Inc., Colorado Springs, Col-

orado, has been awarded an $8,976,038modification (P00577) to previouslyawarded contract F19628-02-C-0010 forGlobus II sustainment support. Work willbe performed at Colorado Springs, Col-orado, and is expected to be completed byDec. 31, 2015. Fiscal 2015 operations andmaintenance funds in the amount of$8,976,038 are being obligated at the timeof award. Space and Missile Center, Peter-son Air Force Base, Colorado, is the con-tracting activity. (Awarded Dec. 29, 2014)


orado, has been awarded an $8,446,234modification (P00580) to previouslyawarded contract F19628-02-C-0010 forsystem sustainment. Contractor will sus-tain the infrastructure of the C-6 radar toinclude the weapon system management& engineering; field service team; radomemaintenance; and requirements definition,analysis, and modeling. Work will be per-formed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida,and is expected to be completed by Dec.31, 2015. Fiscal 2015 operations andmaintenance funds in the amount of$8,446,234 are being obligated at the timeof award. Space and Missile Center, Peter-son Air Force Base, Colorado, is the con-tracting activity. (Awarded Dec. 29, 2014)


orado, has been awarded an $8,090,014modification (P00576) to previouslyawarded contract F19628-02-C-0010 forDistributed Space Command and Control-Dahlgren system sustainment. Work will beperformed at Dahlgren, Virginia, and is ex-pected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2015.Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenancefunds in the amount of $8,090,014 arebeing obligated at the time of award.Space and Missile Center, Peterson AirForce Base, Colorado, is the contractingactivity. (Awarded Dec. 29, 2014)


orado, has been awarded a $7,369,637modification (P00581) to previouslyawarded contract F19628-02-C-0010 forsystem sustainment of the Ground-BasedElectro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance(GEODSS) weapons systems. Work will beperformed at Socorro, New Mexico; DiegoGarcia; and Maui, Hawaii, and is expectedto be completed by Dec. 31, 2015. Fiscal2015 operations and maintenance funds inthe amount of $7,369,637 are being obli-gated at the time of award. Space and Mis-sile Center, Peterson Air Force Base,Colorado, is the contracting activity.(Awarded Dec. 29, 2014)

NAVY

Choctaw Manufacturing Defense Con-

tractor,* McAlester, Oklahoma, is beingawarded $12,530,956 for delivery order0017 under an existing firm-fixed-price, in-definite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract(M67854-09-D-5024) for the procurementof 569 Medium Tactical Vehicle Replace-ment modular production trailers and waterdispensing system production units. Workwill be performed in McAlester, Oklahoma,and is expected to be completed by Dec.30, 2016. Fiscal 2013 procurement (Ma-rine Corps) and fiscal 2013 procurement(Marine Corps) overseas contingency op-erations contract funds in the amount of$12,530,956 will be obligated at time ofaward. Contract funds in the amount of$9,403,722 will expire at the end of thecurrent fiscal year. This contract was notcompetitively procured in accordance with10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(5). The Marine CorpsSystems Command, Quantico, Virginia, isthe contracting activity.

DeVal Corp.,* Philadelphia, Pennsyl-

vania, is being awarded a $10,250,000fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement ofMHU-191A/M munitions transporterwheels and brake cables. Work will be per-formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, andis expected to be completed in January2020. Fiscal 2014 other procurement(Navy) funds in the amount of $3,937 willbe obligated at time of award, none ofwhich will expire at the end of the currentfiscal year. This contract was solicited viaan electronic request for proposals as a100 percent small business set aside; oneoffer was received. The Naval Air WarfareCenter Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, NewJersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-15-D-0010).


DeVal Corp.,* Philadelphia, Pennsyl-

vania, is being awarded a $9,000,000fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement ofMHU-191A/M munitions transporter com-ponent parts. Work will be performed inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, and is ex-pected to be completed in January 2020.Fiscal 2014 other procurement (Navy)funds in the amount of $3,879 will be obli-gated at time of award, none of which willexpire at the end of the current fiscal year.This contract was competitively procuredvia an electronic request for proposals as a100 percent small business set-aside; twooffers were received. The Naval Air War-fare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst,New Jersey, is the contracting activity(N68335-15-D-0016).

ARMY

Technical Communications Solutions

Corp.,* Swampscott, Massachusetts,

was awarded a $8,622,068 firm-fixed-price,foreign military sales (Jordan) contract forthe installation of fiber optic cable whichwill satisfy the Jordanian Armed Forces(JAF) fiber optic-last mile (FO-LM) andfiber optic-long haul (FO-LH) requirements,and shall include the installation, testingand sustainment activities required for theJAF FO-LM and the FO-LH cable links.Work will be performed in Jordan, with anestimated completion date of Jan. 6, 2016.One bid was solicited with one received.Fiscal 2015 other procurement funds in theamount of $8,622,068 are being obligatedat the time of the award. Army ContractingCommand, Aberdeen Div D, AberdeenProving Ground, Maryland, is the contract-ing activity (W91CRB-15-C-5000).

*Small business

No: CR-004-15

January 07, 2015

CONTRACTS

ARMY

Huntsville Rehabilitation Foundation

(Phoenix) AbilityOne Contractor,

Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a$9,651,735 firm-fixed-price, multi-year con-tract for parachutist harnesses. Work willbe performed in Huntsville, Alabama, withan estimated completion date of Jan. 5,2020. One bid was solicited with one re-ceived. Fiscal 2014 other procurementfunds in the amount of $1,133,640 arebeing obligated at the time of the award.

Army Contracting Command, Tank and Au-tomotive (Warren), Warren, Michigan, is thecontracting activity (W56HZV-15-D-0010).

NAVY

Northrop Grumman Information and

Technology, Inc., McLean, Virginia, isbeing awarded a $7,123,971 modificationto a previously awarded firm-fixed-pricecontract for cyber network and defenseservices in support of the Marine CorpsEnterprise Network. Work will be per-formed in Quantico, Virginia (60 percent);Camp Pendleton, California (30 percent);and Okinawa, Japan (10 percent), and isexpected to be completed by July 2015.Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance(Marine Corps) funds in the amount of$7,123,971 will be obligated at the time ofaward and will expire at the end of the cur-rent fiscal year. The Marine Corps SystemsCommand, Quantico, Virginia, is the con-tracting activity (M67854-11-F-4915).

No: CR-006-15

January 09, 2015

CONTRACTS

AIR FORCE

Peerless Technologies Corp., Fair-

born, Ohio, has been awarded a$67,704,157 cost-plus-fixed-fee contractfor F-22 division advisory and assistanceservices. Contractor will provide expertiseand integrated solutions for all life cyclephases including research, development,production, operations and sustainment.Work will be performed at Wright-Patter-son Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expectedto be complete by Jan. 11, 2020. Thisaward is the result of a competitive acqui-sition with two offers received. Fiscal year2015 research, development, test andevaluation and procurement funds in theamount of $825,768 are being obligated atthe time of award. Air Force Life CycleManagement Center, Wright-Patterson AirForce Base, Ohio, is the contracting activ-ity (FA8622-15-F-8103).

Lockheed Martin Corp., Aeronautics

Co., Fort Worth, Texas, has beenawarded a $22,215,617 modification topreviously awarded contract FA8611-08-C-2897 for sustainment of the 3rd generationradar test bench for the F-22 Aircraft. Workwill be performed at Elkridge, Maryland,and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31,2017. Fiscal year 2013 procurement fundsin the amount of $22,215,617 are being ob-

ligated at the time of award. Air Force LifeCycle Management Center, Hill Air ForceBase, Utah, is the contracting activity.

NAVY

Northrop Grumman Aerospace Sys-

tems, Military Aircraft Systems, Mel-

bourne, Florida, is being awarded$57,524,736 for firm-fixed-price deliveryorder 0012 against a previously issuedBasic Ordering Agreement (N68335-10-G-0021) to procure peculiar support equip-ment for organizational level andintermediate level maintenance of the E-2DAdvanced Hawkeye aircraft. Work will beperformed in Melbourne, Florida (60 per-cent), and Bethpage, New York (40 per-cent), and is expected to be completed inJanuary 2018. Fiscal 2014 aircraft procure-ment (Navy) funds in the amount of$57,524,736 will be obligated at time ofaward, none of which will expire at the endof the current fiscal year. The Naval AirWarfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst,New Jersey, is the contracting activity.

URS Federal Services Inc., German-

town, Maryland, is being awarded a$35,951,345 modification to a previouslyawarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite quan-tity, cost-plus-fixed-fee with firm-fixed-priceprovisions, performance-based contract(N65236-12-D-4806) for a ceiling increaseand period of performance extension toJuly 10, 2016, to provide Submarine C5Iand NC3 system engineering, technical, lo-gistics and management support servicesincluding Test and Evaluation, certification,modernization, repair, refurbishment, over-haul and logistics support for all classes ofsubmarines to include Virginia Class, LosAngeles Class, Seawolf Class, SSBNClass, SSGN Class and Ohio Class Re-placement program. This contract includedone option which, as a result of this modifi-cation, would bring the cumulative ceilingvalue of this contract to $104,782,645.Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia(57 percent), Groton, Connecticut (36 per-cent), and Honolulu, Hawaii, (7 percent),and is expected to be completed by July2016. No funds will be obligated at the timeof the award. Contract funds will not expireat the end of the current fiscal year. Thiscontract was previously competitively pro-cured with proposals solicited via the Com-merce Business Daily’s Federal BusinessOpportunities website, and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website, with only oneoffer received. Space and Naval WarfareSystems Center Atlantic, Charleston, SouthCarolina, is the contracting activity.



we’ll invest in new partnerships with statesand communities across the country in arace to the top for our youngest children.And as Congress decides what it’s going todo, I’m going to pull together a coalition ofelected officials, business leaders, and phi-lanthropists willing to help more kids ac-cess the high-quality pre-K they need.Last year, I also pledged to connect 99percent of our students to high-speedbroadband over the next four years.Tonight, I can announce that with the sup-port of the FCC and companies like Apple,Microsoft, Sprint, and Verizon, we’ve got adown payment to start connecting morethan 15,000 schools and twenty millionstudents over the next two years, withoutadding a dime to the deficit.

We’re working to redesign highschools and partner them with collegesand employers that offer the real-world ed-ucation and hands-on training that canlead directly to a job and career. We’reshaking up our system of higher educationto give parents more information, and col-leges more incentives to offer better value,so that no middle-class kid is priced out ofa college education. We’re offering mil-lions the opportunity to cap their monthlystudent loan payments to ten percent oftheir income, and I want to work with Con-gress to see how we can help even moreAmericans who feel trapped by studentloan debt. And I’m reaching out to some ofAmerica’s leading foundations and corpo-rations on a new initiative to help moreyoung men of color facing tough odds stayon track and reach their full potential.The bottom line is, Michelle and I wantevery child to have the same chance thiscountry gave us. But we know our oppor-tunity agenda won’t be complete – and toomany young people entering the workforcetoday will see the American Dream as anempty promise – unless we do more tomake sure our economy honors the dignityof work, and hard work pays off for everysingle American.

Today, women make up about half ourworkforce. But they still make 77 cents forevery dollar a man earns. That is wrong,and in 2014, it’s an embarrassment. Awoman deserves equal pay for equal work.She deserves to have a baby without sac-rificing her job. A mother deserves a dayoff to care for a sick child or sick parentwithout running into hardship – and youknow what, a father does, too. It’s time todo away with workplace policies that be-long in a “Mad Men” episode. This year,let’s all come together – Congress, the

White House, and businesses from WallStreet to Main Street – to give everywoman the opportunity she deserves. Be-cause I firmly believe when women suc-ceed, America succeeds.

Now, women hold a majority of lower-wage jobs – but they’re not the only onesstifled by stagnant wages. Americans un-derstand that some people will earn morethan others, and we don’t resent thosewho, by virtue of their efforts, achieve in-credible success. But Americans over-whelmingly agree that no one who worksfull time should ever have to raise a familyin poverty.

In the year since I asked this Congressto raise the minimum wage, five stateshave passed laws to raise theirs. Manybusinesses have done it on their own.Nick Chute is here tonight with his boss,John Soranno. John’s an owner of PunchPizza in Minneapolis, and Nick helps makethe dough. Only now he makes more of it:John just gave his employees a raise, toten bucks an hour – a decision that easedtheir financial stress and boosted theirmorale.

Tonight, I ask more of America’s busi-ness leaders to follow John’s lead and dowhat you can to raise your employees’wages. To every mayor, governor, andstate legislator in America, I say, you don’thave to wait for Congress to act; Ameri-cans will support you if you take this on.And as a chief executive, I intend to leadby example. Profitable corporations likeCostco see higher wages as the smart wayto boost productivity and reduce turnover.We should too. In the coming weeks, I willissue an Executive Order requiring federalcontractors to pay their federally-fundedemployees a fair wage of at least $10.10an hour – because if you cook our troops’meals or wash their dishes, you shouldn’thave to live in poverty.

Of course, to reach millions more,Congress needs to get on board. Today,the federal minimum wage is worth abouttwenty percent less than it was whenRonald Reagan first stood here. TomHarkin and George Miller have a bill to fixthat by lifting the minimum wage to $10.10.This will help families. It will give busi-nesses customers with more money tospend. It doesn’t involve any new bureau-cratic program. So join the rest of thecountry. Say yes. Give America a raise.There are other steps we can take to helpfamilies make ends meet, and few aremore effective at reducing inequality andhelping families pull themselves upthrough hard work than the Earned IncomeTax Credit. Right now, it helps about halfof all parents at some point. But I agree

with Republicans like Senator Rubio that itdoesn’t do enough for single workers whodon’t have kids. So let’s work together tostrengthen the credit, reward work, andhelp more Americans get ahead.

Let’s do more to help Americans savefor retirement. Today, most workers don’thave a pension. A Social Security checkoften isn’t enough on its own. And whilethe stock market has doubled over the lastfive years, that doesn’t help folks who don’thave 401ks. That’s why, tomorrow, I willdirect the Treasury to create a new way forworking Americans to start their own retire-ment savings: MyRA. It’s a new savingsbond that encourages folks to build a nestegg. MyRA guarantees a decent returnwith no risk of losing what you put in. Andif this Congress wants to help, work withme to fix an upside-down tax code thatgives big tax breaks to help the wealthysave, but does little to nothing for middle-class Americans. Offer every American ac-cess to an automatic IRA on the job, sothey can save at work just like everyone inthis chamber can. And since the most im-portant investment many families make istheir home, send me legislation that pro-tects taxpayers from footing the bill for ahousing crisis ever again, and keeps thedream of homeownership alive for futuregenerations of Americans.

One last point on financial security.For decades, few things exposed hard-working families to economic hardshipmore than a broken health care system.And in case you haven’t heard, we’re inthe process of fixing that.

A pre-existing condition used to meanthat someone like Amanda Shelley, aphysician assistant and single mom fromArizona, couldn’t get health insurance. Buton January 1st, she got covered. On Janu-ary 3rd, she felt a sharp pain. On January6th, she had emergency surgery. Just oneweek earlier, Amanda said, that surgerywould’ve meant bankruptcy.That’s what health insurance reform is allabout – the peace of mind that if misfortunestrikes, you don’t have to lose everything.

Already, because of the AffordableCare Act, more than three million Ameri-cans under age 26 have gained coverageunder their parents’ plans.More than nine million Americans havesigned up for private health insurance orMedicaid coverage.

And here’s another number: zero. Be-cause of this law, no American can everagain be dropped or denied coverage for apreexisting condition like asthma, backpain, or cancer. No woman can ever becharged more just because she’s awoman. And we did all this while adding



years to Medicare’s finances, keepingMedicare premiums flat, and lowering pre-scription costs for millions of seniors.Now, I don’t expect to convince my Repub-lican friends on the merits of this law. But Iknow that the American people aren’t inter-ested in refighting old battles. So again, ifyou have specific plans to cut costs, covermore people, and increase choice – tellAmerica what you’d do differently. Let’ssee if the numbers add up. But let’s nothave another forty-something votes to re-peal a law that’s already helping millions ofAmericans like Amanda. The first fortywere plenty. We got it. We all owe it to theAmerican people to say what we’re for, notjust what we’re against.

And if you want to know the real im-pact this law is having, just talk to Gover-nor Steve Beshear of Kentucky, who’s heretonight. Kentucky’s not the most liberalpart of the country, but he’s like a man pos-sessed when it comes to covering his com-monwealth’s families. “They are ourfriends and neighbors,” he said. “They arepeople we shop and go to church with…farmers out on the tractors…groceryclerks…they are people who go to workevery morning praying they don’t get sick.No one deserves to live that way.”

Steve’s right. That’s why, tonight, I askevery American who knows someone with-out health insurance to help them get cov-ered by March 31st. Moms, get on yourkids to sign up. Kids, call your mom andwalk her through the application. It willgive her some peace of mind – plus, she’llappreciate hearing from you.

After all, that’s the spirit that has al-ways moved this nation forward. It’s thespirit of citizenship – the recognition thatthrough hard work and responsibility, wecan pursue our individual dreams, but stillcome together as one American family tomake sure the next generation can pursueits dreams as well.

Citizenship means standing up foreveryone’s right to vote. Last year, part ofthe Voting Rights Act was weakened. Butconservative Republicans and liberal De-mocrats are working together to strengthenit; and the bipartisan commission I ap-pointed last year has offered reforms sothat no one has to wait more than a halfhour to vote. Let’s support these efforts. Itshould be the power of our vote, not thesize of our bank account, that drives ourdemocracy.

Citizenship means standing up for thelives that gun violence steals from us eachday. I have seen the courage of parents,students, pastors, and police officers allover this country who say “we are notafraid,” and I intend to keep trying, with or

without Congress, to help stop moretragedies from visiting innocent Americansin our movie theaters, shopping malls, orschools like Sandy Hook.

Citizenship demands a sense of com-mon cause; participation in the hard workof self-government; an obligation to serveto our communities. And I know this cham-ber agrees that few Americans give moreto their country than our diplomats and themen and women of the United StatesArmed Forces.

Tonight, because of the extraordinarytroops and civilians who risk and lay downtheir lives to keep us free, the UnitedStates is more secure. When I took office,nearly 180,000 Americans were serving inIraq and Afghanistan. Today, all our troopsare out of Iraq. More than 60,000 of ourtroops have already come home fromAfghanistan. With Afghan forces now inthe lead for their own security, our troopshave moved to a support role. Togetherwith our allies, we will complete our mis-sion there by the end of this year, andAmerica’s longest war will finally be over.

After 2014, we will support a unifiedAfghanistan as it takes responsibility for itsown future. If the Afghan governmentsigns a security agreement that we havenegotiated, a small force of Americanscould remain in Afghanistan with NATO al-lies to carry out two narrow missions: train-ing and assisting Afghan forces, andcounterterrorism operations to pursue anyremnants of al Qaeda. For while our rela-tionship with Afghanistan will change, onething will not: our resolve that terrorists donot launch attacks against our country.

The fact is, that danger remains.While we have put al Qaeda’s core leader-ship on a path to defeat, the threat hasevolved, as al Qaeda affiliates and otherextremists take root in different parts of theworld. In Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and Mali,we have to keep working with partners todisrupt and disable these networks. InSyria, we’ll support the opposition that re-jects the agenda of terrorist networks.Here at home, we’ll keep strengthening ourdefenses, and combat new threats like cy-berattacks. And as we reform our defensebudget, we have to keep faith with our menand women in uniform, and invest in thecapabilities they need to succeed in futuremissions.

We have to remain vigilant. But Istrongly believe our leadership and our se-curity cannot depend on our military alone.As Commander-in-Chief, I have used forcewhen needed to protect the American peo-ple, and I will never hesitate to do so aslong as I hold this office. But I will not sendour troops into harm’s way unless it’s truly

necessary; nor will I allow our sons anddaughters to be mired in open-ended con-flicts. We must fight the battles that needto be fought, not those that terrorists preferfrom us – large-scale deployments thatdrain our strength and may ultimately feedextremism.

So, even as we aggressively pursueterrorist networks – through more targetedefforts and by building the capacity of ourforeign partners – America must move off apermanent war footing. That’s why I’ve im-posed prudent limits on the use of drones– for we will not be safer if people abroadbelieve we strike within their countrieswithout regard for the consequence.That’s why, working with this Congress, Iwill reform our surveillance programs – be-cause the vital work of our intelligencecommunity depends on public confidence,here and abroad, that the privacy of ordi-nary people is not being violated. And withthe Afghan war ending, this needs to bethe year Congress lifts the remaining re-strictions on detainee transfers and weclose the prison at Guantanamo Bay – be-cause we counter terrorism not justthrough intelligence and military action, butby remaining true to our Constitutionalideals, and setting an example for the restof the world.

You see, in a world of complex threats,our security and leadership depends on allelements of our power – including strongand principled diplomacy. American diplo-macy has rallied more than fifty countriesto prevent nuclear materials from fallinginto the wrong hands, and allowed us toreduce our own reliance on Cold Warstockpiles. American diplomacy, backedby the threat of force, is why Syria’s chemi-cal weapons are being eliminated, and wewill continue to work with the internationalcommunity to usher in the future the Syrianpeople deserve – a future free of dictator-ship, terror and fear. As we speak, Ameri-can diplomacy is supporting Israelis andPalestinians as they engage in difficult butnecessary talks to end the conflict there; toachieve dignity and an independent statefor Palestinians, and lasting peace and se-curity for the State of Israel – a Jewishstate that knows America will always be attheir side.

And it is American diplomacy, backedby pressure, that has halted the progressof Iran’s nuclear program – and rolled partsof that program back – for the very firsttime in a decade. As we gather heretonight, Iran has begun to eliminate itsstockpile of higher levels of enriched ura-nium. It is not installing advanced cen-trifuges. Unprecedented inspections helpthe world verify, every day, that Iran is not


AT-LARGE POSITION 3 Council Member Kubosh iscurrently serving his first termin office. The Houston CityCouncil At-Large Position 3seat will be up for re-electionin the November 2015 City of

Houston Mayoral Election.

AT-LARGE POSITION 4 Council Member C.O.

“Brad” Bradford is currentlyserving his third and finalterm in office. The HoustonCity Council At-Large Posi-tion 4 seat will be open in theNovember 2015 City of


AT-LARGE POSITION 5 Council Member Jack Christie

is currently serving his secondterm and will be up for re-elec-tion in the November 2015 Cityof Houston Mayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT A Council Member Brenda

Stardig is currently serving hersecond term in office servingthe people of Houston CityCouncil District A and will be upfor re-election in the November


CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT B Council Member Jerry Davis iscurrently serving his secondterm in office serving the peopleof Houston City Council DistrictB and will be up for re-electionin the November 2015 City of


CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT C Council Member Ellen Cohen

is currently serving her secondterm in office. Council MemberEllen Cohen will be running forre-election in the November2015 City of Houston Mayoral

Election for Houston City Council District C.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT D Council Member Dwight

Boykins is currently servinghis first term in office and willbe up for re-election in the No-vember 2015 City of HoustonMayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT E Council Member Dave Martin

is currently serving his firstterm in office and will be upfor re-election in the Novem-ber 2015 City of HoustonMayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT F Council Member Richard

Nguyen is currently serving hisfirst term in office and will berunning for re-election in theNovember 2015 City of Hous-ton Mayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT GCouncil Member Oliver Pen-

nington is currently servinghis third and final term in of-fice. The Houston City Coun-cil District G seat will be openin the November 2015 City of


CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT H Councilman Ed Gonzalez isthe Houston City Council Dis-trict H Council Member. CouncilMember Ed Gonzalez is cur-rently serving his third and finalterm. The Houston City Council

District H seat will be open in the November2015 City of Houston Mayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT I Council Member Robert Galle-

gos is currently serving his firstterm in office and will be run-ning for re-election in the No-vember 2015 City of HoustonMayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT J Council Member Mike Laster iscurrently serving his secondterm in office and will be up forre-election in the November2015 City of Houston MayoralElection.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT K Council Member Larry Green

is currently serving his secondterm in office and will be up forre-election in the November2015 City of Houston MayoralElection.

ABOUT HOUSTON’S

CITY COUNCIL

The City Council is the City'slegislative body, with the powerto enact and enforce all ordi-nances and resolutions. ElevenCouncil Members are electedfrom districts and five are electedat-large, by all voters of the City.

The sixteen members ofCouncil, along with the Mayor,act only by ordinance, resolutionor motion. They adopt and mayalter the annual budget and con-firm the Mayor's appointments.Council is responsible for the ap-propriation and issuance ofbonds, the awarding of contractsand the approval of City expendi-tures over $50,000. Council maylease or dispose of the City's realestate and may levy assess-ments against property. Councildetermines its own rules of pro-cedure, and its meetings areopen to the public.

Sixteen Council Members areelected every two years, in odd-numbered years. Council Mem-bers are limited to serving threeterms of two years each, witheach term beginning on January2 of the even-numbered year.Five Council Members areelected At-Large, or city-wide,while the other eleven areelected to geographic districts ofroughly the same proportion ofpopulation.--------------------------------------------

You can write to your CouncilMember at: 900 Bagby / City HallAnnex / First Floor / Houston, TX77002.

building a bomb. And with our allies andpartners, we’re engaged in negotiations tosee if we can peacefully achieve a goal weall share: preventing Iran from obtaining anuclear weapon.

These negotiations will be difficult.They may not succeed. We are clear-eyedabout Iran’s support for terrorist organiza-tions like Hezbollah, which threaten our al-lies; and the mistrust between our nationscannot be wished away. But these negoti-ations do not rely on trust; any long-termdeal we agree to must be based on verifi-able action that convinces us and the inter-national community that Iran is not buildinga nuclear bomb. If John F. Kennedy andRonald Reagan could negotiate with theSoviet Union, then surely a strong andconfident America can negotiate with lesspowerful adversaries today.

The sanctions that we put in placehelped make this opportunity possible. Butlet me be clear: if this Congress sends mea new sanctions bill now that threatens toderail these talks, I will veto it. For thesake of our national security, we must givediplomacy a chance to succeed. If Iran’sleaders do not seize this opportunity, then Iwill be the first to call for more sanctions,and stand ready to exercise all options tomake sure Iran does not build a nuclearweapon. But if Iran’s leaders do seize thechance, then Iran could take an importantstep to rejoin the community of nations,and we will have resolved one of the lead-ing security challenges of our time withoutthe risks of war.

Finally, let’s remember that our lead-ership is defined not just by our defenseagainst threats, but by the enormousopportunities to do good and promoteunderstanding around the globe – toforge greater cooperation, to expandnew markets, to free people from fearand want. And no one is better posi-tioned to take advantage of those op-portunities than America.

Our alliance with Europe remains thestrongest the world has ever known. FromTunisia to Burma, we’re supporting thosewho are willing to do the hard work of build-ing democracy. In Ukraine, we stand forthe principle that all people have the rightto express themselves freely and peace-fully, and have a say in their country’s fu-ture. Across Africa, we’re bringing togetherbusinesses and governments to double ac-cess to electricity and help end extremepoverty. In the Americas, we are buildingnew ties of commerce, but we’re also ex-panding cultural and educational ex-changes among young people. And we willcontinue to focus on the Asia-Pacific,

where we support our allies, shape a futureof greater security and prosperity, and ex-tend a hand to those devastated by disas-ter – as we did in the Philippines, when ourMarines and civilians rushed to aid thosebattered by a typhoon, and were greetedwith words like, “We will never forget yourkindness” and “God bless America!”

We do these things because they helppromote our long-term security. And we dothem because we believe in the inherentdignity and equality of every human being,regardless of race or religion, creed or sex-ual orientation. And next week, the worldwill see one expression of that commit-ment – when Team USA marches the red,white, and blue into the Olympic Stadium –and brings home the gold.

My fellow Americans, no other countryin the world does what we do. On everyissue, the world turns to us, not simply be-cause of the size of our economy or ourmilitary might – but because of the idealswe stand for, and the burdens we bear toadvance them.

No one knows this better than thosewho serve in uniform. As this time of wardraws to a close, a new generation of he-roes returns to civilian life. We’ll keepslashing that backlog so our veterans re-ceive the benefits they’ve earned, and ourwounded warriors receive the health care– including the mental health care – thatthey need. We’ll keep working to help allour veterans translate their skills and lead-ership into jobs here at home. And we allcontinue to join forces to honor and sup-port our remarkable military families.Let me tell you about one of those familiesI’ve come to know.

I first met Cory Remsburg, a proudArmy Ranger, at Omaha Beach on the 65thanniversary of D-Day. Along with some ofhis fellow Rangers, he walked me throughthe program – a strong, impressive youngman, with an easy manner, sharp as a tack.We joked around, and took pictures, and Itold him to stay in touch.

A few months later, on his tenth de-ployment, Cory was nearly killed by a mas-sive roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Hiscomrades found him in a canal, face down,underwater, shrapnel in his brain. For months, he lay in a coma. The nexttime I met him, in the hospital, he couldn’tspeak; he could barely move. Over theyears, he’s endured dozens of surgeriesand procedures, and hours of gruelingrehab every day.

Even now, Cory is still blind in one eye.He still struggles on his left side. Butslowly, steadily, with the support of care-givers like his dad Craig, and the commu-

nity around him, Cory has grown stronger.Day by day, he’s learned to speak againand stand again and walk again – and he’sworking toward the day when he can servehis country again.

“My recovery has not been easy,” hesays. “Nothing in life that’s worth anythingis easy.” Cory is here tonight. And like the Army heloves, like the America he serves, Ser-geant First Class Cory Remsburg nevergives up, and he does not quit.

My fellow Americans, men and womenlike Cory remind us that America has nevercome easy. Our freedom, our democracy,has never been easy. Sometimes westumble; we make mistakes; we get frus-trated or discouraged. But for more thantwo hundred years, we have put thosethings aside and placed our collectiveshoulder to the wheel of progress – to cre-ate and build and expand the possibilitiesof individual achievement; to free other na-tions from tyranny and fear; to promotejustice, and fairness, and equality underthe law, so that the words set to paper byour founders are made real for every citi-zen. The America we want for our kids – arising America where honest work is plenti-ful and communities are strong; whereprosperity is widely shared and opportunityfor all lets us go as far as our dreams andtoil will take us – none of it is easy. But ifwe work together; if we summon what isbest in us, with our feet planted firmly intoday but our eyes cast towards tomorrow– I know it’s within our reach.

Believe it.

God bless you, and God bless the

United States of America.

AT-LARGE POSITION 3 Council Member Kubosh iscurrently serving his first termin office. The Houston CityCouncil At-Large Position 3seat will be up for re-electionin the November 2015 City of


AT-LARGE POSITION 4 Council Member C.O.

“Brad” Bradford is currentlyserving his third and finalterm in office. The HoustonCity Council At-Large Posi-tion 4 seat will be open in theNovember 2015 City of


AT-LARGE POSITION 5 Council Member Jack Christie

is currently serving his secondterm and will be up for re-elec-tion in the November 2015 Cityof Houston Mayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT A Council Member Brenda

Stardig is currently serving hersecond term in office servingthe people of Houston CityCouncil District A and will be upfor re-election in the November


CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT B Council Member Jerry Davis iscurrently serving his secondterm in office serving the peopleof Houston City Council DistrictB and will be up for re-electionin the November 2015 City of


CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT C Council Member Ellen Cohen

is currently serving her secondterm in office. Council MemberEllen Cohen will be running forre-election in the November2015 City of Houston Mayoral

Election for Houston City Council District C.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT D Council Member Dwight

Boykins is currently servinghis first term in office and willbe up for re-election in the No-vember 2015 City of HoustonMayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT E Council Member Dave Martin

is currently serving his firstterm in office and will be upfor re-election in the Novem-ber 2015 City of HoustonMayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT F Council Member Richard

Nguyen is currently serving hisfirst term in office and will berunning for re-election in theNovember 2015 City of Hous-ton Mayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT GCouncil Member Oliver Pen-

nington is currently servinghis third and final term in of-fice. The Houston City Coun-cil District G seat will be openin the November 2015 City of


CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT H Councilman Ed Gonzalez isthe Houston City Council Dis-trict H Council Member. CouncilMember Ed Gonzalez is cur-rently serving his third and finalterm. The Houston City Council

District H seat will be open in the November2015 City of Houston Mayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT I Council Member Robert Galle-

gos is currently serving his firstterm in office and will be run-ning for re-election in the No-vember 2015 City of HoustonMayoral Election.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT J Council Member Mike Laster iscurrently serving his secondterm in office and will be up forre-election in the November2015 City of Houston MayoralElection.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT K Council Member Larry Green

is currently serving his secondterm in office and will be up forre-election in the November2015 City of Houston MayoralElection.

ABOUT HOUSTON’S

CITY COUNCIL

The City Council is the City'slegislative body, with the powerto enact and enforce all ordi-nances and resolutions. ElevenCouncil Members are electedfrom districts and five are electedat-large, by all voters of the City.

The sixteen members ofCouncil, along with the Mayor,act only by ordinance, resolutionor motion. They adopt and mayalter the annual budget and con-firm the Mayor's appointments.Council is responsible for the ap-propriation and issuance ofbonds, the awarding of contractsand the approval of City expendi-tures over $50,000. Council maylease or dispose of the City's realestate and may levy assess-ments against property. Councildetermines its own rules of pro-cedure, and its meetings areopen to the public.

Sixteen Council Members areelected every two years, in odd-numbered years. Council Mem-bers are limited to serving threeterms of two years each, witheach term beginning on January2 of the even-numbered year.Five Council Members areelected At-Large, or city-wide,while the other eleven areelected to geographic districts ofroughly the same proportion ofpopulation.--------------------------------------------

You can write to your CouncilMember at: 900 Bagby / City HallAnnex / First Floor / Houston, TX77002.


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