As we honor Women’s History Month, it’s our privilege to celebrate the remarkable contributions of women who helped shaped Harris County and the world! In March of 2022, Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee proposed a Women’s Commission that was approved. He said, “The Harris County Women’s Commission will research and identify inequities, identify gender disparities in county institutions, and engage in community participation to work toward a more equitable county.” In this month’s blog, we shine a light on the inspiring women of Harris County and Houston for Women’s History Month.
Harris County District Clerk Marilyn Burgess
Marilyn Burgess has served as the Harris County District Clerk since 2019 after she ran with a platform based on modernizing the jury system, increasing the diversity of juries, and ensuring a living wage for employees of the office. She oversees a staff of over 500 people and a $40 million budget. She advocates for increased jury pay, saying, “We require that ordinary citizens give us their time to make sure justice is served and, yet, we pay them just enough to buy a cup of coffee.” Before her time as the District Clerk, Burgess spent more than 30 years as a Certified Public Accountant after earning her accounting degree at Louisiana State University. Last year she received the Public Official of the Year award from the University of Houston’s Master of Public Administration Program. She is an excellent example of the power women have to advocate for change in the county and beyond.
President of Dress for Success Houston Lauren Levicki Courville
Lauren Levicki Courville started out as a volunteer for Dress for Success Houston before joining the leadership team in 2014. Now serving as their president, Courville works as a team leader to develop skills and work with staff as well as engaging the next generation to learn more about the agency. She dedicates herself to fostering relationships around the Greater Houston area and was awarded the Houston Grand Opera “Rising Star” award. Dress for Success Houston’s goal is to “create change by equipping thousands of Houston-area women each year with the resources needed to attain long-term employment and success”. Since 2014, the organization has served over 1700 women veterans in Houston to make the transition from military to civilian life easier. Courville is an example of women supporting women for the greater good here in our community.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo
Judge Lina Hidalgo is the first woman to be elected as County Judge and the second woman elected to the Commissioners Court. Some of the things she has had a hand in creating include directing the county to create a 3-1-1 system to make County services easier to reach, raised the county minimum wage to $15 for employees, created the Uplift Harris initiative, and created holistic assistance response teams to respond to nonviolent police calls. She has served since 2019 and has been featured in the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Recently, after taking a two-month leave to work on her mental health in an in-patient facility, she emphasized her advocacy for mental health and shows others that it’s okay to ask for help. “I feel so strongly that we should be open and forthright about mental health issues, which historically have been tarred with stigma that have prevented people from seeking the treatment they need,” Judge Hidalgo stated. This is yet another example of a strong woman determined to improve our county.
CEO of Kids’ Meals Inc Beth Braniff Harp
Beth Braniff Harp is the executive director of Kids’ Meals Inc., which is a nonprofit dedicated to ending childhood hunger in Houston by delivering free and healthy meals as well as resources for parents. They serve 44 zip codes in Harris County and enlist over 20,000 volunteers a year. According to a report published in December 2017 in collaboration with the Texas Childrens Hospital, 23.6% of children in Harris County suffer from food insecurity. Harp believes in the good of the Houston community to help fight against food insecurity, saying “I have learned that Houstonians are some of the most generous people in our country with their time and donations to help those less fortunate in our city”. Harp is a great example of women rallying their community to help others.
Managing Counsel at Harris County Attorney’s Office Tiffany Reedy
Tiffany Reedy is the Managing Counsel for the Children’s Protective Services and Disability and Elder Law divisions of the Harris County Attorney’s Office. Here, she oversees global decision-making and strategic planning for each division. She has been working with the Attorney’s Office since May of 2014. Despite originally pursuing a career for the FBI, Reedy saw promise in law. She started her own firm and a few years later a friend encouraged her to consider working in CPS. “All of the stuff I went through led up to this. I realized I was born for this,” she said. Throughout her career as an attorney, she said some of her most impactful memories include working tough cases that led to positive outcomes for families who were at risk for being separated. Her dedication and hard work is an inspiring example of women in our county fighting for justice.
Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth
Teneshia Hudspeth is the first African American to serve as the County Clerk and serves as Chief Election Official of Harris County. She has been with the County Clerk’s Office for over 17 years and was previously Chief Deputy before her election to County Clerk. She has won multiple awards including the Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce Mickey Leland Public Service Award. Hudspeth is one of the founders of the Houston Black Leadership Institute, which has had over 100 graduates since its conception. For three years now, she has hosted an annual Back-To-School Birth Certificate event where students can receive a backpack and a copy of their birth certificate to register for classes. While serving as the County Clerk, Hudspeth has launched an online system that enables the public to purchase certified copies of birth certificates and digitized all records archived on microfilm including 1.2 million marriage licenses. Her work to modernize and streamline the County Clerk’s Office is important in bringing public offices into the 21st century and her community outreach efforts such as an annual toy drive and the creation of a summer internship program reach many in Harris County. Her leading examples illustrate how women can be pioneers in their field.
As we commemorate Women’s History Month, let’s continue to uplift, support, and celebrate the incredible contributions of women everywhere! Happy Women’s History Month!