Greater Houston Women's Chamber of Commerce

Escalating health care costs are an issue of concern for health professionals, employers and insurance companies. The United States spends more on health care than any other industrialized nation in the world, but citizens are not the healthiest. Employees with more risk factors: being overweight, smoking and having diabetes, not only cost more to insure, they also pay more for health care.

The City of Houston is taking part in a 90-day Wellness Challenge in a program of diet and fitness to promote a healthy lifestyle. Mayor Annise Parker has agreed to lead the challenge that pits members of the corporate community.

"Our commitment is for 90 days, and in 90 days you create new habits. This is not something that happens overnight. We're going to see how we do. I'll certainly be frank about my struggles as I go through it, and I assume that the corporate sector folks will as well, and we hope that we can inspire other Houstonians to try and do the same thing."

The city will get help over the next three months with diet and nutrition — what to eat and not to eat, and with trainers and instructors who will help with exercise. Mayor Parker says it's about setting the example.

"Not all of us have the same goals. It's not a weight-loss challenge. It's not an exercise challenge. It's a wellness challenge and what wellness means for each one of us is individual."

Robert Davenport is a personal trainer who will be helping Mayor Parker and members of council.

"We have donated the personal training time, two days a week for ninety days. There's no cost to them. There's no excuse. There's no reason not to do it. The University of Houston has the interns that are now going to track them. They'll have to be responsible to somebody. So we'll be able to track through that situation, so it's kind of hard when you're in the public to step back from that and say I quit."

City of Houston press conferenceCouncilmember Clarence Bradford will also take the challenge. He hopes to help elevate the sense of awareness about an overall healthy lifestyle.

"If we cheat, guess who suffers the sanction? We do. You cheat yourself. So the state of wellness is about longevity. We work hard. We have loved ones we want to be with for a long period of time, so hopefully we can set a good example throughout the city of Houston, public sector and private sector, that everyone should be concerned about the overall state of wellness."

In many instances, a change in health habits drives greater improvements in performance than would a reduction in risk factors. More information can be found at www.ghwcc.org.

Article Written By Pat Hernandez (KUHF.COM)

Tootsies was the place, Tuesday night where over 100 guests sipped and applauded the announcement of the 2011 Hall of Fame Inductees for the Greater Houston Women's Chamber of Commerce. The Inductees have contributed significantly to the advancement of women and improved the quality of life for future generations of Houstonians. The inductees who will be formally honored at a Gala on December 8, include Donna Bruni, Phoebe Tudor, Diane Lokey Farb, Jamie Vazquez, Paula Harris, Eugenie Kleinerman MD, Ayse McCracken, Trini Mendenhall Sosa, Mary Vitek and this year a special award of Living Legend will be presented to Houstonian Lynn Wyatt. Owner Mickey Rosmarin joined the festivities as the new store continues to be a venue of choice for many parties this year.

Chairs of the Gala, Philamena Baird and Pattie Dale Tye, along with Honorary Chair Ellie Francisco were thrilled with the crowd there to congratulate these 10 deserving women. Chamber Chair of the Board, Leisa Holland Nelson said, "It is so important for successful women to continue to support other women as they strive to succeed, these ladies are all examples of women who do lend a hand." For sponsorship and ticket information for the Hall of Fame Gala, please call Suzan Deison, Chamber President, 713-782-3777.

Scene in the crowd: Margaret Alkek Williams, Minette Boesel, Shushana Castle, Lorine Clark, Richard Cole, Gina Gaston, Judy Gulgun, Sunny Haik, Karen Hartnett, Janus Lazaris, Lindsay Love, Pam Lovett, Dana Kervin, Dr. Margaret Kripke, Denise Marks,  Lynn Mathre, Brandi McDonald, Susan McEldoon, Mary McIntire, Beth Sanders Moore, Roxann Neumann,  Aiesha Odutayo, Leila Perrin, Guyla Pircher, Mary Kate Robinson, Graciela Saenz, David Schwarz, Miya Shay,  Kathleen Williams and Beth Wolff.

When Sandra Day O'Connor graduated near the top of her class at Stanford University's law school in 1952, she received only one job offer: to be a legal secretary.

Opportunities for women have expanded dramatically since then. But there is growing evidence that the progress of women in America's workplace has stalled—and is now actually falling backward.

The Wall Street Journal convened almost 200 top leaders in government, business and academia not only to discuss the reasons for the slippage, but also to come up with an action plan for how companies, government, and men and women themselves can address it.

Women are now graduating from college and graduate school in greater numbers than men and entering the work force in equal numbers. But at each stage of advancement, men are at least twice as likely as women to move forward. Only 11 chief executives of Fortune 500 companies are women, down from 15 in 2010, according to Catalyst Inc., a nonprofit women's research group.

"Middle-management women get promoted on performance. Many middle-management men get promoted on potential. Performance vs. potential," said Vikram Malhotra, chairman of the Americas for McKinsey & Co., which conducted research commissioned by the Journal. "Qualified women actually enter the work force in sufficient numbers, but they begin to plateau or drop off…when they are eligible for their very first management positions. And it only gets worse after that."

Among the top recommendations at the inaugural meeting of The Wall Street Journal Task Force for Women in the Economy: a proposal to encourage companies to break women out of traditional support positions like human resources and put them into jobs with bottom-line, profit-and-loss impact, considered essential preparation for the CEO spot. Other recommendations include the creation of a CEO Commission to make the business case for advancing talented women.

We need to focus on women in their 30s, get them to "hang on by their fingernails" if they are tempted to step back, said Sallie L. Krawcheck, president of global wealth and investment management at Bank of America Corp. "But that's not going to be fast. It will take a long time."

The disparity is increasingly becoming a competitive issue for the U.S. and its growth potential, according to economists, because many developing countries such as China and India are making rapid strides in how effectively they utilize women, which is helping fuel their growth rates.

Justice O'Connor, who served a quarter-century in the Supreme Court, received a standing ovation when she spoke to the participants. "Women bring a lot to the table and I think are effective as employees, as managers and CEOs, when they are given the chance.…And I just think we need to find a better path for women because they have had a hard time."

—Rebecca Blumenstein