About Us

WOMEN on the Move 2012

   

Women on the Move 2012 - Suzan Deison
from Lisa Malosky Productions.


Welcome to the Greater Houston Women's Chamber of Commerce

Amazing things have occurred during our first year. We have blossomed into a thriving Chamber of Commerce with over three hundred twenty five member businesses. We have taken major steps towards advancing and empowering Houston women through numerous avenues – from leadership to education to advocacy and mentoring.

Our Health Series directly reached 450 women on the all important issue of preventive health. We have reached over 90,000 readers in our Chronicle Health Series Column, starting the dialogue on prevention as a key element in combating worker absenteeism and health care costs. Our governmental affairs committee has welcomed many of our elected officials to our meetings and events so they can see first hand how influential our membership is. Women are the largest economic force in America. And as this election year proved – a voting force as well, because women compose 55% of the voting block in Harris County.

We are definitely not sitting on our laurels. Our agenda is expanding dramatically in 2011. In April, our Leadership Committee will be hosting the Inaugural Houston Conference for Women. Our workforce committee is reaching out to women re-entering the workforce. Our "No Parking Zone" Committee will connect Women at the Top – our stellar CEO's at major companies – with women at a plateau in their career to mentor them and encourage them to "Ask for It!" – whether "it" is a raise or the right encouragement to open up a dream business of their own. Our newly formed "Spark Plug" Committee helps to educate our future generation of leaders. And our "Live After Five" Committee hosts our networking events. Like every solid organization, the Greater Houston Women's Chamber is only as strong as its members and our Membership Committee continues to recruit members with new ideas, enthusiasm and experience at all levels. But, education remains our most important initiative. There has never been a time in our history where education is tied so closely to success in life.

As women who have achieved in times when job opportunities for women were limited, today we have different challenges like raising graduation rates for minority women. This Chamber's success shows how we can do so much more. By becoming a united force for prosperity for all women, and by providing key scholarships to those with great promise, we are also creating the future leaders of this chamber and our community. This past election year, the glass ceiling took on millions of new cracks thanks to two strong female candidates. We now enjoy a future where the sky is truly the limit. Women have shown they are creative thinkers capable of leading American business to work smarter, faster and become more competitive than ever before. The Greater Houston Women's Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit business organization of highly influential and diverse women and men dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of women through avenues of leadership, education, advocacy, and mentoring.
 

Program of Work

Start for Women Entrepreneurs

The GHWCC Smart Start Program partners with financial institutions, investors and the community to provide opportunities to women entrepreneurs for business loans when conventional financing is not available for them. GHWCC provides training, support and micro-loans to women entrepreneurs to increase their ability to be successful business women by strengthening their business skills, increasing their incomes, thus, contributing to the economic growth of our community including creating jobs.

The program will also reach out to executive women who have the knowledge of their industry to explore the possibility of being a diversity supplier in their respective industries...for example, supplying chemicals to the energy industry, and to think on a larger scale.

Thought Leaders Institute

The Institute invites and welcomes 25 of Houston's top female executives to lead the class. Topics for the classes include: What is Leadership? Where are you willing to provide leadership and Where are you not? What are the roadblocks that sometime get in the way? "How Male Leaders View Female Leaders", "Authentic Leadership" – "Learn Ways to Purposefully Use Power and Influence" and "How Women Can Support Each Other". The class focus is developing your own personal leadership skills and creating your own advisory board.

STEM Town USA (Science Technology Engineering & Math)

Our STEM Town USA program is an After School Program seeks to increase exposure of third grade girls to STEM concepts, improve grades and graduation rates, and encourage girls to pursue STEM careers.

The program is a series of nine monthly after-school sessions with each designed to take approximately three hours. Each month will focus on a different business or aspect of the community along with the science and math that supports it. The students will be allowed to choose from monthly offerings of data analysis, hands-on experiments and design activities. At the end of the school year the students will market their town at the Community Showcase, competing against other schools for the "best place to live" award. Our goal is to engage at least one parent or parent-surrogate for each student. The pilot program enrolled five HISD schools to participate.

Greater Houston Conference for Women and Leadership

Our Leadership Committee leads the Greater Houston Conference for Women in April each year. This year we welcomed over 600 guests to the event. Our speakers were authentic and influential voices leading engaging discussions about the issues that matter most to women's lives including business and entrepreneurship, money and finance, health and wellness, service and activism, news and politics, family and work/life balance and style and beauty.

Education

Our Education Committee also host jobs shadowing events placing female high school students with business entrepreneurs and professionals in a "hands on" mentoring program. We also participate in Texas Scholars, encouraging students to take accelerated courses to better prepare them for college and career.

Our "adopted" school districts are Aldine, Houston, Spring and Spring Branch School Districts. We provide scholarships for graduating female students from these Districts to attend the Texas college of their choice.

Education remains our most important initiative. There has never been a time in our history where education is tied so closely to success in life.
As women who have achieved in times when job opportunities for women were limited, today we have different challenges like raising graduation rates for minority women.

Health & Wellness

Our Health Series luncheons have directly reached 500 women on the all important issue of preventive health. We have reached over 90,000 readers in our Chronicle Health Series Column, starting the dialogue on prevention as a key element in combating worker absenteeism and health care costs. Many of our membership and luncheon series have wellness as a focus.

Governmental Affairs

Our Governmental Affairs Committee is a proactive voice of business generally on key issues and legislation specific to women. The committee helps to educate women on how to serve our community in the public/political arena and encourages women to run for public and private boards. The committee has welcomed many of our elected officials to our meetings and events so they can see first hand how influential our membership is. Women are the largest economic force in America. And as this election year proved – a voting force as well, because women compose the majority of the voting bloc in Harris County. This year we hosted our first highly successful Mayoral Debate. This past election year, the glass ceiling took on millions of new cracks thanks to two strong female candidates. We now enjoy a future where the sky is truly the limit. Women have shown they are creative thinkers capable of leading American business to work smarter, faster and become more competitive than ever before.

No Parking Zone

Our "No Parking Zone" Committee connects "Women at the Top" – our stellar CEO's at major companies – with women at a plateau in their career to mentor and encourage them to "Ask for It!" – whether "it" is a raise or the right encouragement to open up a dream business of their own.
 
Spark Plugs

Our "Spark Plug" Committee is "igniting" future leaders through a diversified educational program of quarterly events.

International

Our International Committee hosted events to bring understanding of different cultures and knowledge about traditions of other countries.

Live After Five

Our "Live after Five" Committee hosts exciting opportunities to network at exciting events hosted "after hours". Live After Five events successfully helps our members to develop business to business relationships.

HR Roundtable

Our HR Roundtable promotes an environment for HR professionals to learn and share ideas and challenges, while building relationships that engage and inspire them in their role as leaders and decision makers with their companies or organization.

Ambassadors/Membership

Our Membership Committee recruits new members and volunteers to the Chamber. The committee also helps with the retention of members and serves as Ambassadors at our events.
 


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Greater Houston Women's Chamber of Commerce

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