Table Talk 2013: Dining with women shaping Houston

16th annual luncheon will be held Wednesday, February 27 at Hilton Americas

The Friends of Women’s Studies is the fundraising and programming guild that supports the work of the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program.

The organization will host its 16th annual Table Talk luncheon on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at the Hilton Americas Hotel in downtown Houston. The event co-chairs are CLASS alumna and former UH Alumni Association President Cheryl Creuzot and CLASS Dean’s Advisory Board Member Leisa Holland-Nelson.

Every year, this event recognizes women shaping the cultural, economic, political and physical landscape of Houston by asking them to lead a lunchtime conversation with other influential women and men.

This year’s Table Talk conversationalists include the Mayor of Houston, two astronauts, entrepreneurs, chief executive officers, authors, art curators, and finance mavens. Guests can have lunch with medical doctors tackling challenging health care issues ranging from psychiatric care for trauma survivors to the legal and ethical implications of genome research.

Tickets can be purchased here. Learn more about the conversationalists below:

• • Alyce Alston, Chairman & CEO, CultureMap

  • Joni Baird, Public Affairs Manager, Chevron

  • Sophia Banu, M.D., Founder, Clinic for International Trauma Survivors; Director of Child Psychiatric Services, Ben Taub Hospital/Harris Health System; and Assistant Professor, Menninger/Baylor College of Medicine

  • Michelle Barnes, Artist & Executive Director, Community Arts Collective

  • Freda Bass, Treasurer, Exxon Mobil Upstream

• Katherine Cabannis, Executive Director, Crime Stoppers of Houston, Inc.

• Gina Carroll, Principal, Inspired Wordsmith Inc. & Parenting Blogger

• Drucie Chase, Community Volunteer and Arts Advocate

• Danong Chen, Ph.D., CEO and Founder, MetronomX

• Lynda Chin, M.D., Chair, Genomic Medicine, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

• Ramona Davis, Executive Director, Preservation Houston

• Gayle DeGeurin, Board Chair, Rothko Chapel

• Dr. Grace England, Professor of Education, University of St. Thomas

• Diana Espitia, Documentary Producer

• Lois Farfel Stark, Writer & Filmmaker, Stark Productions

• Marilyn Fountain, Director of Community Relations, Star of Hope

• Ellie Francisco, President, Francisco & Co, Community Affairs &
  Integrated Events

• Valerie Gibbs, President, Bank of Texas, Houston region

• Laura Gibson, Partner, Ogden, Gibson, Broocks, Longoria & Hall, LLP

• Bethany Haley, President and Brand Director, Savage Brands

• Margo Hilliard Alford, M.D., SVP of Community Health & Wellness,
  Harris County Hospital District

• Mae Jemison, M.D., CEO, The Jemison Group, Inc. & Former Astronaut

• Sheila Kahanek, CFO, Sun Coast Resources, Inc

• Saleha Khumawala, Ph.D., Professor, Microloan Specialist, UH Bauer School of Business

• Melaney Linton, President & CEO, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast

• Karen Love, Director of Practice Growth, PKF Texas

• Regina Mayor, Oil & Gas Sector Leader, KPMG LLP

• Susan McEldoon, General Manager, KHOU-TV Channel 11

• Amy McGuire, J.D., Ph.D.,  Director, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine

• Barbara McKnight, Chef & Owner, Culinaire Catering

• Lori McNeil, Tennis Director,  Zina Garrison Academy

• Catherine Mosbacher, Executive Director, Center for Houston’s Future

• Antonya Nelson, Author and UH Professor of Creative Writing

• Jacqueline Northcut, President & CEO, BioHouston, Inc.

• Ellen Ochoa, Ph.D.,  Astronaut and Director, Johnson Space Center

• Diane Osan, Architect and Board Chairman, FKP Architects

• Hon. Annise Parker, Mayor of Houston

• Carrin Patman, METRO Board Member and Partner, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

• Monica Perales, Ph.D., UH Associate Professor of History and Director, Library and Technology Services

• Leila Perrin, Vice President, Better Business Bureau

• Diana Pino, Ph.D.,  Vice Chancellor of Student Services, Houston Community College

• Cheryl Plummer,  Admissions Director, St. John’s School

• Claudia Schmuckli, Chief Curator and Director, Blaffer Art Museum

• Jennifer Segal, M.D., Owner, Metropolitan Dermatology Institute, PLLC

• Donna Stahlhut, CEO, Epilepsy Foundation Texas

• Aliyya Stude, Consultant, Sotheby’s

• Eloise Stuhr, UH Vice President for University Advancement

• Diana Untermeyer,  Author

• Molly Voorhees, President, Becks Prime

• Alvia Wardlaw, Ph.D. Professor of Art History and Director and Curator of University Museum, Texas Southern University

• Marcie Zlotnik, Co-founder & EVP, StarTex Power