The University of Houston’s Friends of Women's Studies (FWS) and co-chairs Divya Brown and Leila Perrin, present the 21st Annual Table Talk Luncheon, on Wednesday, March 28, at the Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel. FWS supports the UH Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program (WGSS), assisting the program’s research, teaching and campus and community activities through philanthropic and volunteer efforts. This lively lunch honors fifty Houston women of accomplishment, from diverse industries and backgrounds. This year’s honorees are listed below.
Last year's 25th-anniversary event attracted well over 600 attendees. The luncheon‘s unique format features rich interaction and compelling stories, as each conversationalist shares her life experiences with the guests seated at her table.
Table Talk is one of Houston’s most popular networking events. Past honorees have included over 800 women leaders, from oil execs to nonprofit leaders, from artists to athletes, and everything in-between. Recent honorees have included designer Tina Knowles, Police Chief Martha Montalvo, writer Brené Brown, former Houston Mayor Annise Parker and Chef Kiran Verma.
The WGSS Program, housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, offers a major, two minors, and a graduate certificate. All combine theoretical and empirical studies to give students the tools to analyze gender dynamics of the past and present and to build a fair future.
Table Talk starts with a reception at 11 a.m., followed by conversations over lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m.
2018 Table Talk Conversationalists
| Sandy Asch | Author & Principal, Alliance for Organizational Excellence |
| Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock | Director of Engagement & Planning, CenterPoint Energy |
| Lindsey Brown | Owner, Lindsey Brown Public Relations |
| Deborah Byers | Americas Industry Leader / US Oil & Gas Leader, Ernst & Young |
| Jenny Chang, MD | Director, Cancer Center, Houston Methodist Hospital |
| Estela Cockrell | Founder, Switch_Pure, LLC |
| Lauren Levicki Courville | Vice President, Dress for Success Houston |
| Cheryl Creuzot, JD, LLM, MBA | CEO, Wealth Development Strategies, & Author |
| Lisa Cruces | Hispanic Collections Archivist, UH Libraries, Special Collections |
| Barbara Davis | Owner, Barbara Davis Gallery |
| Julie De Vries | Table Talk Featured Artist |
| Luz Maria Garcini, PhD, MPH | Postdoctoral Fellow in Clinical Studies/Immigration, Rice University |
| Mia Gradney | Evening News Anchor, KHOU __ News |
| Diva S. Herazo | President, Biomedent, Inc. |
| Jennifer Herring | Director of Reentry, Harris County Sheri_’s O_ce |
| Amy Hertz | Founder, Tangerine Ink |
| Leisa Holland Nelson | Vice President / Chief Marketing O_cer, AstoundZ |
| Patricia Hunt Holmes, PhD, JD | Author, Former Partner Vinson & Elkins LLP, & Former UT Prof. |
| Geordie Hrdlicka, JD, LLM, CFP | Founder & President, Verde Wealth Group |
| Jean Janssen | President & Chair, San Jacinto Council / Girl Scouts of America |
| Melanie Johnson, EdD | President & CEO, The Health Museum |
| Myrtle Jones | Senior Vice President of Tax, Halliburton |
| Maryam Afsahri Khreibani | Owner, Baanou |
| Sima Ladjevardian | Lawyer & Activist |
| Jennifer Ligums | Farmer & Rancher |
| Brenda Mainwaring | Assistant Vice President Public A_airs, Union Paci_c Railroad |
| Heidi Smith | Chief of Staff, Texas Southern University Office of the President |
| Marcie Mir | CEO, El Centro de Corazon |
| Tai Dillard Mouton | Assistant Coach, University of Houston Women’s Basketball |
| Laura Murillo | President & CEO, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce |
| Poppy Northcutt | President, National Organization for Women – Houston |
| Kim Ogg | District Attorney, Harris County |
| Kathy Flanagan Payton | President & CEO, Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corp. |
| Terri Pustilnik, MD | Gynecologic Oncologist, MD Anderson Medical Center |
| Josefina M. Rendon | Attorney, Mediator, Associate Municipal Judge |
| Carolyn Rodz | Founder & CEO, Alice |
| Jessica Rossman | Senior Managing Director & Managing Counsel, United Airlines |
| Adrienne Scott | Rabbi, Congregation Beth Israel |
| Shreela V. Sharma, PhD, RD, LD | Associate Professor, UT School of Public Health & Co-Founder, Brighter Bites |
| Peggy B. Smith, MA, PhD | Professor & CEO of Teen Health Clinics, Baylor College of Med |
| Christiane Spitzmueller, PhD | Professor of Psychology; Managing Director UH ADVANCE |
| Erin Stewart | Co-Owner, Define Studios |
| Anne Sung | Trustee, Houston Independent School District |
| Claire Cormier Thielke | Chief Operating O_cer - Hines Investment Management |
| Ana Trevino-Godfrey | Director & Co-Founder, Prelude Music |
| Phoebe Tudor | Philanthropist |
| Candy Twyman | Executive Director, Better Business Bureau Education Foundation |
| Anne Whitlock | Founding Director, Connect Community |
| Betti Wiggins | Officer of Nutrition Services, Houston Independent School District |
| Lynn S. Wyatt | Philanthropist |