ABPW honors past presidents

The Association of Business and Professional Women (ABPW) hosted a packed room of current and past members when it recently honored its past at a breakfast at Bay Oaks Country Club in Clear Lake.

Sixty-two of Clear Lake’s most prominent female movers and shakers met to celebrate both the organization’s rich past and where it stands today.

The meeting highlighted and honored 27 past presidents (and the current president). The reunion spotlight included the following women in attendance (and year of presidency): Nancy Levine (1981-1983); Jane Reeves (1986); Roberta Gardner (1987); Maria de Cardenas (1992); Monica Millican (1993); Martha Kennedy (1994, 2012); Melissa Sommers (1995); Lynn Shigekawa (1996), Marilyn Musial (1997); Margaret Sucre-Vail (2000); Linda Tuck (2001); Pam Culpepper Cronk (2002); Jane Sweeney (2004); Becky Reitz (2005); Beverly Baldwin (2006); Kathy Scalf (2007); Cindy Kennedy Hebert (2008); Terri Divine (2011); Paula Durrett (2013); Sharon Maaz (2015); Patricia Donham (2016); Carol Keough (2017); Angela Bivens (2018); Ivonne Khan (2019); Trisha Barita (2020); Debra Dunn-Mansfield (2021); Teresa Franklin Vencil (2022); and current president Linda Kloss.

The first ABPW meeting was in 1981. Fifty local business women were invited via letter to a breakfast meeting casting a vision to create a “good old gal” network. Thirty-five of those women showed up proving an interest and a need for a female business-owner connection. These business women included bankers, doctors, attorneys, mortgage brokers, CPAs, and many other professional backgrounds – only one of each industry was allowed at the beginning.

The group was the brainchild of Dr. Rosemary Pledger, the first dean of the School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Houston Clear Lake. Fortytwo years later the locally grown organization is stronger than ever, more diverse and continues to be a force in the Clear Lake community.

ABPW is a dynamic organization of women business owners and leaders dedicated to supporting each other’s professional and individual pursuits. Monthly membership meetings provide the opportunity to network with other business women, discuss issues in the workplace, and share business development ideas.

Members also work together to better the community by participating in several community outreach programs, taking a leadership role in local community affairs, and supporting political initiatives that are aligned with ABPW’s mission and goals. ABPW is an organization that provides the opportunity for camaraderie with a group of unique, energetic women.

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