d-mars.com Top 30 Influential Women of Houston
Linda M. Rhodes
Executive Director, The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency the Houston Chronicle Book and Author Dinner assisting with volunteer recruitment and author selection and assisted with the planning and execution of the Mid-South Bookseller’s Trade Show.
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inda M. Rhodes brings more than 26 years in nonprofit leadership and development to her role as the Executive Director of The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency. Under her leadership, the organization has exponentially grown its community outreach footprint, annual revenues, and the number of staff employed. Rhodes has collaborated with community partners to provide The Women’s Fund programming and resources free of charge to the communities with limited access to health information. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rhodes led her team to quickly transition its programming online to reach more women and girls through staff-led presentations and launched a monthly health awareness series with guest presenters. With Rhodes’ passion and dedication to educating girls and women in the Houston area, The Women’s Fund serves close to 12,000 women and adolescent girls and distributes close to 10,000 publications each year at no cost.
leadership positions with nonprofits including March of Dimes from 1995 to 2008 and the American Heart Association from 2008 to 2011. As Vice President of Corporate Development for the American Heart Association, Rhodes managed and grew the Houston Heart Ball revenue by 51 percent, landing the no. 3 position nationally for both overall revenue and special appeal revenue in 2011. As the State Director of March for Babies for March of Dimes, their largest fundraising event, Rhodes led state-level and multimarket sponsorships and fundraising strategies with 20 statewide teams. Under her leadership, the Texas Chapter revenue grew from $8.8 million in 2003 to $12.3 million in 2007, representing a 39.7 percent increase.
Before joining the nonprofit sector, Rhodes held various positions as a buyer, manager, and in marketing as an independent bookseller for both local retailers and wholesalers. She served on the board of the Houston Area Booksellers for more than 10 years. During her tenure as President Prior to joining The Women’s Fund, Rhodes of that board, she served as a member held several local, state, and national of the executive planning committee for 120
Top 30 Influential Women of Houston 2021
The Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce recognized Rhodes as a “Role Model” at the Women in the Fast Lane of STEM Style Show & Luncheon in 2021. In 2020, Rhodes was honored with the “Women Who Mean Business” Award by the Houston Business Journal. Also under her leadership, The Women’s Fund was the recipient of the 37th annual Governor’s Volunteer Awards in partnership with OneStar Foundation and was honored with the “Partners in Education” Award. She serves on the Advisory Panel for the University of Houston C. T. Bauer College of Business Management & Leadership. Rhodes has served as a member and on the Board for the American Heart Association Guild of Houston. In 2015 she served on the Auction Committee and as the Heart Card Special Events Chair in 2014. Rhodes has served as Décor Chair for the Houston Symphony’s Magical, Musical Morning in 2013. Additionally, Rhodes served as a member of the Board of Directors for Waymaker Life Strategies/HYPE Freedom Schools and in 2013 and 2014, she cochaired HYPE’s Golf Tournament. A native Houstonian, Rhodes has been married for 20 years and enjoys playing golf, reading, painting, and traveling. At home, her time is spent with her husband, grandchildren, and their Cocker Spaniel named Cooper. Linda M. Rhodes Executive Director The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency 5433 Westheimer Rd. Suite 924 Houston, TX 77056 (713) 623-6543 www.thewomensfund.org
