COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY Mayor Turner Appoints Office of Business Opportunity Director

ouston City Council approves appointee.

Today, Houston City Council confirmed Marsha E. Murray as Director of the Office of Business Opportunity. She has filled the role as Interim Director since September 2019. Murray previously served as Deputy Director of OBO from 2012-2019.

While at OBO, Murray played an instrumental role in the department’s growth and led comprehensive operational changes and policy updates in the department. Murray also led the expansion of OBO’s services to facilitate free legal assistance and guidance for Houston’s small business community doing business globally.

In February 2019, Murray received OBO’s Advisory Board Chairman’s Advocate of the Year award for her work on behalf of Houston’s business community.

Prior to joining the City of Houston, Murray served as legal counsel to New York City government for 10 years. During that time, she worked to ensure that the most vulnerable New Yorkers had access to social services and led programs that served to maximize housing options for citizens in a perpetually challenging housing market.

“Marsha Murray's experience and success working with the business community is the kind of leadership the Office of Business Opportunity needs to continue providing economic opportunity and workforce inclusion in the city of Houston,” said Mayor Turner. “She has consistently shown great leadership and is committed to workforce development as evidenced through her professional achievements. Since I’ve been mayor, Houston has awarded nearly more than one billion dollars in City of Houston contracts to MWBEs (Minority & Women Business Enterprises). I expect that level of commitment to continue.”

“I am extremely honored to be asked to lead the Office of Business Opportunity. I am keenly aware of the important role the Office of Business Opportunity plays in ensuring the success of local small businesses and creating employment pathways for disenfranchised in dividuals," said Marsha E. Murray, Of f ic e of B u s i n e s s Opportunity d i r e c t o r . "Under my leadership, I’m com mit ted to pr o v i d i n g transformational services and programs to support their resiliency and success.”

Murray has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Spanish from Colgate University and a law degree from Villanova University School of Law. Murray is active in the local community and serves on the board of Zonta Club of Houston, a global organization of professionals empowering women worldwide through service and advocacy.

She is a graduate of the Center for Houston’s Future Business/Civic Leadership Forum and has served as an advisory board member of the World Chamber of Commerce. She has served on national and international panels advocating for the continued support and development of small businesses. Her advocacy for businesses to thrive globally has led her to earn a National Association of Small Business International Trade Educators Certified Global Business Professional designation. H By d-mars.com News Provider “Marsha Murray’s experience and success working with the business community is the kind of leadership the Office of Business Opportunity needs to continue providing economic opportunity and workforce inclusion in the city of Houston,” said Mayor Turner.

6 | May 2020 COMMUNITY Huewitt Named Interim President By Board Of Regents Regent Albert Myres Selected As Board Chair

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he Texas Southern University Board of Regents unanimously named Kenneth Huewitt as the Interim President of Texas Southern University during its regular meeting held Thursday, April 16, via telephone conference call due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are fortunate as a university to have someone with the skills and background of Mr. Huewitt during these critical times that TSU faces,” said Albert Myres, Sr., who was elected as Board Chair during the meeting. “The Board looks forward to working with Mr. Huewitt, his administrative team, as well as the faculty, staff, students and alumni, to keep TSU moving forward and doing great things.”

Huewitt, who joined Texas Southern in 2017 as the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Administration, was named Acting President in January 2020. The Board of Regents will begin the search process for the 13th president of Texas Southern University six to eight months after the completion of TSU’s accreditation reaffirmation process later in 2020. Prior to the official announcement of the Presidential Search Committee, the Board will seek input from the diverse University community, including alumni.

“I am honored to serve in this role, and I appreciate the confidence that the Board has shown in me and the T

TSU administrative team,” said Huewitt. “We have a lot of important work to do, especially with the current coronavirus situation. Our students, as well as the entire TSU community, deserve nothing but the best from this university, and that is what we will deliver.”

In his previous role with TSU, Huewitt oversaw all financial functions of the university including Treasury & Budget, Administration & Finance, Risk Management, the Controller’s Office, Procurement Services, Facilities & Maintenance, and Building & Grounds.

During his time as CFO, the university’s investment rating (Moody’s) has improved from ‘negative’ to ‘stable’ to ‘positive’ over a three-year period. Additionally, a three-year strategic Capital Expenditure Plan was developed and implemented, “days cash on hand” more than doubled, and a negative reserve in 2016 was transformed into a healthy, positive reserve.

Huewitt began his career as an auditor with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General. He has held a variety of roles during his career including Senior Audit Specialist for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Senior Associate for Coopers & Lybrand, and Regional Director of Finance for The ServiceMaster Corporation.

Shortly after leaving ServiceMaster, he joined the Finance Team at the Houston Independent School District. Over his first 11 years with the district, Huewitt served as the Controller focusing on Budgets, Payroll, Treasury, Food Services Accounting, General Accounting and Bond Fund Accounting, as well as handling day-today operations of the Controller’s Office. The next three years, he served as Chief Financial Officer leading all the financial services functions of the district. His last three years at HISD, he served as Deputy Superintendent and Interim Superintendent where he developed and executed strategic plans and district-wide policies and programs related to all activities of HISD, impacting 215,000 students on 283 campuses, and overseeing a $1.8 billion general operating budget.

Myres, who was appointed to the TSU Board of Regents by Governor Greg Abbott in April 2019, formerly served as Vice Chair of the Board. A resident of Houston, he is President and Chief Executive Officer for Octcet, Inc., a rapidly developing oxygenated fuel enhancement company focusing on the bulk diesel industry.

Other Board action included the selection of Regent Marc Carter as Vice Chair of the Board. Anita Lockridge, who formerly served as Senior Associate Vice President of Administration and Finance, was approved as Interim CFO and Vice President for Administration and Finance for the university.

COMMUNITY Mayor Sylvester Turner names Marvin Odum the City of Houston’s COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Czar

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ayor Sylvester Turner on Monday named former Shell Oil Co. Chairman and President Marvin E. Odum as the city's COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Czar.

In this role, Odum will work with business leaders, chambers of commerce, employee groups, and nonprofit organizations on a plan to safely and responsibly restart Houston's economy. Odum will also work on strategies to address the challenges faced by the city's vulnerable and at-risk populations, develop a plan to avoid the resurgence of community spread, and help the city prepare for a future pandemic or viral attack. "Marvin is no stranger to working on disaster recovery, as he previously served as Houston's Chief Recovery Officer after Hurricane Harvey," Mayor Turner said. "From all sectors, he received rave reviews for the team he assembled, the task force he created, and the collaborations he forged. Marvin is the right person for the job."

During his time as Houston's Chief Recovery Officer, Odum was credited with working successfully with regional, state, and federal partners to secure funding for housing and reform policies. He broke new ground in disaster recovery and helped move Houston forward as a more resilient city. "To be clear, this is about keeping people safe and getting people back to work and re-energizing our economy," said Odum. "We have been charged with completing the plans that reflect the delicate balance between the need to return to work with the necessary vigilance required to keep M “To be clear, this is about keeping people safe and getting people back to work and re-energizing our economy,” said Odum.

people safe and healthy."

Mayor Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo have had numerous conversations about the region's recovery from the COVID-19 health crisis. Odum will work directly with the county's designated representative to forge a cohesive strategy and a plan for Houston and Harris County. "Over the past two months, we have aggressively worked to save lives and blunt the progression of coronavirus, and we see positive results, but the virus is not yet under control. Before we send people back to work and reopen businesses, we must also have robust, ubiquitous testing. We also must consider what happens if we reopen the economy, and we start to see an increase in the number of positive cases," said Mayor Turner. "You can expect that this plan with be gradual and phased, and I'm sure we all understand why things cannot immediately return to normal," said Odum. "We will need the continued cooperation of all Houstonians to ensure this plan is successful, and we will provide more details as soon as possible."

Odum served as Chairman/President of Shell Oil Company from 2008-16 and was a director/executive committee member of Royal Dutch Shell. In addition to working with and investing in several technologybased start-up companies, Odum is a board member of Europe-based Stena international and Stena Drilling, CEO of TerraLithium and Chairman of AAL LLC - focused on low carbon energy technologies. He is a board member of the National Urban League and MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the Dean’s Council for Harvard’s JFK School of Government, advisory board for University of Texas’s Cockrell School of Engineering and co-chair of the capital campaign for the University of Houston which has exceeded its goal of raising $1 billion.

In March 2020, BakerRipley honored Marvin and his wife, Mariloli, with the Alice Graham Baker Award for their work on Hurricane Harvey recovery and their commitment to help vulnerable communities.

“Into the Unknown”

By Noel Pinnock Contributing Writer

e are picking up where we left off in the previous article with analyzing Elsa’s response to an peculiar voice that was pushing her to get out of her comfort zone and enter the unknown in the blockbuster movie, Frozen 2, You see, the voice calling Elsa (like you and me) into the unknown was challenging her mindset and mundane living. She was doing just fine after Frozen 1 but there was an agitation that persisted and kept her up at night, trepidatious and reluctant to escape from the comfort the has confined her perspectives. We all get comfortable and enjoy what comfort brings. Many people see comfort as an adjective, describing an attribute or something, when, in fact, comfort is a noun.

Comfort enters your home as a guest, remains as your host, and will eventually become your master. Comfort is a silent killer and has been charged with homicides in careers, families, marriages and almost every place imaginable where growth and development are quintessential factors to success. Our limited KASH affects our

ability to create or solve problems in two important

ways: it heavily influences the kind of opportunities or problems that we recognize as being important enough to create (opportunities) and/or solve (problems); and it influences the analysis of the potential (opportunities) and cause (problems) and therefore the proper course of action to maximize the opportunities in life or to minimize the duplication of problems that have been solved in our past. What’s the definition of insanity? There, you got it, doing the same thing while expecting different results or better yet…being fearful of entering the unknown.

Our mindset should be challenged. We should have a desire to grow but that’s not innate in us. Physically speaking, our bodies do this on the regular. When we are hot, our bodies don’t sit there and internally combust. No, our bodies respond to the external stimuli by sweating to ensure we don’t overheat and dehydrate in the process. If the hairs in our nose tickle a bit, we sneeze. In other words, our bodies respond to external forces and are not going to be suppressed by anything. W

COMMUNITY PART II

Like our physical nature, our psyche (not psychic) nature, which comprises of our mind, will and emotions should, like a thermostat, adjust to the external environment to maintain the proper climate in our lives. To do this we must be committed to the foundational premise of continuous learning and development. Without challenging ourselves, we subscribe to an internal newsletter whose content never changes. Imagine that, picking up a magazine and reading the same articles over and over again. Certainly, the cure to insomnia. So, if you want to challenge your mindset and are daring to enter the unknown to discover and unlock your internal talents and gifts, you must evict comfort because comfort is the enemy of change. Not to mention, we must dismiss the notion that nobody likes “change” but a wet baby.

Apostle Paul, whose mindset was drastically change on the Damascus Road, wrote that we are not to be conformed to the ways of the world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds or mindset. He realized, like we should, that transformation doesn’t end with age or experience, but it continues daily as we invent and reinvent ourselves. If you can agree with this, then you must establish parameters to keep your mind percolating and hungry for more. Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926, on her second attempt. 19-year-old Gertrude Ederle swam 21 miles from Dover, England, to Cape Griz-Nez across the English Channel, which separates Great Britain from the northwestern tip of France. On August 6, 1926, Ederle entered the water at Cape Gris-Nez in France at 7:08 a.m. to make her second attempt at the Channel. The water was predictably cold as she started out that morning, but unusually calm. Twice that day, however–at noon and 6 p.m.–Ederle encountered squalls along her route and Burgess urged her to end the swim. Ederle’s father and sister, though, who were riding in the boat along with Burgess, agreed with Ederle that she should stay the course. Ederle’s father had promised her a new roadster at the conclusion of the swim, and for added motivation he called out to her in the water to remind her that the roadster was only hers if she finished. Ederle persevered through storms and heavy swells, and, finally, at 9:04 p.m. after 14 hours and 31 minutes in the water, she reached the English coast, becoming the sixth person and first woman to swim the Channel successfully. Furthermore, she had bettered the previous record by two hours.

Afterwards, Ederle told Alec Rutherford of The New York Times, “I knew it could be done, it had to be done, and I did it.” She went on to say that she was successful the second time around, not because of the incentives outlined by her father but because she possessed a mindset that failure was not an option. She started the journey with intentionality to reaching the English coast. It was in her mind from the beginning even though she felt like giving up and her body became fatigued. She was set on not breaking the record but breaking up the comfort in her mindset that would oftentimes tell her she wasn’t capable, or the feat was impossible.

What has kept you anchored in a position of medi

ocrity? What has prevented you from going to the next level? I can guarantee you this…that something would be your mind. The richest place on the planet, found in every place across the globe, is the graveyard – filled with so many people who could have, would have and should have, but for many (not all) were scared to enter the unknown. I am inspired by these words myself, and will likely archive this article because I, like you, will no longer be afraid to enter the unknown, because when we are there, we can unlock some of our life’s greatest experiences and moments. There I say again, let’s #getatit!

COMMUNITY Over 200 Doctors, Nurses, & Physicians Received Free Ice Cream To Keep Spirits High Amid Covid-19 Pandemic!

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ouston-based coowner of Boyce Kids Cream Machine, London Boyce has a heart as big as Texas. At only 7 years old, she is described as a powerhouse and a force to be reckoned with. This 1st grader is an Actress (costar of Antebellum), and author of " Wonder London I Hate My Curls". As the co-owner of Boyce Kids Ice Cream Machine, she H

works closely with her siblings to provide sweet treats to the community. London is also the new face of Bluebell Ice Cream mini sandwiches.

London Boyce and her brother, TJ Boyce (star of Wayne Brady's "Comedy IQ") provided smiles to the nurses, doctors, and staff at Methodist Hospital by bringing their Ice Cream to the hospital to give out free ice cream and popsicles to over 200 nurses and doctors. She has a passion for making others smile, so this idea came about when London saw on the TV how hard our heroes have been working to keep our community healthy.

Also, on Friday, May 1, 2020, London provided hundreds of staff members at LBJ Hospital with Bluebell mini- ice cream sandwiches. She plans to continue to provide smiles during this pandemic.

10 | May 2020 Attorney Willie Powells: Finding His Passion in Personal Injury Law

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illie Powells has been the president and CEO of the Law Offices of Willie D. Powells III & Associates PLLC for over 10 years, but the journey to owning his own firm was a winding road of self-discovery and lessons learned.

Powells knew from an early age he would pursue a prestigious career. Doctor. Engineer. Lawyer. Concert Violinist. In his yearbook he even mentioned wanting to be a medical doctor with aspirations to become a brain surgeon, but it wasn’t until his college experience that he knew a profession in law was the right choice. W

After graduating from Booker T. Washington High School for Engineering Professions with honors, Powells received full scholarships to several universities and decided to attend Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on a full chemical engineering scholarship. While attending Drexel, he began a fortunate streak of meeting and working with some very influential people, all playing significant roles in guiding Powells to where he is today.

One of the first “geniuses” Powell had the pleasure of meeting was Double Doctorate MD PhD Cato T. Laurencin, who was a graduate from Princeton, MIT, Harvard and other prestigious institutions, and was Powells’ chemical engineer professor at Drexel University.

“I had a professor who was an African American male, like me, that had worked his way up to be a successful chemical engineer

and professor, orthopedic surgeon and world-class scientist all at the same time,” Powells said. “I had the opportunity to work in his scientific laboratory, and since the day I met him, he was someone who always pushed me to my limit, telling me to step up my game or go to the next level. He helped me see I could be greater and do more.”

After several exams including the LSAT, GMAT and MCAT, personality tests and a self-assessment, Powells decided that becoming a medical professional like his mom was not the dream career he was after. Being an attorney was a much better fit, similar to his uncle who was a judge in the Chicago area. So, keeping with his ambitious personality, he finished school at Drexel, typically a five-year program, in just four-years with a B.S. in chemical engineering, a duel minor in biology and piano and a concentration in biomaterials and tissue engineering along with working experience, and then started applying to law schools. Naturally, he was accepted into several schools, but stuck with his plan to move back home to Houston and attended South Texas School of Law.

“I knew it would be important to go to law school in the place I intended to work,” Powells said. “Being a part of the community is a big component of being a lawyer. It’s about being a part of the community, networking and knowing who's who.”

While in law school, Powells’ plan was to gain as much experience as he possibly could, and having done so well in his first year, he received two prestigious internship opportunities that summer, one from JP Morgan Chase and one from ExxonMobil. He chose ExxonMobil and began trying his hand at corporate law. making huge checks, and I don't know the answer to a basic law question. That was a very eye-opening experience for me. This is when I decided to go off on my own and become a general practitioner. Along the way I worked at several boutique law firms and did a little tax, family, criminal and injury law, that way if someone did have a question about something, I would definitely be able to give them the answer.”

Powells received his first commercial car accident case, his first case where he had to be the one to figure out how to work the case, manage the case and support his client. He loved every bit of it and knew he had finally found his passion.

Fast forward to today and Powells has not changed his mind one bit, if anything, his passion for his work has grown stronger.

“It’s like I never have to work a day in my life,” Powells said. “While I do have to put in the work, it's not really work when you're having a great time doing it. Do we have some tough days? Yes. But every day I wake up looking forward to working on my cases. I’ve had the chance to work with so many

“I had a professor who was an African American male, like me, that had worked his way up to be a successful professor and chemical engineer, orthopedic surgeon and world-class scientist all at the same time,” Powells said. “I had the opportunity to work in his scientific laboratory, and since the day I met him, he was someone who always pushed me to my limit, telling me to step up my game or go to the next level. He helped me see I could be greater and do more.”

“I chose to work with ExxonMobil that summer, and I am so glad I did,” Powells said. “It was a great experience, and I made so many wonderful connections that I still have today. But, it also helped me realize that corporate law was not something I could see myself doing forever.”

Having such a strong science background, he then pursued Patent and Intellectual Property Law, which is an area of law that protects scientific studies from being claimed by others. He landed a work opportunity with one of the only women-owned patent law firms in the City of Houston, one that boasted well-known, respectable clients such as AT&T. This allowed Powells to continue his fortunate streak of meeting supportive and influential people. This time it was Ms. Wendy Buskop.

“While I was at [Buskop Law Group], I had a conversation with [Buskop] expressing to her I didn't know if this was something I could do long-term,” Powells said. “I didn't know if I could ever fully express myself at this job. I felt like I was in a box, and she said, ‘if there's something else that you want to do, you've got to just do it, you have to see what’s really for you.’”

Powells went on to work for a larger law firm to gain some litigation experience. It was there that he had a major realization.

“I received a phone call from my sister, asking me a very basic question regarding a law issue, and I did not know the answer,” he said. “Here I was, working at this huge law firm, different lawyers, including the well-known Willie Gary. I get to go to so many different places, and we now have cases all over Texas.”

Despite such infinite success at the Law Offices of Willie D. Powells III & Associates PLLC, a multi-award-winning firm that boasts million-dollar verdicts and a staff that genuinely cares for its clients, Powells has remained humble, continuing to give all the credit to God. And as for what is next, Powells says anything is possible.

“I don’t see a limit, I just see a direction, and that is to keep moving forward.” Looking for an attorney who cares about his profession, the people he serves and achieving results? Call Willie Powells today! Law Offices of Willie D. Powells III and Associates, PLLC

One Arena Place 7322 S.W. Fwy., Ste. 2010 Houston TX 77074 Tele: 281-881-2457 Fax: 713 583-3100 www.williepowellslawfirm.com