JERI
BROOKS
J
eri Brooks is an active pillar in the City of Houston with 20 plus years of experience in public relations, public engagement and a commitment to helping make Houston a better place. Last year she was named Chairwoman of the Houston Permit Center Advisory Board. Brooks has an extensive background in addition to being the CEO and Lead Strategist for One World Strategy Group. Brooks has served in several positions throughout the City of Houston including Vice Chairwoman Rebuild Houston Advisory Committee, Strategist to Chairman Rebuild Houston Advisory Committee, Interim Chief of Staff for Jarvis Johnson Past District B City Council member, a variety of City of Houston projects working with OBO, HAS, Planning, ARA and the Mayor’s office over the last 10 years. Her direct work with the City has moved community-driven ordinances forward and as well as her role as a consultant to prime contractors working on community and infrastructure projects. The work in the City of Houston, Harris County and the State of Texas is varied and has positioned her to have a broad understanding of multiple stakeholder groups and the process of getting things done. Brooks contribution to the City of Houston goes far beyond her career. Her com30
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munity involvement speaks volume of her endless support for the City she calls home. She is a member of the City of Houston Permit Center Advisory Board, Chairwoman Professional Advocacy Association of Texas (PAAT) Austin Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Social Action Committee Co-Chair
for the big city came from her and her brother’s annual visit to Chicago to spend Spring Break with their aunts. Having an opportunity to grow up experiencing the extremes of “Sunday best” to go shopping and to the theater, to long days creating outdoor games and building huts, cultivated a curiosity and adventurous side of Jeri that is still evidenced in her life to this day. She is a top 100 Hired Gun Texas lobbyist, amazing aunt called “Lou Lou,” entrepreneur, friend, mentor, sister, daughter. She is a woman of diverse interests with a foundation built on love. When asked, who is Jeri Brooks, she responded, “a good human and brilliant mind aggressively chasing new experiences and opportunities to grow as an individual and contribute to the world.”
Everyone has a story about why they started, what’s your why? Greater Houston Black Chamber, Advocacy & Policy Committee Chair Big Brothers Big Sisters Board of Directors Sam Houston Area Council Board of Directors, Boy Scouts of America TXRX, and Labs Board of Directors. Jeri Brooks is a small town, big city girl raised in Carbondale, a college town in the Southern region of Illinois. Her love
So, my why is very simple. My story starts on the beaches of Guatemala and in a downtown Houston credit union upstairs corner office, where I ran out of vacation time and realized that the team could be equally strong without my presence in the office on a day-to-day basis. After spending several years developing both the culture and corresponding training class, I submitted my annual plan and budget excluding myself as an employee, sharing a direction that would