In this special episode of the Partnership's Rise to the Top podcast, we're speaking with Amanda McMillian, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Houston, live from the 13th annual Rise to the Top event. Before leading a nonprofit, Amanda served nearly 15 years in the oil and gas industry, where she was named one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Oil & Gas by the National Diversity Council for three consecutive years.  Host and Partnership Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Katie Pryor talks with Amanda about her career journey, passion for the greater Houst ..read more

In this episode of the Partnership's Rise to the Top podcast, we're speaking with Amy Chronis,  Vice Chair of US Energy & Chemicals and Managing Partner for Deloitte Houston. Amy has more than 30 years of experience serving public and private enterprises from emerging businesses to Fortune 500 companies.  Host and Partnership Chief Development Officer Katie Pryor talks with Amy about her career journey, her passion for the energy industry and how she's making an impact in the Houston community. Launched in 2021, the Greater Houston Partnership's Rise to the Top podcast aims to a ..read more

In this episode of the Partnership's Rise to the Top podcast, we're speaking with Elizabeth Killinger,  President of Reliant and Executive Vice President of NRG. Elizabeth has been with NRG for more than 20 years and is responsible for directing all aspects of NRG Home, which provides innovative residential power and gas services to millions of customers in the United States and Canada.  Host and Partnership Chief Development Officer Katie Pryor talks with Elizabeth about her career journey as a Houston native, her family life and how she's charting pathways for future generations ..read more

In this episode of the Partnership's Rise to the Top podcast, we're speaking with Claudia Aguirre, President and CEO of BakerRipley, one of the largest and most recognized nonprofit organizations in the nation. We explore Claudia’s own career journey, her family life and what drives her as a community leader. Host and Partnership Chief Development Officer Katie Pryor also talks with Claudia about the critical services Houston-based BakerRipley provides in our region and how the organization has grown in recent years.  Other topics include some of the challenges Houston faces that the non ..read more

In this episode of the Partnership's Rise to the Top podcast, we're talking to Dr. Lesia Crumpton-Young, President of Texas Southern University. We explore TSU’s 90-plus-year journey from junior college to one of the most respected universities in our region and Lesia’s appointment to lead the prestigious institution. Host and Partnership Chief Development Officer Katie Pryor talks with Lesia about the higher education landscape in Houston, her personal journey in academia and what advice she has for the next generation of female professionals. Other topics include the evolution of opportuniti ..read more

In this episode of the Partnership's Rise to the Top podcast, we talk with Esi Akinosho, Houston office Managing Principal with Ernst & Young. Esi is an accomplished risk executive with more than 30 years in the industry, helping global clients across a diverse range of sectors with their Risk management needs.  Host and Partnership Chief Development Officer Katie Pryor talks with Esi about her passion for diversity in business and how she's assisted clients across the U.S, Europe and Africa in developing transformative solutions to increase effectiveness. We’re going to talk with Es ..read more

In this episode of the Partnership's Rise to the Top podcast, we talk with Dr. Brenda Hellyer, Chancellor of San Jacinto College.  Host and Partnership Chief Development Officer Katie Pryor talks to Brenda about the community college's role in providing affordable educational opportunities for Houston area young people while addressing the workforce needs of the region. The two also discuss Brenda's unique path to leading the institution with more than 30,000 students and five campuses.  Other topics include working to bridge workforce gaps, the larger role of community colleges and ..read more

In this episode of the Partnership's Rise to the Top podcast, we talk with Dr. Melanie Johnson, President and CEO of the nonprofit Collaborative for Children.  Host and Partnership Chief Development Officer Katie Pryor chats with Melanie about the organization's work to provide relevant early educational opportunity to Houston's children.  The two also discuss Melanie's experience helping lead several local institutions and her passion for education. Other topics include effective mentorship and prioritizing career and family. We also learn about some of the Houston places and experi ..read more

In this episode of the Partnership's Rise to the Top podcast, we talk with Julie Sudduth, Regional President of PNC Bank, Houston.  Host and Partnership Chief Development Officer Katie Pryor discusses PNC's entrance into the Houston market with Julie as well as the bank's involvement in the local community.  The conversation also hits on Julie's career trajectory as an early banking executive and the risks taken to gain a leadership position in a highly competitive industry as a young mother. We also learn about some of the Houston places and experiences that are special to this fift ..read more

In this episode of the Greater Houston Partnership's Rise to the Top podcast, we talk with Ann Stern, President and CEO of Houston Endowment. We discuss Houston Endowment's mission and multifaceted work in the Houston community as well as how Ann's personal career trajectory positioned her to lead the foundation. Ann also shares some advice for aspiring female professionals and we discuss some of her favorite places in Houston. Join our host and Partnership Chair Amy Chronis for this exciting conversation with Ann Stern ..read more