Events

Jane Shapiro ventured to Houston from the Boston area back in the 1980’s. She received her degree

from Boston College and holds a certificate as an Assisted Living Administrator and is licensed

as a Pre Need Planning Advisor.

She has enjoyed being part of the Houston community for the past 40 years. She’s been

affiliated with several healthcare organizations in providing training/development to

employees, building relationships within the medical and religious community, counseling

families seeking senior living options, to her current role at Houston Jewish Funerals and

Distinctive Life Cremation and Funerals.

She has worked for HCA, US Physical Therapy, Aetna Health Plans, the Alzheimer’s Association,

Brazos Towers and Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care Services.

She takes pride in volunteering at the Evelyn Rubinstein JCC, Seven Acres, WU and Bellaire Sr.

Centers, Weekly YMCA and is a member of Jewish Federation’s Business and Professional

Group, River Oaks Women’s Breakfast Club, Houston Area Continuity of Care, Houston

Gerontological Association, Houston Jewish Chamber of Commerce, Houston Women’s

Chamber, Bellaire Business Association and lifetime member of Hadassah.

Having joined Houston Jewish Funerals and Distinctive Life Cremation and Funerals back in

2018, she was tasked with educating and sharing the importance of Pre Need Planning to

families in our community.

Jane shares, that it’s truly a calling, a mitzvah and a gift to impart her knowledge and

understanding while bringing her life experiences, passion and empathy to those in need.

Mary Kay Jackson, the daughter of local Rotarian Dan Clinton, was raised in Houston and holds civil engineering degrees from Texas A&M and Stanford University.  After a brief stint in the oil industry, Mary Kay practiced civil engineering in Atlanta, Georgia, for 20 years designing water infrastructure for municipal clients. 

In 2006, Mary Kay moved to Ghana, West Africa, and joined the staff of the Methodist Church Ghana to create their Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program.  In 2017, she returned to Houston and joined the staff of TMS Global, where she currently is the Director of Strategic Initiatives. She continues to maintain an active water ministry in Ghana.

Over the past 18 years, Mary Kay has constructed 300 boreholes for villages, clinics, and schools in Ghana.  She served for 9 years as the Managing Director of Pure Home Water, a Ghanaian social enterprise that manufactures ceramic pot filters for household water treatment.  During her tenure, Pure Home Water constructed its manufacturing facility and grew from 4 to 25 employees, mostly local women potters. To date, Pure Home Water has provided over 30,000 filters to households in Ghana, including as part of two Rotary grants.

With her vast knowledge, hands-on experience and overall love of seniors, Jan has started her own business (When Seasons Change, LLC) in assisting seniors along with their families, in locating the community that best meets their needs. Jan also provides care management to assist families in navigating the care needs as well as assisting families in managing their loved ones care while in a community.

Mr. Thompson is a native Houstonian who graduated from Lamar High School and the University of Texas with a degree in finance. He joined his brother at Thompson-Hanson in 1994 and moved with his wife and three children to West University Place in 2002. He is currently involved with landscape, nursery and growing industries along with restaurants, real estate, farming and ranching. Mr. Thompson's interest include health, nutrition, regenerative agriculture, vintige cars, aviation and golf. The intiatial seed money for Thompson-Hanson with their father's lawn mower!

Kristen Leach is the executive director of Kinetic Kids Houston, a nonprofit organization that offers sport, recreational and fine art programs for kids with special needs.  Kristen founded Kinetic Kids Houston in January 2024 and started programming in March. Kinetic Kids serves our local special needs community by allowing kids to get off the sidelines and develop into athletes under the watch care of coaches and pediatric therapists.

Director, Global Cybersecurity Program and Assistant Professor of International Studies at the University of St. Thomas. Currently teaching courses on Cyber Warfare, Introduction to Enterprise Cybersecurity, Cyber Ethics, Digital Governance, and Geopolitical Risk. Mr. Botts is a lecturer at the Women’s Institute of Houston teaching a course entitled The World According to Eric.

• Will Rommel, Project Advisor with the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, will present on the Clean and Green Program at the Buffalo Bayou Partnership. The Clean and Green program is responsible for the clean-up and maintenance of 10 miles of waterway that lead to the Gulf of Mexico, and the team captures ocean bound plastic waste and other litter using a variety of techniques and innovations.

The talk will focus on Cristo Rey Jesuit College Prep in Houston - a short history of how the school came to be, a snap-shot of the students we serve, and our innovative Corporate Work Study Program which helps make a private school education accessible to families who typically cannot afford one.