RISE! Your Road to Independence, Success and Empowerment

Christine Powell, Executive Director of The Women’s Resource of Greater Houston (“TWR”), will speak to the club about this entity’s RISE! program, which is a four-year high school program for qualifying, at-risk girls. The participants explore financial topics such as understanding your personal relationship with money, practicing responsible budgeting and savings and banking basics. In addition to financial education, RISE! participants receive practical career and college readiness lessons on topics such as communicating personal strengths and abilities, identifying career opportunities, writing a resume, and dressing for success. An existing two-year RISE! program at HISD’s Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy will be expanded to a full four-year program thanks to a generous grant from the Rotary Club of West U.

Christine Powell joined The Women’s Resource in September 2014 as Executive Director. Under her leadership programs have been retooled and designed to meet the long-term financial needs of the women and girls we serve, revenue has doubled, and we have become a United Way THRIVE partner.

Christine Powell is a passionate advocate for social equality and has devoted her career to lifting up the underserved in her community.  In the last twenty years, she has held numerous leadership positions with both local and national nonprofits.  Her nonprofit career began with the YMCA where she had the unique opportunity to work on a national pilot project with the Institute of Healthcare Improvement and Stanford University challenging attitudes and beliefs around health and wellness in underserved communities.  Most recently, Christine worked with the Houston Area Women’s Center as the Director of Corporation, Foundation, and Government Relations, where she led the growth of both private and government funding for the state’s largest domestic and sexual violence agency.

Christine received her Master in Public Health from the University of Texas and BS in Kinesiology from the University of Houston.  She lives in Tomball and is the mother of two young men and a yellow lab named Lucy! 

 Invited by Janice Stooksberry