The Role of the Community Quarterback in Community Building

ANNE WHITLOCK has lived and worked in
five countries, starting in the Peace Corps in
Mali, West Africa and then moving to Chad,
Costa Rica, Mexico and back to the US. She
speaks fluent Spanish, some French and a
smattering of Bambara. These experiences
gave her a sense of what it’s like to be pulled
from one’s roots and transported to a new land
with cultural and language barriers.
She has served as Founding Director of
Connect Community since 2016, a holistic
revitalization effort in Gulfton/Sharpstown
based on the Purpose Built Communities
model. The model focuses on building great
communities by wrapping around schools to
build aligned health and wellness
infrastructure, a cradle through career
education pipeline, economic vitality and
mixed income housing options.
She has the privilege of working with
newcomers from all over the globe who have
landed in Houston to seek better opportunities
for themselves and their families.
Prior to Connect Community, she worked as
the Program Director for the Community Clinic
Funders’ Collaborative at the Harris County
Healthcare Alliance working to improve
sustainability and collaboration in the Houston
healthcare safety net system. She worked at
the Baker Institute and led the America’s
Project seminar for “Young Leaders” from
throughout Latin America. She also rode the
dot.com boom and bust wave in the mid-90’s
and survived her husband’s congressional
campaign in 2008.
She currently serves on the boards of the
Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Brazos Bookstore,
and UT Children’s Learning Institute and
served on the boards of Vecino Health
Centers and the East End Foundation.
She is married with three adult children and
lives in a converted fire station in the East End
of Houston.