Monday, May 27, 2013

2013 LEADERSHIP SERIES: Businesswoman Stephanie Boutte-Phillips to be recognized on Saturday, June 22, 2013 at The Museum District Bistro, other announcements from across the nation

Houston Businesswoman Stephanie Boutte-Phillips, the founder of Houston's Training and Education Center, Inc.., is being recognized for her commitment to Houston-area veterans and others seeking to better themselves. 

"You Are Invited To Attend This Event"

COME JOIN US ON SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013: Houston Businesswoman Stephanie Boutte-Phillips, the founder of (H-TEC) Houston's Training and Education Center is being recognized for her (more than 17) years of service provided to veterans, the homeless, and those oftentimes overlooked (deemed under-served) in the Houston community. This event will be held at 7:00 p.m. at The Museum District Bistro & Lounge located at 1112 Southmore Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77004.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND THIS EVENT: Community Leaders, Corporate Leaders, Public Servants, Small Business Leaders, and friends of Stephanie Boutte-Phillips.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING: There will be a networking session, so bring plenty of business cards and a current biography and professional photo. You can alos email these items to us at: yourthoughtmatter@gmail.com to have a blog post done to promote your attendance at this event.

WHAT YOU SHOULD WEAR: Attendees will have action photos taken during this event. So business attire is required. The photos taken will be published as part of the “2013 Leadership Series” inside the July 2013 issue of Your Thought Matters Newspaper at no charge to all attendees  at this event.

COST TO ATTEND THIS EVENT: There is no cost to attend this event. However, some of the veterans and other students who attend Houston Training & Education Center are homeless and need assistance with supplies -- so we are asking attendees to donate a minimum of $20 dollars at the door.

Stephanie Boutte-Phillips Cares about Our Veterans, The Homeless & The Houston Community At-Large

By Aubrey R. Taylor
Publisher of Your Thought Matters Newspaper

Stephanie Boutte-Phillips, the founder of (HTEC) Houston’s Training & Education Centers knows a thing or two about what it means to fight battles. She’s been fighting to beat the odds all her life. You see, Boutte-Phillips was born and raised in a little town called Opelousas, Louisiana to a teenage mother and father who pretty much left the responsibility of raising her on the shoulders of her elderly grandmother and grandfather. “As a child growing up I can remember starving at the end of the month because of a lack of food. But not having enough was a normal thing, because most of the kids I went to school with either lived alone with their grandparents or with (their parents) who were also living with their grandparents,” Boutte-Phillips explains.

“But one of the things I remember the most about growing up with my grandparents was that they were honorable people. My grandfather, would say, “It doesn’t matter who much money you have, if your name and word doesn’t mean anything, then you’re nothing,” says Boutte-Phillips.

The event taking place on Saturday, June 22, 2013 to honor Stephanie Boutte-Phillips won’t be one to talk about her difficult upbringing, or how challenging her journey has been for her to make it to this point in her life. What we’re going to do is recognize Stephanie Boutte-Phillips for the works she’s doing to help our “Returning Heroes” and those in our community who are oftentimes forgotten or under-served -- and you're invited to join us.

Stephanie Boutte-Phillips Is Opening Doors

"At Houston's Training and Education Center, Inc., we not only equip you with training that meets and exceeds the standards set by the business community, but we also teach you how to make your personal and professional lives work together...we teach you to maintain a balance.” -- Call us at: (281)219-3305 to get enrolled. 

"At Houston's Training and Education Center, Inc., we not only equip you with training that meets and exceeds the standards set by the business community, but we also teach you how to make your personal and professional lives work together...we teach you how to maintain a balance." Call us at: (281)219-3305 to get enrolled.
Call us at (832)219-3305 to get on the path to the future you desire.
Call us at (832)219-3305 to get on the path to the future you desire.
Call us at (832)219-3305 to get on the path to the future you desire.
Here’s A Little About Stephanie Boutte-Phillips & HTEC

Stephanie Boutte-Phillips, the founder of (H-TEC) Houston’s Training and Education Center, Inc., is a prime example of what it means to be caring. Her mission is to create a coherent system of training to increase academic achievement where participants will have the ability to handle the minimal demands of daily living competently, and compete in a complex and technologically oriented society. H-TEC not only equips individuals with training that meets and exceeds the standards set by the business community, but they also teach students how to make their personal and professional lives work together, by maintaining balanced lives. Call HTEC today at (281)219-3305.

Computerized Accounting Specialist

The Computerized Accounting Specialist program is designed to provide the student with the skills needed to perform a variety of accounting applications with emphasis on computer technology. This program is designed to prepare graduates for entry-level employment and advancement in accounting positions. Upon completion of the program, the graduate will have basic accounting skills in journalizing and posting, and a basic working knowledge of accounting systems, as well as other general business skills. The graduate will also have practical skills in computer spreadsheet applications and word processing. These skills will allow the graduate to find employment in businesses, which have an accounting department or position.

Our graduates will possess the skills and competencies that place them at the top of the entry-level market for career employment. Students will be prepared for employment positions such as full-charge bookkeeper, bookkeeper assistant, accounting clerk, automated records clerk, accounts payable clerk, accounts receivable clerk, payroll clerk, auditing clerk, data entry clerk, customer service representative, office manager, general office clerk, accounting receptionist, and other related office assignments. Employment opportunities can be found in both public and private industries and large and small alike i.e. Accounting firms, business offices, medical facilities, and etc.

The overall program will require 11 months, approximately (45 ½ weeks) to complete for the full time student (depending on Holidays, in between term breaks and in-service days, etc.) The individual completing this program will receive a certificate upon completion.

Computer Support Specialist

This course of instruction prepares individuals for entry-level jobs as a computer repair and help-desk support. Graduates may find suitable employment with computer manufacturing, computer sales, and companies with IT departments on the help desk. Students will learn to troubleshoot and repair personal computers and network devices as well as conduct computer diagnostics to investigate and resolve problems and/or provide technical assistance and support.. Upon completion of this program, students will be able to install, upgrade, and support personal computers and associated peripheral devices in a network environment.

Medical Assistant

The Medical Assistant program is designed to provide the graduate with the key skills essential to success in the medical office world of today. The Medical Assistant performs routine administrative and clinical tasks to keep the medical office running smoothly in both the front and back office. The Medical Assistant program also prepares the student for the basics of clinical care of patients in a long- term care facility. (They should not be confused with Physician Assistant.) Since medical assistants are trained in both administrative and clinical procedures, they are capable of filing a variety of entry-level positions, including clinical or administrative assistant, medical receptionist, medical secretary and medical insurance biller.

The Medical Assistant performs many administrative duties as well as clinical duties. The medical assistant performs such duties as: scheduling patient appointments, processing insurance claims, weighing patients, taking vital signs, giving shots, taking blood, assisting the physician, etc. The program assures that all students will develop and possess the hands-on experience in both the clinical and automated office environment.

Our graduates will possess the skills and competencies that place them at the top of the entry-level market for career employment. They will be prepared to work in various types of medical environments such as hospitals, nursing homes, private doctor’s offices, clinics, medical billing and collection companies, and insurance companies. The overall program will require 10 months, approximately (40 weeks) to complete for the full time student (depending on Holidays, In between term breaks and in-service days, etc.) The individual completing this program will receive a certificate upon completion.

Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning/Refrigeration (HVAC/R) Program at HTEC

Program Description:

Houston’s Training and Education Center’s (H-TEC) Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning /Refrigeration program is a comprehensive course designed to train women and men regardless of previous training in Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning / Refrigeration. The objective of the program is to provide the student with technical skills based on HVAC/R systems repair, operation diagnosis, and troubleshooting so he/she can obtain job entry or advancement within the Heating, Cooling and Refrigeration industries. The graduate may have opportunities in many facets of the Heating, Cooling, or Refrigeration industries such as Heating/Cooling Technician, Refrigeration Technician, Industrial Maintenance Technician, Counter sales or sales representative typically listed for these industries.

Our HVAC/R environment will be task oriented, so every student will undergo written and performance-based learning. This hands-on approach will successfully prepare our students for employment in various HVAC/R positions in the field. Our instructors, under NCCER standards, will be Craft certified in the HVAC/R field and our facility is designed with technology including overhead projectors, an HVAC/R lab containing various HVAC/R equipment and components, a student-assisted tool crib and web-based learning and research work stations for students. H-TEC will utilize the ContrenConnect™ curriculum developed by NCCER (www.contrenconnect.com). ContrenConnect is an interactive web-based tool that partners textbooks and internet driven materials to give the student a multi-dimensional learning experience.

Get Enrolled Today

Houston’s Training and Education Center, Inc., is located at 5335 Aldine Bender, Houston, Texas 77032. Call (281)219-3305 today for more information on classes offered at Houston’s Training and Education Center, Inc.



Omidyar Network has announced the appointment of ORY OKOLLOH as director of investments within its government transparency initiative. Okolloh, formerly a policy manager for sub-Saharan Africa at Google, is co-founder and executive director of Ushahidi and a co-founder of Kenyan parliamentary watchdog site Mzalendo. Earlier, she was a Chayes Fellow in the World Bank's Department of Institutional Integrity, and she currently serves as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and sits on the board of the Africa Media Initiative.


The Liberty Hill Foundation has announced the planned departure of president KAFI BLUMENFIELD later this year. Among other things, Blumenfield, who started at the foundation as a volunteer in 2000, launched the Wally Marks Leadership Institute for Change during her tenure as president. Earlier, she served in various management capacities for a number of nonprofits, including Neighbor to Neighbor and the Fair Housing Council of San Gabriel Valley, and worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council on urban air issues. She has also served on the boards of the California Commission on the Status of Women, the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project, Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Office of Strategic Partnerships, and the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation. She is, in addition, a member of the selection committee for the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards and is vice chair of Southern California Grantmakers.


The Ray C. Anderson Foundation has announced the appointment of JOHN A. LANIER as director. Lanier, son of foundation trustee Mary Anne Lanier and grandson of the late Ray C. Anderson, previously worked as an attorney at Sutherland, Asbill and Brennan, where he specialized in the U.S. tax system, represented the interests of several Atlanta-based nonprofits, and became familiar with issues related to the recognition of tax-exempt status.


The Meyer Memorial Trust has announced the appointment of CHARLES WILHOITE as a trustee, a role recently revised from a lifetime appointment to a term of up to twelve years. Wilhoite, managing director of financial consulting firm Willamette Management Associates, also heads up the firm's tax-exempt entity and healthcare services practice. In addition, he serves on the boards of a number of institutions and organizations, including Oregon Health and Science University, the Portland Business Alliance, the Urban League of Portland, and the Oregon's Children's Foundation.


The Navy SEAL Foundation has announced the appointment of ROBIN KING as CEO, a new position. King, interim executive director of the organization since March, has been part of the organization's senior leadership team since its inception thirteen years ago. As part of its restructuring, the organization also will add the position of president, reporting to King, to be filled by a former SEAL; interested candidates should send inquiries to: HR@navySEALfoundation.org.


The Mission Society has announced the planned retirement of its long-serving president, DICK McCLAIN, effective May 31. McClain, the son and grandson of missionaries, joined the organization in 1986 and served in several management roles before becoming president. Earlier, he worked for eleven years pastoring local congregations. In retirement, McClain plans to move to Colorado and continue his involvement with ministry and missionary work.


The Ford Foundation has announced the appointment of ELIZABETH D. KNUP as head of its China office. Knup, who has spent much of her career working to develop stronger ties between China and the rest of the world, most recently served as chief representative of education and publishing company Pearson PLC. Earlier, she worked at Kamsky Associates, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies, and the National Committee on United States-China relations. She has lived in China for the last fifteen years and serves on the boards of several civil society organizations there, including the Institute for Sustainable Communities, the Capacity Building and Assessment Center, and an indigenous Chinese nongovernmental organization working to strengthen a network of NGOs in the country.


The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has announced the appointment of DANIEL STID as senior fellow. Stid, a longtime consultant and strategist to governments, nonprofits, and for-profit organizations, most recently worked in leadership positions at the Bridgespan Group in San Francisco on performance measurement and strategic planning with government policymakers. Earlier, he worked at the Boston Consulting Group in Massachusetts, Kuala Lumpur, and Washington, D.C., advising cabinet-level officials at the Treasury Department and the Department of Education. He began his career teaching political science at Wabash College, served as a Congressional Fellow on the staff of the majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, and worked with the International Republican Institute in Bulgaria and Chile advising government leaders there on presidential nominating systems. In his two-year fellowship he will lead exploration of a new Hewlett initiative focused on strengthening the health of democracy in the United States.


The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation has announced the appointments of SARAH RICHARDSON as controller and BARBARA CARTER as director of procurement, a new position. Richardson, most recently vice president of operations at real estate development company F.H. Prince LLC, has more than twenty-five years of experience in financial management and reporting. Carter, most recently assistant director of purchasing for Florida-based Citizens Property Insurance Corp., has more than a quarter-century of experience in private and public procurement, vendor relations, and contract management.


Omidyar Network has announced the appointment of MIKE KUBZANSKY as vice president of intellectual capital, a new position. Kubzansky was formerly a partner at Monitor Group (now Monitor Deloitte), where he co-founded and led the company's Inclusive Markets practice. "Mike is a published thought leader with deep expertise in impact investing and businesses serving the needs of the world's poorest populations," said ON managing partner Matt Bannick. "We will benefit greatly from his substantial experience and insights across the private and public sectors."


The board of Lincoln Center has announced the unanimous selection of JED BERNSTEIN as president. Bernstein, who began his career in advertising at Ogilvy & Mather, Ally & Gargano, and Wells Rich Greene, helped reinvigorate Broadway theater in the late 1990s and early 2000s as president of the Broadway League and as a driving force behind the creation of the Internet Broadway Database. In addition, Bernstein has taught and lectured on advertising, marketing, and the arts at a number of institutions, including Yale and New York University, and is executive director of the Commercial Theater Institute. He will succeed REYNOLD LEVY, who plans to step down in January 2014.


The Gates Cambridge Trust in the United Kingdom has announced the appointment of BARRY EVERITT as provost, effective October 1. Everitt, a leading neuroscientist, currently heads Cambridge's Downing College. He has also served as president of the British Association for Psychopharmacology, the European Brain and Behaviour Society, the European Behavioural Pharmacology Society, as editor-in-chief of theEuropean Journal of Neuroscience, and, currently, as a reviewing editor forScience magazine. The trust oversees the Gates Cambridge Scholarships, established in 2000 with a donation of $210 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — still the largest single gift ever made to a British university.


The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has announced the appointment of HEATH WICKLINE and JOHN JETER as communications officers. Wickline, who most recently ran his own consulting firm, earlier worked as a senior account manager at Underground Advertising and was director of the San Francisco nonprofit SPIN Project. Jeter, previously a foreign correspondent who headed the Washington Post's bureaus in southern Africa and South America, earlier was a producer for the NPR radio show This American Life.


The Blue Shield of California Foundation has announced the appointment of CRISPIN DELGADO and RACHEL WICK as program officers in its Health Care and Coverage program. Delgado, most recently health policy initiatives manager at the San Mateo County Health System, earlier spent three years on staff at the University of California-Berkeley's CPAC (California Program on Access to Care) initiative. Wick comes to the foundation from the Consumer Health Foundation, where she was a program officer and later director of policy, planning, and special projects related to historically underserved communities in the District of Columbia.


The Foundation Center has announced the election of DOMINICK IMPEMBA to its board of directors. The controller at the Rockefeller Foundation, Impemba has nearly seventeen years of experience working with nonprofit organizations, including serving as an audit senior manager at KPMG LLP in its nonprofit practice. Before that he was the controller at the Institute of International Education and an audit manager at Condon O'Meara McGinty and Donnelly, LLP, a public accounting firm dedicated to serving nonprofit organizations.


JDRF has announced the appointment of DAVID E. WHEADON as executive vice president of research and advocacy. Wheadon, most recently senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, has worked for over a quarter century in drug development and translational research, regulatory and medical affairs, and patient advocacy at a variety of organizations, including Abbott Laboratories, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, and Eli Lilly.


The Meyer Foundation has announced the election of JOSHUA BERNSTEIN as board chair. Bernstein, CEO of real estate firm Bernstein Management Corp., also serves as vice president of the Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation, which was created by his parents. In additon, he holds several leadership positions at D.C.-area institutions, including the Federal City Council and Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, and is a founding member of the 2030 Group, an organization of business leaders focused on strengthening the regional economy for current and future residents.


The Philanthropy Roundtable has announced the selection of ELI and EDYTHE BROAD as the 2013 recipients of the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership. The prize recognizes the Broads for their philanthropy and national leadership in the areas of public education reform, contemporary art, and biomedical research and provides $250,000 payable to the charity/nonprofit of their choice.


The Rockefeller Brothers Fund has announced the appointment of MARK ADIEDO as director of human resources. Adiedo, most recently human resources manager at Church World Service, has worked/consulted for a number of New York City nonprofits focused on homelessness, sustainable development, isplaced populations, and global humanitarian assistance.


The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation has announced the appointment of MICHAEL UDVARDI as senior vice president and director of its plant biology division. Udvardi, interim director of the division since November, previously served as associate professor and independent group leader at the Max Planck Institute in Germany.



The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has announced the appointment of DAVID J. HAYES as senior fellow. Hayes, a two-time deputy secretary of the United States Department of the Interior and an authority on conservation and energy issues, will serve as an advisor to foundation president Larry Kramer on several topics, including climate, energy, and Western lands, and will split his time between the foundation and Stanford Law School, where he will be teaching this fall.


The Case Foundation has announced the appointment of SEAN GREENE as entrepreneur in residence. Greene, most recently associate administrator for investment and special advisor for innovation at the U.S. Small Business Administration, is an entrepreneur and investor who sold his online travel company Away.com to Orbitz. Earlier, he was co-founder of Rock Creek Ventures and seed-stage investment firm LaunchBox Digital, and also served as a management consultant with McKinsey and Co. In his new role, he will work with the foundation's senior fellow Sonal Shah to inspire, educate, and mobilize capital in the impact investing space. Greene is also advising Revolution LLC, the venture capital firm co-founded by Case Foundation chair Steve Case.


The Connecticut Council for Philanthropy has announced the appointment of MAGGIE GUNTHER OSBORN as president. Osborn, most recently vice president of the Florida Philanthropic Network, earlier served as grant director for the Conn Memorial Foundation and worked in management and fundraising for several nonprofit organizations, including the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, the Florida Aquarium, and the United Way of Hillsborough County (Florida). She is currently president of MGO Partners, a training and capacity building consulting firm focused on the philanthropic sector.


The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has announced the appointment of MATTHEW E. BERSHADKER as president and CEO, effective June 1. Bershadker, a twelve-year veteran of the ASPCA, previously served as senior vice president of its anti-cruelty group and vice president of its development department. Earlier, he worked for ICF Consulting and Share Our Strength. He currently serves on the boards of the Gruber Family Foundation and Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. He will succeed Edwin Sayres, who has led the organization since 2003.


The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania has appointed alumnus WILLIAM L. MACK ('61) as chair of its board of overseers, Wharton Magazine reports. Mack, who has served on the board since 1998, is founder of global real estate and assets management firm AREA Property Partners. Along with his wife, Mack established the William and Phyllis Mack Institute for Technological Innovation at Wharton and contributed funds for the school's Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center, William L. Mack Plaza, undergraduate financial aid, and an endowed professorship. He replaces longtime Wharton overseer JON M. HUNTSMAN, SR.


The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced the appointment of CYNTHIA ROUND as senior vice president of marketing and external relations, a new position, and the appointment of HAROLD HOLZER to the new role of senior vice president for public affairs. Round, most recently executive vice president of brand marketing and strategy for United Way Worldwide, previously held senior advertising and marketing positions at Ogilvy & Mather and Procter & Gamble. Holzer, previously senior vice president for external affairs at the museum, is a historian who specializes in Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, and previously served as a counselor to former New York governor Mario M. Cuomo and congresswoman Bella S. Abzug (D-NY). He also served as director of communications at WNET/Channel 13 and was editor of the onetime news weekly Manhattan Tribune.


The Tinker Foundation has announced the appointment of BRADFORD K. SMITH to its board. Smith, president of the Foundation Center (PND's parent organization), is a lifelong advocate for the civil society sector who previously served as president of the Oak Foundation in Switzerland and led the Ford Foundation's Brazil office, later serving in Ford's New York headquarters. "He is a leader on the cutting edge of the use of technology and big data to bolster the work of nonprofits around the world," said foundation president Renate Rennie, "and his considerable experience in Latin America's civil sector will be a particular asset to us at the Tinker Foundation."


The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced the appointment of ELIZABETH LULE as director of its Family Planning program. Lule, most recently interim Africa region director at the World Bank and previously an advisor for the World Bank in the areas of population, reproductive, maternal, and child health, earlier served as Pathfinder International's Africa region vice president.


The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has announced the appointment of AMY ARBRETON as evaluation officer in its Effective Philanthropy group. Arbreton, a published expert in nonprofit evaluation, most recently was senior research fellow and California office director at Public/Private Ventures, where she worked for nearly twenty years.


The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has announced the appointment of BARBARA MOWRY and JOHN SHERMAN to its board. Mowry, CEO of Colorado business consultancy GoreCreek Advisors and board chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, is a business executive and entrepreneur who has served in senior management at several Fortune 500 companies. Sherman, chairman and chief executive officer of Missouri-based energy companies Inergy and Inergy Midstream, is a Kansas City entrepreneur and civic leader who serves on the boards of the Truman Presidential Library Institute, the University of Missouri-Kansas City Foundation, and Teach For America Kansas City.


The Accordia Global Health Foundation has announced the appointment of DAVID GREELEY as president and CEO. Greeley, most recently senior vice president of external affairs at the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, previously worked at several nonprofit international development and health companies as well as pharma giant Merck & Co.


The Foundation Center has announced the election of SUSAN KISH to its board. Kish, head of cross-company initiatives at Bloomberg L.P., previously served as director of knowledge services at Bloomberg subsidiary New Energy Finance, was founding CEO of think tank First Tuesday Zurich, and worked in senior management positions at global financial services firm UBS. She is also director and co-founder of the Energy Venture Forum, which established and produces the European Energy Venture Fair in Zurich, and serves on the boards of several interests, including the SwissNex Science Consulate and the Sandbox Network.