FIONA DAWSON

Fiona Dawson is a professional event planner, marketer, fundraiser and leader of volunteers in the Houston community. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from The University of Essex, Colchester, England. Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Fiona volunteered and worked in Bangladesh and Portugal before making Houston home in 2000. Fiona's entrée into the LGBT community was the following year when she worked for Casa de Esperanza de los Niños as a caseworker for abused, neglected and HIV-positive children in foster care and adoptive homes. From 2002, while working for the Houston Area Women's Center, Fiona volunteered in Omega House helping provide compassionate care to people with ends stages of HIV/AIDS. It was when Fiona came on staff at Bering Omega in 2003 and soon started volunteering for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) her LGBT activism took off. Fiona has formerly chaired the Houston HRC Gala and the Houston HRC Volunteer Committee. She currently holds five volunteer leadership roles in HRC, three at the National level (National Board of Governors (BOG), BOG Executive Committee and BOG Performance Management Co-Chair) and two locally; Federal Club Co-Chair and 2009 Gala Table Captain Co-Chair. The combination of these roles demands more than 500 volunteer hours and a significant personal financial commitment each year. Fiona travels to Washington DC three times a year for meetings and has participated in lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill. As Co-Chair of the Houston Federal Club, Fiona shares the responsibility of annually raising and maintaining over $350,000, which directly facilitates lobbying on the Hill and the election of fair-minded candidates at the national, state and local level. Further, Fiona's HRC volunteer work supports research, educational efforts and outreach, to encourage lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans to live their lives openly and seek to change the hearts and minds of Americans to the side of equality. Fiona has been honored with Outsmart's Gayest and Greatest Awards in 2006, 2007 and 2008 when she was awarded Female Volunteer, Female Fundraiser and runner-up Female Community Hero. In addition to her primary volunteer commitment to HRC, Fiona is known for giving her time and financial support to many local LGBT community events whenever possible. In January 2008, in order to gain the right to vote, Fiona became an American citizen and celebrated with a voter registration party, raising funds for local organizations. Alongside her support of the LGBT community, Fiona has been on the board of the Houston Association of Volunteer Administrators (HAVA) since 2002. Her expertise in volunteer management has led her to teach at Rice University, the University of Houston, the Texas Governor's Volunteer Leadership Conference and at the City of Houston's Neighborhood Leadership Institute. Fiona has worked at BBVA Compass since January 2008, recently joining the department of Corporate Reputation and Responsibility. She is the lead of diversity and environmental issues, bringing her passion and knowledge in these areas to help the company make an impact in the communities where it does business.

CRISTINA MARTINEZ

Cristina Martinez is passionate about activism and entrepreneurship. As the CEO of Mad Clik Inc., Publisher of the Gay & Lesbian Rainbow Pages, and President of MD Marketing& Advertising, Cristina has experience in numerous industries providing comprehensive consulting services and marketing strategies to encourage profitability and growth. As an activist and a respected community volunteer, Cristina co-founded the Latino Gay Orgullo (Pride) Week and GALLO (Gay & Lesbian Latin Organization). Her commitment to local, state, national, and international organizations showcases her ability to support causes that benefit the community at large. Currently, Cristina is an active board member for: the Houston Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and Unid@s; the National Latino Human Rights Organization. Most recently Cristina founded the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce and currently serves as the
President of their Advisory Board. She has spent the past 25 years serving the community as a volunteer with organizations such as AIDS Foundation Houston, ALLGO, Assist Hers, Bering Omega, Bunnies on the Bayou, Houston Black Tie Dinner, the Imperial Court of Houston, Kindred Spirit Reunion, Krewe of Olympus, Legacy Community Health, The Oscar De la Rosa Foundation, Out Youth, PFLAG, and The Rose Foundation. Most recently she has extended her support internationally through Brazos Abiertos (Open Arms) in Merida, Yucatan Peninsula the only GLBT support and counseling center in Yucatan for AIDS patients. The show US of ANT on LOGO TV also did a special on Cristina's generosity in the community and the Gay & Lesbian Rainbow Pages. Most recently, Cristina was a National award winner of the Make Mine A Million Dollar Business Program, which recognizes Women Entrepreneurs for their contribution to Women's Economic Independence. She has also been voted Top Female Business Woman by Outsmart Readers in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and the recipient of the 2008 State Farm Insurance and Houston Comets Inspiring Hispanic Women of Houston award. Her company was also voted most supportive local business of the GLBT community in Houston by Outsmart Readers in 2008, and she is a Federal Club member of the Human Rights Campaign. Today Cristina offers a wide range of marketing & advertising programs and business consulting services to small business owners and non-profit agencies across the country. To contact Cristina, please visit her website at http://www.rainbowpages.net.

JULIA CHRISTINE OLIVER

Julia is a native Houstonian, born in Saint Joseph's Hospital March 1st, 1957. She was raised by very strict and conservative parents who moved to Texas in the early 1950s. They settled southeast of what then was the growing city of Houston and raised a family of five. As a young child, Julia struggled with a number of issues that would forever affect her life; dyslexia, an abusive father and not being accepted by her family as the girl she knew she was. Julia was named Jack Wesley Oliver at her birth and raised as a boy. After years of struggling with feeling like a girl and forced to live as a boy she gave in and tried with all her heart, soul and mind to be what others had told her she was. Marrying her high school sweetheart, she settled into a NORMAL life with a wife and eventually five kids of her own. After a short tour in the United States Air Force, she joined the Houston Police Department in October of 1981 and rose to the rake of Sergeant of Police in 1988. Over the next twenty years she tried to live the life she was told she had to live. But a near death experience while working one night changes her life and shattered her carefully kept façade. Over time she could no longer hide who she was and in the fall of 2005 she began seeking help from one of the best know therapist in dealing with Gender Identity Disorder, Dr. Collier M. Cole with the Rosenberg Clinic in Galveston Texas. On May 21st, 2006, Sergeant Jack W. Oliver told her Captain that she was currently under the care of Dr. Cole and in the beginning stages of transitioning to Julia Christine Oliver. She had intended this to be a quite and private transition but co-workers had other ideals. One called the local media about her medical condition and on June 9th, 2006, a local News Station ambushed her at her home In Pasadena. Since that morning Julia has been a spokeswoman for the transgender and GLBT community. She has work with a number of support groups to educate and further the rights of all GLBT people and their cause. Julia was a board member of the Unity Committee in 2007, until she had her SRS surgery in Bangkok Thailand on October 8th, 2007. In early March of 2007, Julia joined several others from the Houston area in Austin to push for legislation that would help all GLBT members. She has continued to speak out for the community while working as an out and openly transgender woman with Houston Police Department. January 1st, of 2008, Sergeant Julia Christine Oliver returned to active duty as a uniform patrol sergeant in Southwest Houston and continues to work as a proud member of the Houston Police Department and the GLBT community.

CAROL WYATT

(Resume of GLBT Community Involvement) Creator and author of Social Notes: This website/email list, established in 2002, provides information about the "goings-on of Houston's lesbian community". The site, which reaches over 1400 subscribers, contains a calendar, a list of community organizations, business networking pages, job postings and even a homeless pets page. Social Notes is provided as a free service to subscribers, advertisers, and posters of community events. Volunteer for Pride Houston: Carol was involved with Pride Houston for 4 years: 2 as a board member at large, then serving as Vice President and finally President. During her tenure, Carol was instrumental in developing several Pride Houston programs, including the modern day version of Friends of Pride (including the Wine Tasting Event and VIP Bleachers for parade viewing), the Pride in Action Program, and the Task Force to evaluate the future direction of Pride Houston. Event Producer: Carol produces the Professional Women's Happy Hour at Meteor, now in its 7th year. She created the Singles Olympics and produced the 2007 New Year's Eve Gay-La at Pashaa. Charity Party Producer: Each year, Carol hosts a charity Holiday Party at her home. The event typically draws over 350 guests, and has become quite a tradition, particularly in Houston's lesbian community. Through the years, this party has raised over $20,000 for a variety of Houston GLBT charities.

Community Awards:

• 2004 Winner of the Extra Mile Award, presented by An Uncommon Legacy
• 2006 Grand Marshal of the Space City Stampede, the TGRA rodeo held in Houston

These days, Carol's special passions are

• Mentoring Houston's next generation of GLBT leaders
• Fostering events which bring the men and women of our community together
• Encouraging the organizations of our community to evaluate their offerings to ensure that they
  o Stay fresh and relevant
  o Address Houston's changing GLBT demographics - (We're everywhere in this city. How does any organization communicate with those of us in the "hinterlands" and keep those people involved?)
  o Create volunteer opportunities which will attract the next generation of GLBT volunteers and leaders.