Austin Women of Distinction Spotlight - Alex Winkelman

Alex Winkelman

In 2009, Alex Winkelman started CharityBash—an innovative non-profit whose mission is to influence and inspire young professionals to be involved in the community.  Three years later she was named executive director of Citizen Generation incorporating CharityBash with several similar efforts —all focused on making philanthropy fun, accessible and affordable.  Alex, who has not yet celebrated her 25th birthday, comes from a family strongly invested in the value and practice of philanthropy-- her parents, Suzanne and Marc, and her siblings, Eli and Jacob, have all made distinguished themselves as community leaders.

Alex’s first major project was “Dining for Darfur,” for which she organized a night-out and convinced 40 local restaurants to donate a portion of their sales to Darfur humanitarian aid. She then joined the national team of “Tents of Hope,” a year-long campaign utilizing creatively designed tents set up across the country to serve as fundraising and educational centers on the plight of African refugees.  Alex holds a degree in social entrepreneurship from St. Edwards’s University, and is active on behalf of many charities including Austin Pets Alive, Emancipet, Ballet Austin, and the Candlelight Ranch and looks forward to participating in Dancing With the Stars/Austin for the Center for Child Protection in December.  In March 2012 the Winkelman family was recognized for outstanding leadership by the Anti-Defamation League.

Austin Women of Distinction Spotlight - Catherine Morse

Catherine Morse

Catherine “Cat” Morse was born in New Orleans but moved with her family to Chicago and later settled in Houston.  A tomboy who excelled at sports, she entered LSU and graduated from the University of Houston Law School where she met her husband, Kevin.  She began her practice in labor and employment law at Vinson & Elkins, moving to Austin to accept a position with Fulbright and Jaworski and later transitioning to corporate counsel positions with Applied Materials and Freescale.  She has served as both Corporate Counsel and Director of Public Affairs at Samsung since 2009.

Kat’s deep religious faith and social activism have been tempered by   personal tragedy—her younger son, Robbie, sustained a debilitating brain injury when he was four months old. Vowing to handle this misfortune with grace and dignity, Kat dedicated her time to public service. She recently organized an event with her sister, Mary, for Catholic Charities and is active on the boards of United Way, the Chamber of Commerce and Just Faith Ministries which examines the Biblical roots of social justice.  The Morses fly cross-country to cheer for their son Mitch, a star football player in his sophomore year at the University of Missouri, and enjoy running and the outdoors.  Kat is especially grateful for the many women friends with whom she enjoys her book clubs, vacations and other activities.

Austin Women of Distinction Spotlight - Wilhelmina Delco

Wilhelmina Delco

As a PTA officer and Girl Scout leader, Wilhelmina Delco found it disturbing that AISD would not allow school facilities to be used for student activities.  She consequently ran for a position on AISD Board of Trustees, inaugurating a political career that would span nearly three decades and include six years as an AISD Trustee and ten terms in the Texas Legislature.  The first African-American elected to the Texas House of Representatives from Travis County in modern times, Delco focused on education and issues of special concern to women, children and minorities. As Chair of the House Committee on Higher Education, she spearheaded the effort to secure a share of the Permanent University Fund for Prairie View A&M, significantly enhancing its facilities.

Widely recognized as an expert on education legislation, the woman who says that the only thing she ever flunked is retirement continues to serve on state and national boards and is an adjunct professor at UT Austin. Additionally, she has head leadership positions with both the local and national Girl Scout Councils and continues to be active in the LINKS and her college sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. An AISD facility in northeast Austin, a Pflugerville Elementary School and a building at Prairie View A & M have all been named in her honor. She and her husband, retired Huston- Tillotson professor Exalton Delco, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in August. They have four grown children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Austin Women of Distinction Spotlight - Lisa Copeland

Lisa Copeland

Lisa Copeland is a visionary, entrepreneur and professional sales executive dedicated to breaking the glass ceiling for women and young people in business and politics.   Born in San Jose, California, Lisa was 22 when she went to work at Capital Chevrolet in Dallas, one of two women in a sales force with 98 men.  After moving to Round Rock with her husband, James, she joined the Nyle Maxwell Dealership, and later started Austin Mortgage Association.  But her passion was helping women, and in 2007 she co-founded Women Impacting the Nation, enabling her to take her message of equity to corporations nationwide.  She then teamed up with Robin Ford to develop Project 19, a non-partisan organization to empower women to become leaders in public and private sectors, and joined the White House Project, founded by Marie Wilson to inspire women of all political backgrounds to seek public office.

Lisa’s talents came full circle when Nyle Maxwell appointed her Manager of the Fiat dealership in the Domain, where she went on to break national records by selling 600+ cars in her first year. An annual sponsor of the Stiletto Heel Run for the Cure, she works tirelessly on behalf of military veterans and has served on the Board of the Williamson County YMCA.  Lisa and James live on a ranch in Georgetown with their beloved horses and are in close contact with their young adult children, daughter Alix and son JT.

Austin Women of Distinction Spotlight - Jo Anne Christian

Jo Anne Christian

Jo Anne Martin Christian will go down in Austin’s history as one of the three Js—the other two being her spirited compadres Jare Smith and Jane Sibley—who stood firm in the face of innumerable obstacles and led the charge to make the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts a reality.  Born in Wichita Falls, Jo Anne moved with her family to Fort Worth, graduating as salutatorian from Our Lady of Victory High School and obtaining a degree in history from Texas Christian University.  Determined to practice law in an era when women attorneys were a rarity, she entered UT Law School in 1958, one of only four women in her graduating class.

She was a first year law student working for Price Daniels when she met her future husband, political strategist George Christian.  Forging a partnership that would span four decades, they raised a family including daughters Elizabeth (a 2009 Woman of Distinction) and Susan and sons George, Bruce, John and Brian.  In addition to balancing a career and family, Jo Anne volunteered for the Blanton Museum of Art and the Austin Symphony League, and serves on the Board of St. David’s Foundation.   A founder of the Austin Lyric Opera, she has served on the Board for over 25 years and will step down as ALO’s Chair next year.

Killeen Workplace for Women Spotlight - First Texas Bank

First Texas Bank

First Texas Bank takes great pride in providing complete, convenient financial coverage and service to our local community.  To ensure quality customer care, First Texas Bank has five locations in Killeen, Copperas Cove and Belton that provide uncompromising customer delight in our community that is delivered by a team of dedicated, friendly and caring professionals. Our company is committed to acknowledging and valuing employee differences and to creating an environment in which every individual’s unique strengths and abilities are developed and valued. Currently 90% of the bank’s workforce is women with 72% of the management positions being held by women.  First Texas Bank makes every effort to attempt to promote employees within the organization to fill vacant positions. Our company encourages employees to participate in various educational opportunities including bank seminars, workshops and classes offered at the company level or through outside training resources.  Bank officers are encouraged to be active within our local community through memberships in civic, professional and business organizations.  The philosophy of First Texas Bank requires the highest standards of honesty and integrity of our employees.

The Cool Side of Girl Scouts

Marisa's Daisy Bridging Ceremony

I joined Girl Scouts as a Daisy and consider it one of the best decisions of my life so far. Girl Scouts was a big part of my childhood and majority of my memories stem from experiences as a Girl Scout. I fondly remember all of the troop meetings with my fellow Girl Scouts, the exciting trips to new places and all of the fun camp outs. I also went on to earn my Silver and Gold Award, which are two of the highest honors in Girl Scouting. 

Never for a second did I doubt my decision to stay in Girl Scouts through my senior year of high school. I continued to enjoy activities like selling cookies and I got to travel to Europe with my troop and be a part of the National Convention one year in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a moment I will never forget and not one I could have experienced otherwise. Friends and classmates questioned my Girl Scout membership but that’s only because they were unaware of all the opportunities available to me.

Marisa's Gold Award Ceremony

After I earned my Gold Award and graduated from high school, I decided to join Girl Scouts as a lifetime member. And I didn’t stop there. I am currently the Graphic Designer for the Central Texas council; the council I was once a part of as a girl. Being able to give back to the organization that helped shape who I am today and being able to do what I love is a dream come true.

I strongly encourage all girls to stick with Girl Scouts or whatever interests them. Sometimes it isn’t most popular choice but in the end, you will reap the benefits and be glad you stuck with it.

-Marisa Webre