< Previous10 | The Daily News | Women of Influence | 2023 shop.sewuniquefabrics.com • 8725 Hwy. 6, Hitchcock, TX 77563 toallthewomenofGalvestonforsharing theirstrength,courageandexpertise. ThankYou2023 | Women of Influence | The Daily News | 11 The Engineer Anita Jones HyCO plant manager, Linde Inc., Texas City “Women need to self-advocate, to find their voices and not fade into the background.” T he respon- sibilities of running an industrial gas plant are staggering. Anita Jones, trained as a chemical engineer, is accountable for the safety of her employees, for reliable operation of the Texas City site, for waste management, meeting federal regulations for air quality and many other aspects of operation. She’s one of just a handful of women work- ing at such a high level in the industry. “Sometimes I feel like the people working under me work harder than I do,” Jones said, pointing to the plant engineer, safety specialist and 23 others whose work she oversees. Jones started out in the chemical industry working with emulsion polymers used in latex paints. Her first experience working in industrial gas was in Texas in 2019. Divorced in 2013 and the single mom of three children, including a child with chronic health issues, Jones left Dow Chemical and took a hard career turn, investing in a kickboxing gym franchise before going back to the chemical industry in 2016 as a production manager. “It was a big risk becom- ing a kickbox fitness fran- chise owner,” Jones said. She sold the business and remains proud that she created something from the ground up that still survives. Jones translates hardships in her life into opportunities. She credits her drive to attain a de- gree in chemical engi- neering to her experience growing up with parents who didn’t complete high school; her ability to get along well with co-work- ers to being a woman in a male-dominated profession; and her ability to make important life de- cisions to the divorce that she admits was emotion- ally challenging. “After that divorce, I was able to ask, ‘What does Anita want?’” Jones said. “I tell my daughter, who’s now living in Salt Lake City, if there’s some- thing you want and you deserve it, ask for it. If the answer is no, maybe it’s not the right time.” After leaving the chem- ical industry to become an entrepreneur, Jones found how much she liked being involved in the community and has carried that value to her job at Linde. “It took a long time for me to figure out that ev- ery life decision should be made considering what’s best for me personally,” she said. “Women need to self-advocate, to find their voices and not fade into the background.” Jennifer Reynolds/The Daily News12 | The Daily News | Women of Influence | 2023 DID YOU KNOW THE 5 BENEFITS OF FUNERAL PRE-PLANNING? 1. PROVIDE COMFORT TO YOUR FAMILY 2. MAKE DECISIONS WITH YOUR LOVED ONES 3. COVER YOUR FAMILY FINANCIALLY 4. CHOOSE THE DETAILS OF YOUR SERVICES 5. FEEL CONFIDENT THAT YOU’RE PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY We now have expanded our Professional Services from Galveston Island to the Mainland. We currently have a Facility in La Marque, TX to accommodate your family services. A funeral pre-arrangement gives you and your family the peace of mind you deserve. It also protects you from inflation and growing prices. All pre-arranged funeral plans at other establishments can easily be transferred to us with no penalties. Call us today to arrange your final end of life plans with excellence. Serving all areas. NORRIS D. BURKLEY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 426 WINNIE STREET, GALVESTON, TX 77550 • 409-373-9118 www.norrisdburkleyprofessionalservices.com MEMBER FDIC LEADERSHIP. EXPERIENCE. A DEDICATION TO EXCELLENCE. From Branch Manager to Business Development Officer, Debbie Williams has held practically every banker position throughout her long and distinguished career. Today, as Senior Vice President, Executive Administration Assistant at Moody Bank, she takes great pride in helping Moody deliver the very best products and service. Her commitment to our customers is integral to their growth and success. Likewise, her leadership and influence benefits the many local organizations for which she volunteers. We’re especially proud to have her on the Moody Bank team. Follow us on Facebook at @MoodyNationalBank to congratulate Debbie! Her recognition as a Woman of Influence is greatly deserved. Debbie Williams Senior Vice President, Executive Administration Assistant PowerOfThePalm.com • 409.765.55612023 | Women of Influence | The Daily News | 13 The Chef Alena Pyles Chef/Owner, EATcetera, Galveston “It took me 30 years to get that title, chef/ owner, on my business card.” “I t took me 30 years to get that title, chef/owner, on my business card,” Chef Alena Pyles said. Following a long career as exec- utive chef at multiple high-end restaurants in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Austin, Dallas and Hous- ton, Pyles and her partner, Victoria Newsome, in 2018 bought EATcetera, a well-established downtown Galveston soup, salad and sandwich bistro. Respecting the vision of EATcetera’s retiring owner, Pyles kept many lunch favorites on the menu while adding her unique Asian fusion recipes to the healthy, eclectic repertoire. Born in Big Spring, Texas, Pyles and her brother, renowned Texas culinary inno- vator Stephan Pyles, became chefs after first exploring music. Pyles followed her brother to Dallas where she learned the ropes of restaurant cooking from him as his reputation grew and he published several Texas-based cookbooks, gaining a national and international reputation for excellence. “He taught me everything,” Pyles said. As chef at EATcetera, she frequently hosts themed dinners and a mem- bers-only supper club with six-course menus on special occasions. One of those in recent years was a collaborative dinner designed and executed along- side her guest chef brother. The lure of Galveston for Pyles and Newsome was its laid-back lifestyle, a welcome change for the nearly burned- out chef who had experienced undi- agnosed verbal and physical tics for many years. Learning she had Tourette syndrome at age 40 led to better coping skills and a renewed energy for cooking. Galveston also was appealing as a sta- ble hometown for the couple’s 15-year- old daughter who was born when they first moved to the island. March’s special dinner at EATcetera will feature a six-course vegan feast con- ceived and executed by Pyles and guest chef Blaine Luntz. The menu features golden curry empanadas, jackfruit “crab” cakes and a dish called Blooming Ver- micelli with seared rice cake “scallops,” grilled bok choy, picked daikon, snap peas, carrot and spring mix with lemon miso vinaigrette over color-changing vermicelli noodles. Influencing the Galveston food scene daily while living her best life, Pyles ex- emplifies the need to answer the call to a healthy, balanced life with an ear tuned to the siren call of creative passions. Stuart Villanueva/The Daily News14 | The Daily News | Women of Influence | 2023 The Trailblazer Claire Reiswerg Co-owner, Sand `N Sea Properties, Galveston “It’s always a question of maintaining balance between tourism and the needs of residents.” C laire Reiswerg’s first career was as a documen- tary producer for television, making films about everything from child abuse to prisons to the restoration of the tall ship Elissa and its relocation from Greece to Galveston. Her first job as a young girl was working at her grandfather’s Market Street pawn shop in Gal- veston, the hometown she returned to in 2003 after 25 years away. “Always traveling, on the road, meeting a very intense production sched- ule, I loved every minute of it,” she said. “But I want- ed to be closer to family.” Reiswerg took three years off, traveling in Asia, Central America and Eu- rope, sold her Los Angeles home and returned to Galveston and her family’s business, Sand `N Sea Properties, offering real estate services and vaca- tion rentals on the island’s West End since 1974. Having learned market- ing and promotion for the films she helped make, Reiswerg put those skills to use for the company. She published a newslet- ter and created a massive mailing list, turning her attention to the growing vacation rental inventory Sand `N Sea had built and managed over the years, long before the vacation rental industry exploded with corporate players like VRBO and Airbnb. “I’m very proud that in 2004 my sister and I were cofounders of Galveston Association of Vacation Rental Managers (GARM),” Reiswerg said. “We were creating good neighbor policies, had guests signing agree- ments, organized West End companies and hired a security service to patrol neighborhoods. We were doing it about 15 years ahead of the times.” In recent years, Reiswerg closely has mon- itored state legislature efforts to preempt local control of vacation rental policies, turning that au- thority over to the state. “Bills introduced in the 2015, 2017 and 2019 legislative sessions would have undone every- thing we were creating in Galveston to manage vacation rentals,” she said. “We gathered support, wrote emails, sent letters to state legislators and went to Austin to talk to committees.” Reiswerg maintains equanimity by meditat- ing daily, a practice she started at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, taking walks and never missing a Houston Rock- ets home game. An equal balance needs to be struck with vacation rentals as well, she said. “It’s always a question of maintaining balance between tourism and the needs of residents.” Stuart Villanueva/The Daily News2023 | Women of Influence | The Daily News | 15 The Anchor Therese Rogers Owner/CEO, Anchored Real Estate Team, La Marque “Never apologize for being authentically you.” T herese Rog- ers credits 24 years of military service and formal ed- ucation with preparing her to serve her com- munity as a business owner and Realtor. “I spent 24 years in the Navy and retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer,” Rogers said. “I had an opportunity to deal with people from different cultures and backgrounds and had many people under my leadership.” Between that and be- coming a part-time Re- altor while in the Navy, Rogers transitioned to civilian life in 2019, starting Anchored Real Estate Team, headquar- tered in La Marque. “I saw a niche market of potential first-time homeowners and a lot of new developments in the area,” Rogers said. Her team focuses on service over the sale, teaching long-time renters in financial literacy classes and home-buying semi- nars how to transition to home ownership, manage finances and establish good credit. “I talk to a lot of peo- ple who make enough money but don’t know where to begin with being financially grounded,” she said. Rogers and her team value community service as an important part of their business’s contribution to the well-being of Galves- ton County residents. “We just volunteered to work with people over in Dickinson who were evicted from a condemned apartment complex,” she said. “We did haircuts, fed the kids and gave them something to feel hap- py and proud about.” Partnering with the City of Texas City, last year the Anchored team handed out some 350 Thanksgiv- ing turkeys to seniors at Carver Park, and the company holds an Easter Egg Hunt for local kids at its Texas Avenue office location every spring. Encouraging young people to build financial security, to pursue their dreams and to value character over reputa- tion comprises the pas- sion that drives Rogers. “My advice to young women is no matter how limited your envi- ronment, you can win,” she said. “Serve your- self first. You can’t be anything to anybody unless you’re the best version of yourself. “Never apologize for being authentically you.” Jennifer Reynolds/The Daily News16 | The Daily News | Women of Influence | 2023 The Foundation Builder Gina Welsh Executive Director, Santa Fe Texas Education Foundation, Santa Fe “There are not enough hours in the day to grow our mission to support these classrooms and programs.” “W hen I was intro- duced to the Santa Fe Texas Education Foundation in 2019, I knew I had found my place,” Gina Welsh said. What started out as a part- time role as marketing coordi- nator quickly morphed in 2020 into the executive director job at the nonprofit dedicated to supporting teachers and stu- dents in the Santa Fe Indepen- dent School District. Welsh is the mother of twin, middle school-aged boys and works out an hour a day to maintain her signature high-en- ergy level. “There are not enough hours in the day to grow our mission to support these classrooms and programs,” she said. “I get up every day knowing that more people in our community, more parents of our students, more of Santa Fe needs to know who we are and what we do.” Welsh’s proudest achieve- ment so far is awarding more than $140,000 to Santa Fe’s five school campuses last Octo- ber through the foundation’s Grants for Great Ideas program. This year, a teacher in the district was granted a little over $17,000 to build river stations on three elementary campuses, to teach students about landforms and how water affects them. Another key program, Class- room Wish Lists, provides year- round grants of up to $500 to classrooms for any purpose. “Any community member or business can view the pro- gram online at our website, and help fund it,” Welsh said. “Sometimes one person will fund an entire wish list.” The foundation works closely with Santa Fe school district’s Career and Techni- cal Education department, enhancing programs that can provide students certification in areas of employment such as culinary, health sciences, welding, construction and law enforcement. Teacher support is anoth- er important function of the foundation, providing gift card drawings, end of year awards, vendor fairs, new teacher break- fasts and luncheons and teacher appreciation weeks, Welsh said. “I would love to get to a point where we could fund every grant project that comes through,” she said. “I would love for the foundation to be a household name where every family in the community knows who we are and what we do. I’d love to see every business in Santa Fe with a sign in their window showing their support for the foundation.” Jennifer Reynolds/The Daily News2023 | Women of Influence | The Daily News | 17 The People Person Debbie Williams Vice President, Executive Administrative Assistant, Moody Bank, League City “Because I’ve worked up through the ranks, I feel I understand how workers feel.” I n 1973 at age 19, Deb- bie Williams took her first job at Texas Com- merce Bank in Galves- ton, working in the payroll department hand deliver- ing paychecks well before direct deposit became a part of people’s lives. Extroverted and friend- ly by her own account, Williams went on to work for large holding com- pany banks until finally settling in 1994 at Moody Bank at South Shore in League City, working directly for President and CEO Victor Pierson. Williams had worked as a regional manager and enjoyed years of face-to- face interaction with bank customers, cultivating an appreciation of customer service as well as the impor- tance of bank leadership. And she loved the mission and atmosphere of a com- munity bank like Moody, to serve the people of the community where she lived. As executive adminis- trative assistant, Williams is part of the bank’s executive management team but her day-to-day interaction is not restricted to the board room. “I’m right out in the lob- by. I have customer con- tact as well,” Williams said. “It speaks to the way I’m wired, to enjoy people.” When Pierson hired Williams, he wasn’t looking for a spreadsheet whiz but for “a people person” who would take care of customers and let leader- ship know what was going on at all levels of the bank, she said. Williams’ influence is felt most strongly as a collab- orator among a large and diverse team. “Because I’ve worked up through the ranks, I feel I understand how workers feel,” she said, adding that she can be trusted with confidential financial information. “Money is a serious business, with cus- tomers and with the bank.” Williams’ faith resides in her identity and her belief that she has been shaped for a purpose — to help others and to make her one life count. “It’s not just what I do but what I am,” she said. “It’s a part of my spirituality to not just go through life or to make a good appearance.” That purpose extends to Williams’ work as a board member for The Resource and Crisis Center of Gal- veston County, serving vic- tims of domestic violence and human trafficking; with her church, offering care and support as a financial budget counsel- or; and volunteering with distribution and prepara- tion of meals to the food insecure in the county. “I wish there were more hours in the day,” she said. Stuart Villanueva/The Daily News18 | The Daily News | Women of Influence | 2023 Wynn Funeral Home 602 32nd Street, Galveston, Texas 77550 409.621.1677 Serving All Of Galveston County Full Service Funeral | Cremation | Personalized Service Providence Outreach Ministries (POM) visits some of the darkest venues in our community to search out and provide a lifeline for women who have become ensnared in the vile industry of sexual exploitation. POM’s mission is not only to reach each girl but to raise awareness in our community by conducting presentations at local churches, counsil and community meetings, etc. about the trafficking in Galveston County and surrounding communities. Contact us to find out how you can get involved in putting a stop to this slave trade. Webster, TX 77598 281-817-0307 provom.org SCAN TO DONATE Family Law • Wills & Probate • Saturday morning appointments available in Galveston Office 1411 39th St., Galveston, TX 77550 • 409-744-0816 Board Certified Family Law – TBLS S uSan M. E dMonSon L aw o ffices o f W omen have made a profound impact on world history, but their stories weren’t always told in great detail. Women have been at the forefront of historic events for millenia. This list of influential women is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to great women who made their mark in world history. • Artemisia I: Artemisia was the ruler of the city of Halicarnassus at the time of the Persian Wars (499-449 BCE). When Persian emperor Xerxes the Great went to war against Greece, Artemisia was the only woman among his commanders, and she led five ships to battle. • Golda Meir: A labor ac- tivist, politician and Zionist, Meir was the fourth prime minister of the state of Israel and second woman prime minister in the world. She saw the country through the turbulent period of the Yom Kippur War. • Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Attorney Ginsberg taught at Rutgers University Law School and then at Columbia University. Ginsburg was a staunch supporter of wom- en’s civil liberties and gender equality. Ginsburg was named to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993, becoming the court’s second woman justice, as well as the first Jewish woman to serve on the nation’s highest court. • Charlotte Brontë: One of three famous literary sisters, Brontë contributed to the world by penning books that still are enjoyed as classics today. Her best known work is the novel “Jane Eyre,” which drew from her own experiences as a student and governess. • Rosa Parks: Often de- scribed as the “first lady of civil rights,” Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, sparking the Montgomery bus boy- cott and other movements to end racial segregation. • Benazir Bhutto: Bhutto was the first democratically elected woman to lead a Muslim country. She studied at Radcliffe College and Harvard University and later at Oxford. Bhutto served two stints as prime minister of Pakistan. • Mother Teresa: From Yugoslavia, Mother Teresa devoted her life to religious vocation and serving the poor. She received a Nobel Peace Prize for her work and was canonised in 2016. • Dr. Anthonia Novello: Dr. Novello was the first woman and first Hispanic to serve as Surgeon General in the U.S. She also was a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commission Corps and Commissioner of Health for the State of New York. • Queen Elizabeth II: Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1952 and held the title until her death in 2022. In 2015, she became the longest reigning British monarch in the history of the United Kingdom. • Millicent Farrett Faw- cett: This powerful leader campaigned for women’s suffrage in 1866 at the ten- der age of 22, leading the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. Her goal was realized 61 years later. • Marie Sklodowska Cu- rie: This Polish-born scientist founded a new science of radioactivity, which would have a sizable impact on the treatment of cancer. Curie also was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. • Ruth Law: Despite Orville Wright refusing to teach her to fly, Law learned to be a pilot in the early 20th century. At 28, she beat the cross-country flight record with a 590-mile flight from Chicago to Hor- nell, N.Y., and later inspired Amelia Earhart. • Ada Lovelace: This gift- ed mathematician is consid- ered to be the first comput- er programmer in the early days of computers. • Valentina Tereshkova: In June 1963, cosmonaut Tereshkova became the first woman in space. Despite a lack of formal flight training, Tereshkova was selected for the space program due to her skills as an amateur parachutist. • Oprah Winfrey: Win- frey’s rise from poverty to the status of household name and billionaire mogul is a true rags-to-riches story. • Nancy Pelosi: Congress- woman Pelosi became the first and thus far only female to serve as Speaker of the United States House of Rep- resentatives. She is the high- est-ranking female elected official in U.S. history. — Metro Creative Connection Influential women in world history2023 | Women of Influence | The Daily News | 19 Real Estate Agent 281-622-1344 Coastal Area Expert Julie Greenwell FOUNDATION & CONSTRUCTION All Masonry Repairs • Carpentry • Piling Install Foundation & Structural Repair Specialists “Five Star Foundation lives up to its name... Five stars from start to finish!” A TRUE TRAILBLAZER IN THE Real Estate Industry CONGRATULATIONS Claire Reiswerg CONGRATULATIONS Claire Reiswerg www.thegalvestonmls.com W omen’s History Month is an opportunity to shed light on the accomplishments and contributions of wom- en around the world. These five women are notable for breaking boundaries. XIOMARA CASTRO Castro was sworn in as Honduras’ president in January 2022. She became the first woman to hold the position, and campaigned on expanding women’s rights in that country. MARY BARRA As the CEO of General Motors since 2014, Barra is the first woman to lead one of the three big automakers. She has invested millions into the development of self-driving cars, electric vehicles and a ride-share service called Maven. GIORGIA MELONI Meloni took office in October 2022 as Italy’s prime minister, becoming the first woman in history to hold the position. TSAI ING-WEN Tsai took office as president of the Re- public of China (Taiwan) in 2016, becoming the first woman leader (and the first unmar- ried president) of the country. CATHERINE MACGREGOR This French businesswoman became the CEO of the French energy company Engie in 2021. She is the only woman CEO in France’s CAC-40 stock index. — Metro Creative Connection Women breaking boundaries in the world todayNext >