Women of Influence 2024

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE Honoring successful women in leadership roles in Galveston County2 | Women of Inﬂuence | 2024 Herbivores, Carnivores, Omnivores 408 25th Street The Best In Island Dining Chef Alena Pyles2024 | Women of Inﬂuence | 3 Supporting the work of Galves- ton County women to improve the lives of everyone who lives here, The Daily News proudly presents its Women of Inﬂuence class of 2024 in honor of Women’s History Month. Representing a wide variety of career choices and abundant time spent pursuing their passions, these women share many qualities. Perse- verance, patience and focus char- acterize their journeys to success as does their call to young women to remain true to themselves. A job is more than a job for each of these women who, within their chosen ﬁelds, have risen through rank and experience to leadership roles, ownership of their respective roles in the world and a burgeoning sense of purpose. Read their stories and reﬂect that in another century, another decade, another time, another place, their career trajectories and accomplish- ments might not have been possible. Read about their determination, their gratitude, their love of service and be as inspired by them as we are. About Women of Inﬂuence Contents Stefanie Aldrich ................6 Gennette Bassett ..............7 Angela Brown....................8 Debra Burkley ................12 April Ciccarello ..............13 Kinsey Droege and Sammi Davilla ...............14 Casey McAuliffe ............15 Sarah Piel .......................17 Stacy Rubio-Weber ......18 EASY LIVING, TEXAS GULF STYLE WWW.COASTMONTHLY.COM/SUBSCRIBE Proﬁles written by KATHRYN EASTBURN | The Daily News Correspondent Photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS | The Daily News4 | Women of Inﬂuence | 2024 MEMBER FDIC HERE’S TO REACHING EVER-GREATER HEIGHTS . We proudly honor these extraordinary women whose leadership inspires and empowers our community. MoodyBank.com • 409.765.5561 congratulates and celebrates Innovation the local for their leadership and achievements. Health Care Education Research 2024 | Women of Inﬂuence | 5 Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children’s book author. Over the course of a career that has spanned ﬁve decades, she is regarded as one of the most critically acclaimed Broadway performers including standout performances in the musicals Mack and Mabel, Sunday in the Park with George, Song and Dance, Into the Woods, Annie Get Your Gun and Gypsy. She has received nominations for seven Tony Awards, winning two (plus an honorary award), and nine Drama Desk Awards, winning three. TheGrand.com 409.765.1894 2020 Postofﬁce Street, Galveston Congratulations to The Grand’s own Sarah Piel as a Woman of Influence in Galveston. She is a powerhouse of energy and creativity who spreads joy wherever she goes.6 | Women of Inﬂuence | 2024 B orn and raised in Texas City, Ste- fanie Aldrich re- members when, as a girl, she could ride her bike through the streets of her hometown and walk to the grocery store. That’s when the population was 32,000. Now approach- ing 80,000 residents, Texas City has grown precipitously, and Aldrich urges others to walk into the future openminded and optimistic about what growth can bring. “The Galveston Coun- ty area is growing and thriving,” Aldrich said. “It’s an exciting time to be a part of.” A woman who inﬂuenc- es through her role at the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce, Aldrich’s mission of fos- tering community and bol- stering economic devel- opment sometimes puts her at odds with people who don’t like change. But she is prepared to forge ahead, shored up by her faith and deeply inﬂuenced by her moth- er, a career woman who taught her passion and persistence. “Being a woman of inﬂuence, to me, is being a woman who’s vulnera- ble and transparent but holds herself with integri- ty, is not afraid to fail and try things,” Aldrich said. “It’s being a woman with a solid foundation who knows who she is, knows her strengths and weak- nesses and stands tall in it, who’s not afraid to be the person in the room who says, ‘I’m quirky.’” Working closely with business owners and supported by her Women in Business group that meets monthly, Aldrich feels blessed by women who she believes have been strategically placed in her life, women with expertise who want each other to succeed. Being a woman of inﬂuence is being that same kind of catalyst for someone else, she said. “We’re taught in soci- ety how to lead up and how to lead down,” she said. “But I think you lead sideways. There are always people beside you with expertise, who you can learn from and who can learn from you.” Whether a woman knows it or not, she’s building a legacy through her daily actions, Aldrich said. And legacy people don’t compete. Legacy people lead. “We have the opportu- nity every day to decide what kind of person we’re going to be that day,” she said. “I hope the person I am is someone doing her best with an authenticity that also assures and encourages others to go out and accomplish their passion.” STEFANIE ALDRICH Vice president, Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce THE CATALYST We’re taught in society how to lead up and how to lead down. But I think you lead sideways. There are always people beside you with expertise, who you can learn from and who can learn from you. STEFANIE ALDRICH2024 | Women of Inﬂuence | 7 C o-owner, with her family, of two hardware stores and two gift shops on Galveston Island, Gennette Bassett, a third-generation Galvestonian, can be seen most often on the sales ﬂoor of Gracie’s, a shop on The Strand, interacting with customers and employees. A worker in retail since she was 13 years old, Bassett was in- ﬂuenced by her ﬁrst employers, a family who treated her not just like an employ- ee, but like part of the family. “That’s how I’ve always tried to treat my employees,” Bassett said. “It’s not just a job. I want them to know it’s not just a paycheck.” Deeply rooted and involved in the com- munity through her work at the Family Service Center of Galveston and Galves- ton Central Church, for Bassett it always goes back to family. “I feel like little things are everything,” she said. “Whether somebody’s in my store buying a greeting card or a $500 necklace, how you interact with them is how you make an inﬂuence. It’s import- ant to me to set an example for my grown children, who work for me. I’ve always felt like my family is the most important committee I can serve on.” In 31 years of business, Bassett said the biggest challenge is that things rare- ly proceed the way you expect. “The word ‘pivot’ comes to mind,” she said. “Literally every day, things are constantly changing. Things don’t go the way you planned, and the trick is seeing the good in whatever changes come your way.” Beyond running her businesses, Bassett enjoys her role as an unofﬁcial ambassador for Galveston Island. With so many tourists coming into her Strand shop looking for recommendations and directions, Bassett often feels like a spokesperson for the island and some- one who represents the island, hopefully in a positive way, she said. “I feel that every day we all have an inﬂuence on everyone, whether it’s the sacker at the grocery store or someone you know,” she said. “How you treat them matters. I believe in keeping it small. Those little situations we ﬁnd ourselves in do make a difference.” I feel like little things are everything. Whether somebody’s in my store buying a greeting card or a $500 necklace, how you interact with them is how you make an inﬂuence. GENNETTE BASSETT GENNETTE BASSETT Business owner, Galveston THE ISLAND AMBASSADOR8 | Women of Inﬂuence | 2024 I’ve worked with women of all ages and strengths and that’s the blessing. The obligation is to still reach out. We were inﬂuenced by women before us and our obligation is to continue to inspire women younger than us. ANGELA BROWN F ormerly of Fort Worth and Houston, Angela Brown made herself right at home in the 1990s when she and husband, Craig, now mayor of Galveston, ﬁrst relocat- ed to Galveston Island. In 2001, Brown and her son opened downtown’s iconic Mod Coffeehouse, her true introduction to the commu- nity, she said. “These awesome women came through for coffee, and I was glad to give them a boost for the day,” she said. Brown eventually sold Mod to its current owner, but not before becoming involved with the Historic Downtown Partnership. After Hurricane Ike, she worked with others to establish the Galveston Sustainable Communities Alliance where she served on the founding board, ﬁghting to rebuild public housing and to establish mixed-income housing communities in Galveston. Her interest in education led her to help establish the Moody Early Childhood Center serving kids from infants to pre-K and to con- tinue serving on the board of that organization. In recent years, she has been involved in growing the Galveston Diaper Bank. Started 10 years ago, the organization last year gave away more than 2 million diapers to babies and the elderly, partnering with St. Vincent’s House. “It’s a blessing to have met the women I’ve gotten to work with and it’s an obligation,” Brown said. “I’ve worked with women of all ages and strengths and that’s the blessing. The obligation is to still reach out. We were inﬂuenced by women before us and our obligation is to continue to inspire women younger than us. My obligation is that if there is ever a time that I can connect someone with someone else who can an- swer their questions, show them how things work, then when I’m no longer around, there will be someone else to do the work.” Brown credits her mother with raising her daughter’s consciousness through her work with the unsheltered in Fort Worth, and credits the women of Galveston for getting things done. “As small as Galveston is in comparison to Fort Worth and Houston, I’ve never seen so much com- mitment to our fellow man, from our funders to non- proﬁts to the worker bees in these organizations, so much of the work is done by women. Not behind closed doors. They’re out there in the ﬂesh getting things done and there’s still more work to do.” ANGELA BROWN Galveston Diaper Bank, Galveston Sustainable Communities Initiative, Moody Early Childhood Center THE WORKER BEE2024 | Women of Inﬂuence | 9 CONGRATULATIONS to our very own Genette Bassett Entrepreneur - Wife - Mom - Friend She and all of these women can do it all - and Do It So Well! Our family businesses continue to grow and prosper and we owe our success to you and to our customers. We all love you and super proud! Keith, Grace, Jordan and all of your employees. Congratulations Angela Brown Women of Inﬂuence 2024 Congratulations to my wonderful wife! Your selﬂess dedication to our community ﬁlls my heart with pride and gratitude. ~ Love, Craig andalloftheotherWomenofInfluence. Thankyouforsharingyourstrength, courage,&expertisewithourcommunity. Congratulations toStaceyWeber-Rubio There must be something in the water, we’ve had so many women of inﬂuence in our community. While you read about them, plan to visit Moody Mansion to meet three of our own. They are the focus of our newest exhibit, a mother and two daughters who inﬂuenced the lives of generations to come. Libbie Moody Thompson Mary Moody Northen Libbie Rice Shearn Moody H ere ’ s to W omen of I nfluence The 1895 Moody Mansion is remarkably restored, elegantly furnished and open for tours daily. 2618 Broadway • Galveston • info@moodymansion.org (409) 762-7668 • www.moodymansion.orgNext >