< Previous10 | Women of Influence | 2024 lissa walls, sni chief executive officer 60% sni publications led by female publishers woman owned 70%45% female workforce at the daily news leadership roles held by women at the daily news powered by women.2024 | Women of Influence | 11 www.gia-tx.com Congra Ladies! Serving All Of Galveston County Full Service Funeral Cremation Personalized Service 602 32nd Street | Galveston, Texas 77550 | 409.621.1677 “Congratulations From all of us at” CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING REMARKABLE WOMEN WHO’VE BEEN RECOGNIZED AS WOMEN OF INFLUENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY! ANGELA BROWN CASEY MCAULIFFE GENETTE BASSET SARAH PIEL STACEY WEBER RUBIO YOUR DEDICATION, LEADERSHIP, AND IMPACT INSPIRES US ALL. LOVE, YOUR FRIENDS AT MOD12 | Women of Influence | 2024 I have a grateful heart and I know that’s what God wants and expects from us. When you think about influencing someone, you pray and hope to make a good imprint on someone’s life. DEBRA BURKLEY F or Debra Burkley, affectionately known as Lady Debra, visiting the sick and shut-in, running a school supply drive, making gift bags for nursing home residents, supporting the work of The Salvation Army or working at the University of Texas Medical Branch as a liaison for doctors in training in the Divi- sion of Urology all are in a day’s work. Proud to serve as the wife of Pastor Norris D. Burkley Sr. at Mount Olive Mis- sionary Baptist Church, Debra Burkley is driven by an ethic of service that seeks to uplift and empower others. “I have a grateful heart and I know that’s what God wants and expects from us,” she said. “When you think about in- fluencing someone, you pray and hope to make a good imprint on someone’s life.” Burkley has no doubt accomplished that in her lifetime, both personally and professionally. Her colleagues at UTMB characterize her as “compassionate, car- ing, refreshingly honest” with “impecca- ble ethics and excellent professionalism.” One co-worker said Burkley was “a hero, a queen,” adding that “real queens fix each other’s crowns.” Her sisters at the church feel similarly about Burkley, calling her “a beacon of light supporting her church and pastor.” One sister said: “If you have (Debra) on your side, she will go to battle for you if your battle is just and fair. She follows God. Her lifestyle is to love, serve and be kind to others in Jesus’ name. She has God’s joy in her heart.” Working with young people at her church holds a special place in Burkley’s heart, exposing them to service and to things they may not have seen on Galves- ton Island, broadening their horizons. In recent years, she took a group of teen- agers to Houston to an NCAA basketball game where their enthusiasm caught the attention of a television reporter who interviewed them for the local news. “It was about providing these kids with balance, with something outside of their regular school day, rewarding them,” Burkley said. “My thing is you can inspire through your actions. It’s all about encour- aging and lifting each other up.” DEBRA BURKLEY Residency program coordinator, Division of Urology at the University of Texas Medical Branch; pastor’s wife; Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary THE LIAISON2024 | Women of Influence | 13 I work with so many women on a daily basis, business associates, women we’ve collaborated with in the community. We all have our vision about how to make this a great community, and I surround myself with that. APRIL CICCARELLO W orking for a large institution like the University of Texas Medical Branch, being a wom- an of influence means wearing lots of hats and being committed to a mission. For April Ciccarello, that mission is to reach out into the community UTMB serves, finding ways to give back to community organizations and civic groups, sponsoring events, serving on boards, networking with municipalities and helping to support wellness and health education programs in cities across the county. “We work with nonprofits, United Ways, lots of organizations,” Ciccarello said. “Among our community partners are many of the industrial corporations, educational institutions and indepen- dent school districts. We all partner and work to improve the community.” The reach of community engagement under Ciccarello’s leadership extends from the bay area to Brazoria, to parts of southern Harris County, all part of the University of Texas health care system. It’s no small job. For Ciccarello, whose mother was a nurse for 40 years, the core value of caring for others through health care came through personal witness. “I witnessed my mom showing extraor- dinary kindness toward others in her work in nursing homes, in home health, at the Army hospital, at the prison,” Cic- carello said. “She always just taught me to be yourself, be reliable and do what you say you’re going to do.” Instead of becoming a health care professional herself, Ciccarello grew up to manage partnerships between a mammoth health care system and the community, serving as a resource and being an effective manager both with peers and colleagues and with partner entities. As such, Ciccarello observes that leading with integrity, the servant leadership role she learned growing up in a military family, suits her well. And it has given her contact with others who share her vision of a better world. “I work with so many women on a dai- ly basis, business associates, women we’ve collaborated with in the commu- nity,” she said. “We all have our vision about how to make this a great commu- nity, and I surround myself with that.” APRIL CICCARELLO Community and physician engagement manager, University of Texas Medical Branch Department of Marketing and Media Communications THE NETWORKER14 | Women of Influence | 2024 Droege and Davila pride themselves on being a woman-owned business and work hard to empower their employees, they said. Both rely on the women in their lives to keep their home and work lives balanced and to answer their questions about running a business successfully. T he graphics and signage juggernaut FASTSIGNS has 700 locations across the United States, with just 18 percent owned by women. One of those women-owned franchises is in Galveston, run by business partners Kinsey Droege and Sammi Davila. “I do more customer service and manage sales and the business side,” Droege said. “Sammi does more back of the house work with graphic design. But we work on cross training our whole team. We tell people if you can put your logo on it, we can make it. Around here it’s hands-on wherever anybody needs help.” The Galveston/Texas City FASTSIGNS Store opened in 2015, and Droege and Davila purchased it in November 2022. Since then, they’ve been heavily involved in the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce, participating in its leadership programs and volunteering where needed. At FASTSIGNS, they’ve de- signed and made signs for businesses ranging from The Daily News to College of the Main- land to Texas International Terminals and Evia. “We do a lot for small businesses as well,” Droege said. “We try to be practical and com- petitive for them. We want somebody opening an auto body shop to have good banners, business cards and signs. We try to make solutions that fit their needs.” Droege and Davila pride themselves on being a woman-owned business and work hard to empower their employees, they said. Both rely on the women in their lives to keep their home and work lives balanced and to answer their questions about running a business successfully. “My mom keeps me sane in my home life by making sure my girls are taken care of,” Droege said. “My mother-in-law has been a small-business owner for 28 years, growing her business from scratch. She’s someone I call when I have questions related to taxes or human resources, things like that.” For Davila, “My mom is my go-to whether it’s to vent and get input at work, or whether it’s personal,” she said. KINSEY DROEGE AND SAMMI DAVILA Co-directors and franchise owners, FASTSIGNS of Galveston/Texas City THE DYNAMIC DUOMarch 2024 | Women of Influence | 15 P regnant with her second child, Casey McAuliffe at this moment in time has grown from “baby executive direc- tor” of Galveston’s wildly popular farmers market to grown-up ex- ecutive director of an enterprise that employs seven full-time staff, three part-timers and works with 15 contractors. McAuliffe acts as steward of the market and the organization’s Young Gardeners Program in local schools as well as other programs, growing GOFM in size and influence with each passing year. “It’s pretty freaking wild,” McAu- liffe said. “We’ve grown a lot. I just feel like I got super lucky landing in a place and having this amazing kind of support around me. I got lucky with some of the people who came my way.” Among those who influenced her most, McAuliffe points to Nan Wilson, formerly of Galveston, a volunteer who showed up at the market one morning back when it was located in an empty lot on Postoffice Street. “She was 63, my senior, a Black woman who showed up in a cloud of dog hair and loud energy and I loved her immediately,” McAuliffe said. It was Wilson’s idea to start the Young Gardeners Program in schools and McAuliffe followed her lead. “We made it a program,” McAu- liffe said. “She became a board member and she was my mentor. She taught me not to be afraid of failing. She helped me become a 37-year-old woman not worried about people liking me.” This year will mark more chang- es in the organization, including a USDA grant-supported marketing program, Don’t Buy Food From Strangers, promoting local agricul- ture through the farmers market; and expansion of the Young Gardeners Program into class- room curricula, no matter what the subject, inviting teachers and students to utilize the gardens as places of learning and inspiration. As a woman of influence among her co-workers, McAuliffe values trust as the foundation for getting things done, and that trust is built on allowing everyone’s feelings to be expressed and heard. “If I’ve influenced anyone, it’s by encouraging people to have uncomfortable conversations,” she said. “To trust in their value to the team.” [Nan Wilson] taught me not to be afraid of failing. She helped me be- come a 37-year-old woman not worried about people liking me. CASEY MCAULIFFE CASEY MCAULIFFE Executive director, Galveston’s Own Farmers Market THE PROVIDER16 | Women of Influence | 2024 To become a sponsor, visit GalvNews.com/pressruntc or contact Yvonne Mascorro (409)683-5264 MAY 18 2024 Supporting Newspapers In Education 1K 5K 10K & JOIN US FOR AN EXCITING FAMILY EVENT The Daily News Press Run is proud to present the 2024 Press Run + Shrimp Fest, in collaboration with The Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce. The fun filled day begins on Downtown 6th Street in Texas City with the start of the 2nd Annual Texas City Press Run. The race ends at the Showboat, but the fun continues with Shrimp Fest! In addition to supporting a great cause, all participating runners will receive a $10 coupon to purchase their shrimp meal. THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS LITERACY SPONSOR ROUTE SPONSORSBRONZE SPONSORS TEXAS CITYMarch 2024 | Women of Influence | 17 I feel like what I’m doing with the arts district is the next right thing. I’m seeing where the wind is taking me on this. SARAH PIEL F or years, Sarah Piel has applied her skills to organizing work- shops and festivals, raising funds and overseeing educational programs at The Grand 1894 Opera House in Galves- ton. Now, with the support of her peers at work and others in the downtown Gal- veston arts community, she is relaunch- ing efforts of the Galveston Historic and Cultural Arts District to bring together artists and arts organizations under a funded umbrella of support. “I’m super excited that the Mitchell Foundation was the first to jump in and see the value of bringing together arts people,” Piel said. In September 2023, she applied for a grant to the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation and heard in November that she and the arts district would receive a generous amount to kick off the new effort. “My experience at the opera house for the last 12 years has really given me the tools to do this,” Piel said. “Writing grants, curating a fine arts festival, orga- nizing the children’s festival, I’ve connect- ed with musicians, artists and so many facets of the arts scene here. Now what we need to do is find the people within the arts district who want others to know what they’re doing, sharing information. It’s been super fun to connect people with others they don’t know but who care about the same thing.” Piel attributes her success at mak- ing these connections and organizing efforts to enrich the arts to her team at the opera house, especially Executive Director Maureen Patton. “She is the ultimate,” Piel said. “Her 42 years at the opera house, her longstanding integrity, her kindness, her humor, her insight have been amazing. We have such a great team here.” Piel attributes her determination to see a project through to her mother who, at 88, is battling Stage 4 lung can- cer and sticking with it. “I’m very thankful to have them all in my circle,” she said. Being a woman of influence, in Piel’s words, is “doing the next right thing.” “I feel like what I’m doing with the arts district is the next right thing,” she said. “I’m seeing where the wind is taking me on this.” SARAH PIEL Director of Education and Resource Development, The Grand 1894 Opera House; organizer, Galveston Historic Cultural and Arts District THE ORGANIZER18 | Women of Influence | March 2024 If I’m influencing someone, I want it to feel like I’m influencing one of the most challenging moments of their life for the better, whether it’s buying a first home or selling a longtime home and moving on. STACEY WEBER-RUBIO S tacey Weber-Rubio came to be a Realtor after helping others as an assistant. When she went back to school to pursue a master’s degree in marketing, she fell in love with using social media platforms for marketing and promotion, and staging open hous- es and showings. Weber-Rubio began to contract blocks of time to do marketing for Galveston real estate entities, then in 2018, shut down her business at the height of its success. She partnered for a year with a real estate agent who wanted to retire from Sand `N Sea Properties, the Galveston Island real estate company, then became a full-time Realtor for the women-owned firm she admired above all others on the island. “I’ve gleaned a great deal of influence from Bert Feinman and her daughters, Anne and Claire Reisweig,” Weber-Rubio said. “Women have always had to work harder, be better behaved than their male counterparts, and I feel they’ve taken on that challenge with such grace and consistency. They show up; there’s never a day that they’re not there, present and steady, not chatty but solid. I want to be consistent and solid because I see the success it’s brought them in a competi- tive world like real estate in Galveston.” Currently serving as president of the Galveston Association of Realtors board of directors, Weber-Rubio sees that opportunity as a way to build a stronger understanding about how real estate touches clients’ lives. “I want people to know how to pick a Realtor, know their rights, know a Real- tor who understands buying and selling property on an island in the state of Texas, who can speak about taxes and insurance, all the things that are going to affect their pocketbooks.” When she’s not working, on a Sunday, Weber-Rubio might be found at the Ronald McDonald House, mopping or sweeping or sorting laundry or answering phones, what- ever the staff needs her to do. She and her husband are members of the Elks Lodge, and support Galveston Catholic Charities and the Beacon of Hope Center’s food pantry. Professionally and in her personal life, Weber-Rubio just wants to help. “I want people to feel like they have an advocate,” she said. “If I’m influenc- ing someone, I want it to feel like I’m influencing one of the most challenging moments of their life for the better, whether it’s buying a first home or sell- ing a longtime home and moving on.” STACEY WEBER-RUBIO Realtor at Sand `N Sea Properties and Galveston Association of Realtors board president THE ADVOCATE2024 | Women of Influence | 19 409-356-0065 Congratulations! (409) 762-HELP www.UWGalv.org Making an Impact United Way of Galveston extends our heartfelt appreciation and congratulations to April Ciccarello (who serves on our Board of Directors) and all of the transformative and powerful honorees for their impact and recognition. CONGRATULATIONS S www.thegalvestonmls.com A TRUE TRAILBLAZER IN THE Real Estate Industry John M Smilie SERVICES MANAGER FUNERAL DIRECTOR Phone 832-769-4040 Fax 832-769-4033 john.smilie@sci-us.com 2950 Gulf Freeway S. Suite D-E, League City, TX 77573 “Where we put families first” Webster, TX 77598 281-817-0307 • provom.org STOP Contact us to find out how you can get involved in putting a stop to this.Next >