Events

“My team and I are committed to helping our clients

achieve their financial goals, both today and tomorrow.” 

Richard is a native Houstonian who lives in  Clear Lake, Texas with my wife Traci and four children - Emma, Olivia, Chloe, and Luke.  He founded and leads a financial planning and wealth management business working primarily with high net worth families and business owners with over $10MM of annual revenue.   

He holds designations including the CFP® and CEPA® Certified Exit Planning Advisors and his practice has been recognized by Barron’s as a top 1,200  in the nation and by Forbes as a Best In State Wealth Management Team. 

He enjoys golfing and reading for business, leisure, and personal development.

 Rodolfo Gonzalez, RNASA Foundation Chairman will be talking about the upcoming RNASA Gala, The 37^th black-tie banquet will be held at the Houston Hyatt Regency hotel on Friday, April 25, 2025.  

“Our partners and volunteers are an integral part of the organization and allow us to continue expanding the green canopy in the Greater Houston area,” - Trees For Houston Executive Director, Barry Ward

Houston needs trees, and you can help. For the last 41 years, Trees For Houston has focused on the simple mission of planting trees for the benefit of our entire community. Continually growing, we now plant more than 70,000 trees per year throughout our region.

Richard Walker joined University of Houston-Clear Lake as its sixth president on May 20, 2022, bringing over 40 years of leadership experience in higher education at both public and private institutions. Under his leadership, UHCL has experienced significant success. He led the implementation of UHCL's strategic plan, 'Impact 2025 and Beyond: Transform, Translate, Transcend,' which has been pivotal in transforming student lives through experiential learning and workforce readiness. This period has seen record-breaking fundraising efforts, with nearly $2.8 million raised, surpassing the goal by over a million dollars. Additionally, the successful acquisition of 53 grants has yielded over $7.2 million in funding for various educational and community projects in the 2022-2023 period.

Under Walker’s leadership, UHCL has marked several notable achievements. During his first year, UHCL graduated its largest class ever, with 2,427 students. Additionally, Walker's tenure has significantly increased UHCL's economic impact on the local area, contributing $1.1 billion, which equates to supporting 12,578 jobs in the university’s service region.

Moreover, UHCL has made considerable strides in national and regional academic standings. In the 2024 U.S. News & World Report rankings, UHCL climbed 27 places to No. 304 nationally and rose to No. 12 among public universities in Texas. It also advanced 66 spots to No. 143 in the 'Top Performer for Social Mobility' category among national universities.

Walker’s impact extends beyond the campus as he actively contributes to regional and national development. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake and the Board of Directors for Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Council of Public University Presidents & Chancellors (CPUPC). Strategic partnerships with major organizations like Boeing and NASA have provided invaluable real-world experiences to UHCL students, further enhancing their education and career readiness supporting community and workforce development.

Recognized as a 2016 Pillar of the Profession by the NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education - Foundation, Walker's dedication to higher education is evident in his administrative achievements and active involvement in various professional and honor societies. His vision for UHCL focuses on elevating the university among the top public universities in Texas, enhancing the student experience, and anticipating educational needs to ensure UHCL's relevance and influence in an evolving workforce landscape.

Prior to his current role, Walker served as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services for the University of Houston System and Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services at the University of Houston. He also spent 24 years in significant leadership roles at the University of Miami.

Walker received his Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Miami. He earned a Specialist in Education in Education Administration and Supervision from Middle Tennessee State University, a Master of Education in Education Administration and Supervision from Memphis State University, and a Bachelor of Science in History from Middle Tennessee State University. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Institute for Higher Education Management Development Program.

Mike Turco obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Master of Science in Geology (Hydrogeology) from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

He began his career in the water industry with the U.S. Geological Survey in 1996 at the Water Resources Division field office in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He worked on many surface water and groundwater data collection and research projects in Iowa and Nebraska, including the development of several high-profile groundwater flow models, before taking the position of Chief Hydrologist of the Gulf Coast Program Office in Houston, Texas.

From 2004-2013, he directed the USGS scientific research and data collection, including the USGS response to hurricanes Rita and Ike, as well as the continued research and monitoring of subsidence in the Houston region.

In 2013, Mike joined the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District and Fort Bend Subsidence District as General Manager, where he leads a community-focused team to support the District’s mission of preventing further subsidence through reasonable groundwater regulation and promoting water efficiency to protect lives and property in Harris, Galveston, and Fort Bend counties.

Ted retired from NASA in December 2011 after working at NASA for 33 years. He started as a Guidance Officer in
Mission Control. His career migrated into information technology, where he eventually served in the Office of the Chief Information Officer and was the JSC Chief Enterprise Architect. When he retired, he was the Chief Information
Security Official (CISO) for the Johnson Space Center.

He became a pilot in 1972. He is a commercial pilot with an instrument rating. He currently has almost 2300 hours of
flight time. He purchased his Cessna 182Q in 2010 when his wife said he could buy it but only if it was not going to be a hanger queen. Having flown it over 1300hrs, he can state that he has met that criterion.

He is a USCG Auxiliary Aircraft Commander. He flies the Cessna 182Q on patrols where he and his crew look for pollution, boaters in trouble, and other problems between Lake Charles, LA and Port O’Conner, TX.

He is married (46 years) with two Sons.

Dr. Gabriel Rodríguez is an accomplished urologist. He earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch. After this, he completed his residency in urology at Texas A&M Health Science Center, Baylor Scott & White Health.

Dr. Rodríguez sees patients at Houston Methodist Urology Associates, based in Houston, TX. He is also affiliated with Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital. He can help treat testicle pain, urinary problems, and scrotal abscesses.

Dr. Rodríguez is certified by the American Board of Urology. He can cater to different communities with ease as he is bilingual in English and Spanish. 

Matthew Peek is the Associate Director, UHCL Archives and Special Collections. 

     On Jan. 1, 2023, Brian D. Freedman began his tenure as president of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP) having served as president-elect since August 2022. As president, Freedman leads regional economic development efforts, advocates for regional priorities, and directs a team of world-class economic development professionals. The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership is a membership-driven organization dedicated to stimulating regional economic development and employment. The organization utilizes a collaborative committee structure engaging over 290 member companies, business professionals, local governments, and educational institutions along with 18 cities and Harris and Galveston counties.

Prior to joining BAHEP, Freedman served as senior manager of State and Local Government Operations, Southwest Region, for The Boeing Company. He was responsible for overseeing state and local government relations activities at multiple Boeing facilities throughout Texas and Colorado. This work included advising on legislative issues impacting Boeing, acting as the liaison with elected officials, communicating key messages, and leading strategic outreach efforts with employees, supplier bases, business organizations, and state, local, and federal officials.

Freedman served as the lead for Legislative Affairs at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, before joining Boeing in March 2013. He was responsible for all aspects of communication and relationships between NASA JSC and the U.S. Congress, state and local governments, space-related associations, and citizen-organized space groups.

Preceding his work at NASA, Freedman was the aerospace coordinator and contract administrator for BAHEP. There he coordinated aerospace industry advocacy efforts and managed a portfolio of economic development contracts between the organization and nine municipalities. Freedman serves on numerous community organizations and boards.          

He is a current board member and the past chairman of the board of the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and vice chair for Wellby Financial.

Freedman holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Mississippi State University, an MBA with a graduate certificate in finance from Colorado State University, and an executive certificate in strategy and innovation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mary Sue Shy Anton is an author, writer, and editor. She was born on a dairy farm near the Mississippi River during the Great Depression. One of her most vivid childhood memories is the 1937 flood, when her family evacuated in the middle of the night and lived in the local courthouse for several weeks.

At age 25, after leaving the homeplace to seek her fortune elsewhere, she met Arthur David Anton, recently discharged from the Air Force. After their marriage, she put her husband through school, working as a secretary with a secret clearance at an Air Force base.  With two small children, they settled in southeast Missouri until her husband pursued his dream of becoming a physician. The author returned to work, and Art received his M.D. degree from the University of Missouri, but not before their third child was born. In 1969, the family moved to Texas for Art’s medical practice.

Mary Sue is a graduate of Loretto Academy, Kansas City, Missouri and received a B.A. in history from the University of Houston-Clear Lake (Texas).  She has worked as a computer tutor, genealogy lecturer, soybean farmer, freelance writer and editor.  After publishing a genealogy book with two cousins in 1994, she began writing popular histories.

Today she lives at MRC The Crossings, an independent living senior community, in League City, Texas where she used her time during the Coronavirus pandemic to write this, her fourth book. Her siblings contributed their own stories to round out her memories and chronicle of her life.

John is retired from NASA where he served as the agency's Chief Toxicologist for 25 years. He is a science junkie, having earned advanced degrees in three diffierent sciences - astronomy, chemistry, and pathology. He has been a patient safety activist since the loss of his oldest son due to medical errors in 2002. He is the veteran of many mission trips, including ones to Haiti, Ecuador, and Mexico. He has published two books - A Sea of Broken Hearts and Response Theology, and co-edited a book called The Truth about Big Medicine. He is a scientist and Christian mystic. He enjoys life with his wife Donna who has tolerated him for 48 years, his two children who are loving Christians, and 5 grandchildren. He is currently the Chairperson of the Board for Crossroads at Park Place.