Houston Be Someone

(Not clear who) Whenever I see the now Houston iconic “BE SOMEONE” graph I think how perfect it is for Houston. Kind of vaguely encouraging, calling forth ambition. And I’m also reminded of the brilliant and funny Lily Tomlin (stand up, Broadway Lily, not the series LT) whose commentary never ages. Lily said : “All […]
TALK. TALK. TALK.

Cause we live in a podcast world. Some of us anyway. Have the leisure to listen. There are so many podcasts. So many people with time to talk. If you started now and listened for the rest of your life you’d never hear them all. Same with music. It’s crowded out there. You know what’s […]
Be Good for the World

I’m aggravating and I know it. My coaching/consulting style: Very annoying and loving big sister or older aunt that you know better than to call unless you really want to deal with the real. People pay me for this! My son says “nothing annoys you more, Mom, than undeveloped potential”. My brother Ted calls my […]
Faith and Hard Work in an Era of Upheaval

(part of a series from the “Shipwrecked Project”)There are many definitions of a hard childhood. By any definition Mario had a hard childhood. A childhood shaped by deprivation and struggle. Mario did not have a complete understanding of the reasons his father abandoned his children and his wife. Though his father at one time served […]
Born For Storms: Nine Lessons on Creating Welcome and the Journey to Recovery

One of the oldest stories in the world is the story of displacement. Upended lives. Mass migrations. Wholesale disruptions of community and belonging. When weather or war make our world uninhabitable, we will move to higher ground. We will seek a new life. I have witnessed this recovery journey as CEO of BakerRipley, the largest […]
Inter-modal Facilities for People: Sorting on Aspirations (2015)

Cities are doing it for themselves. Stepping out of federal frameworks, working past gridlock, and under the radar of states — cities are running toward the burning issues. And facing disruptions. Tackling infrastructure, immigration, transportation, jobs and training, supply chains and trade. We sort and ship and rail and fly and skip goods across the […]
journal excerpt: community development

February 2012 I hold this deep faith and commitment to the promise of this country — this heartfelt hope that we never ever break the contract we have with the world — that if you come here and work hard it will pay off. If you use your gifts and your voice, you will belong. […]