All Aboard!

Janiece Longoria appointed to head Houston Port Commission in unanimous vote

In a unanimous vote today by Houston City Council and Harris County Commissioners, Janiece Longoria was appointed chairman of the board of commissioners of the Houston Port Authority. Longoria is the first woman and the first minority to hold the position.

Today's vote with Mayor Annise Parker and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett both supporting Longoria brought an end to six months of wrangling over who would follow Jim Edmonds as port commission chairman, who did not seek reappointment. The chairman serves a two-year-term without pay.

It was standing room only with an overflow crowd of close to 100 that gathered at Commissioner's Court for the historic appointment. Longoria's husband, businessman Steve Lasher, stood next to his wife as she was sworn in by Emmett.

Longoria has served as a port commissioner since her appointment in 2002. A partner with Ogden, Gibson, Broocks, Longoria & Hall, she serves on the board of CenterPoint Energy and served as a regent of the University of Texas Systems from 2008 to 2011.

In celebration of the vote, Longoria was toasted by friends at an impromptu lunch at Brennan's organized by supporter Cindy Clifford. Taking over a table in the center of the dining room were Mayor Annise Parker, James Simmons Jr., James Simmons Group CEO; Capt. Robert Thompson, presiding officer of the Houston Pilots Association; Port Commissioner Jimmy Burke; HillDay Public Relation's Argentina James; and Jason Fuller.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”