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    Oil Slump Puts Damper on Party Scene

    Lowdown on the slowdown: As oil plummets, Houston non-profits starting to feel the pain

    Shelby Hodge
    Jan 11, 2016 | 11:55 am
    285 The crowd and venue Houston Grand Opera Ball April 2015
    Last spring's Houston Grand Opera ball scored $1.3 million. Hopes are that it will do at least that well in 2016.
    Photo by © Gary Fountain

    With stunted oil prices and the specter of a declining stock market, Houston's non-profit community, with few exceptions, is bracing for a challenging year ahead. Just how much muscle will be lost from the city's vigorous philanthropic scene is yet to be determined, but leaders in the field are far from positive.

    "We know from talking with nonprofit organizations in Houston, that toward the end of October 2015 some organizations were beginning to feel this," notes Angela Seaworth, director of the Center of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Rice University. "They were over capacity for service and donors were beginning to call in to reschedule or cancel pledges."

    A typical example is Houston Children's Charity. While the November 7 gala raked in $1.4 million, gross revenues were down 10 percent from the previous year. "That's never happened to us," says executive director Laura Ward. "We lost four major tables and each of them with oil and gas related companies. And board members to boot."

    With oil prices expected to remain low throughout the year, Ward notes that she is preparing for the grass roots non-profit's toughest year since its founding two decades ago.

    Feeling the pinch

    Seaworth says that there could be an impact on fundraising events in terms of a decline in attendance with individuals choosing to make a direct gift to the organization, rather than spend money on the extra costs of attending charity parties such as attire, babysitters, valet parking and the like.

    "However, " she noted "socially-based fundraising events play a significant role in Houston's culture; therefore, this may not happen."

    A number of organizations are already feeling the pinch. Bill Gilmer, director of the Institute for Regional Forecasting at the University of Houston, notes, "I recently talked to one of our fundraising groups at UH. When asked what this drop in oil prices had meant to them, the response was that donors were being very careful and sitting on their hands.”

    Gilmer adds that as the citywide decade of fast growth is coming to an end, the economic picture is changing.

    "The slowdown that was confined to oil begins to spread in 2016," he predicts. "Expect a lot of retailers, apartment owners, restaurants, bars, hotels, etc. that have been saying, 'What oil downturn?' to now start sharing the pain. They will be paring back and reviewing the budget. Most of these won't be the serious, emergency budget reviews that oil producers are undergoing, but a a more general and wide-spread belt-tightening is now in store.”

    Cautiously optimistic

    As for non-event fundraising, the United Way is fully aware that lower energy prices will likely have an impact on the current campaign which concludes in March. But it is too soon to tell to what degree, according to Lynne Cook, assistant vice president of donor relations. She says that the non-profit is hoping to achieve close to the same monies earned in the last fiscal year.

    Houston Ballet, however, is one non-profit that is feeling cautiously optimistic for the coming year as Angie Lane, chief development officer explains. "We’re on track to meet our budget goals this year, which increased from last year. We haven’t seen a drop off in giving – in fact, we’ve seen a modest increase."

    This goes against the grain of typical giving patterns during economic shifts but could be a good sign for Houston. Seaworth points out that a national study shows that during tough times, people tend to increase giving to health and human service organizations and there is a drop in giving to cultural and arts institutions.

    The donor viewpoint

    Oilman/philanthropist Lester Smith is one who has shared the wealth throughout the city's energy boom. He warns that less giving could be the new norm.

    "There is no doubt that Houston’s non-profits will feel the effects of the current oil slump . . . My giving has always been tied to the profitability of my business – and I know dozens of others who would say the same thing."

    And he reminds that during the 2007-2008 "great recession," he and his wife, Sue, canceled one of their galas as they felt it insensitive to ask the community to support an event when so many people were in difficult circumstances.

    He notes optimistically that nothing is forever, "Houston has – and will always be – an oil town. Times are tough, but it will turn around. It always does."

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    news/city-life
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    the search is on

    Game-changing leader of Houston Parks Board to retire after 10 years

    Jef Rouner
    May 21, 2025 | 10:00 am
    Houston Parks Board CEO Beth White stands at a podium at the Captain Herod Memorial, Houston Mayor John Whitmire is seated nearby.
    Photo by Melissa Taylor
    Beth White speaking at the Captain Herod Memorial on January 28,2025

    It's the end of an era at the Houston Parks Board (HPB). CEO Beth White announced Wednesday, May 21 that she will be retiring on January 1, 2026.

    "As I reflect on my career, one of the most rewarding decisions I have made was coming to Houston," White said in a statement. "The entrepreneurial drive in this city is very powerful, our public-private partnership model is second to none, and the creativity at play is a model for the nation."

    White began her stewardship of the HPB in 2016. Before coming to Houston, she oversaw Chicago's Trust for Public Land, guiding the development of the city's famous elevated trailway, the 606. Her experience made her perfect to lead the HPB as Houston dedicated itself to a radical improvement of its park spaces. With HPB responsible for 3,300 acres across 250 parks, as well as coordinating access to another 14,000 acres, it was an executive position for an area physically larger than many cities.

    White proved herself a competent and visionary general of Houston's greenspaces. During her time, she led the revitalization of 30 Houston parks, mostly in marginalized and underserved communities. Her work netted her an appointment to the chair of the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) by former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden in 2021, where she helped federal agencies make long-term plans about public space usage.

    Perhaps her greatest accomplishment as CEO of HPB is the Bayou Greenway project, a bold re-imagining of Houston's waterways. The project has built 150 miles worth of trails that hug the various bayous and creeks meandering through Houston, turning what were often foot traffic barriers into an artery system of green trails connecting various park spaces across the city. Isolated pockets of community space are now linked through easy to use trail systems, making foot traffic across Houston simpler and more beautiful to experience.

    “It is very gratifying to see that Houstonians are embracing parks and greenspace as an essential part of the region’s infrastructure. I am proud to have played a part in Houston’s green renaissance and look forward to continued progress thanks to the talented and dedicated staff and board at Houston Parks Board,” said White.

    Cory King, president and CEO, and Ben Feit, principal, at Kittleman and Associates, are leading the search for suitable candidates to fill White's very big shoes. In the meantime, White will continue to lead the organization for the rest of the year.

    "Houston Parks Board would not be in the position it is today without the guidance and leadership of Beth White. As we commemorate her throughout this year, we are grateful that Beth’s vision has helped transform our organization into a regional and national leader for parks and greenspace,” said Houston Parks Board chair Cullen Geiselman Muse. “We are also excited to begin the search for her successor. Houston is a unique region that offers different opportunities to maximize available space and create multi-purpose greenspaces that make real, lasting impacts on our communities. We look forward to sharing more information as the search progresses."

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    news/city-life

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