When you get more than 550 power brokers, politicos and business leaders in one room, you know that there is going to be some serious networking. That was the case on Tuesday before the luncheon chimes rang for the Holocaust Museum Houston's Guardian of the Human Spirit Award event and before Mayor Annise Parker gave a career speech that took on bullying.
Even though it was election day, a host of City Council members, State Rep. Ellen Cohen, for whom it turned out to be an unhappy day, and Austin-based political consultant Bill Miller (in town for a breakfast meeting, don't ask with whom, he won't tell you) were among those in the reception crush.
Working the reception was the gregarious Fred Zeidman. Having retired from his post as chairman of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in D.C. in April, he received congrats on his full-time commitment to UTHealth. On Sept. 1, he took over the reins as chair of the UTHealth development board. Also in the throng was Tali Blumrosen, her father a Holocaust survivor, who is poised to begin her two-year tenure in 2011 as head of Holocaust Museum Houston.
She will replace Michael Goldberg, a partner with Baker Botts.
Honorary chairs Lorraine and Ed Wulfe mingled in the crowd that included a number of Holocaust survivors such was Walter Kase, accompanied by his wife Chris, and Celina Fein, escorted by her son and daughter-in-law Martin Fein and Dr. Kelli Cohen Fein, and grandson Daniel Fein.
Among the many notables were Houston Symphony CEO Mark Hanson, St. Luke's Episcopal Health System chief development officer Jon Gossett, Janis Goldstein, Andy Barsten, Zahava Haenosh, Velva Levine, David Solomon, Yvonne Cormier, Regina Rogers, Joan Schnitzer-Levy and museum executive director Susan Myers.
A bit of upbeat news chewed on at the luncheon was announcement that actress Mia Farrow will receive the museum's Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award at the annual spring dinner.
