Houston-Johnson president to speak at Women’s Empowerment Luncheon

The annual luncheon will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the University Club on Belknap Campus. Doors open at 11:15 a.m. Tickets are $50 each or $400 for a table of eight. To reserve tickets by the Nov. 7 deadline, call the Women’s Center at 502-852-8976. The event is sponsored by Class Act Federal Credit Union.

Houston, a UofL graduate and former employee, will deliver the keynote address titled “Do You Have What It Takes?” Houston is president and CEO of Louisville-based Houston-Johnson, Inc., a minority- and women-owned transportation and automotive carrier.

She is involved in the community and serves on several boards including the 55,000 Degrees and 15K Degrees Initiative, Simmons College of Kentucky, Louisville Arena Authority, the James Graham Brown Foundation, the Jefferson County Public Education Foundation, TARC and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

At the luncheon, the Women’s Center will present its Women’s Empowerment Award, which honors a woman who has the potential to empower other women in all aspects of life.

In addition, they will honor the winners of the 2014 Mary K. Tachau Gender Equity Award, which the Commission on the Status of Women sponsors, and the Dr. M. Celeste Nichols Professional Development Award, which is sponsored by the Commission on Diversity & Racial Equality and the Dennis C. Golden Torchbearer Endowment through Student Affairs. The first award recognizes a person who has worked to improve gender equity in the community and the latter award is for graduate and professional school students.

Nomination forms and criteria for both awards are available by emailing the Women’s Center service account womenctr@louisville.edu. The deadline for nominations is Oct. 10.

For more information, call Phyllis Webb at the Women’s Center, 502-852-8976.