Chamber Leadership
Tammi (she|her|hers) is the Co-Founder of the Chamber, former Steering Committee member and is part of the Chamber's Founding Leadership Council. Her passion for economic inclusion and opportunity for the LGBTQ+ Business Community has been a driving force in the Chamber's growth since the launch of the organization.
In recognition of the progress made in advancing the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce’s strategic goals and the need to dedicate resources to achieve the longer-term vision for the organization, the Board of Directors named Tammi to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer to lead, manage, and execute day-to-day operations of the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce. This appointment recognized Tammi’s many years of volunteer work with the Chamber behind the scenes at the local, state, and national levels, where she has been dedicated to bringing visibility to the LGBTQ+ Business Community.
Tammi utilizes her cross-sector experience to make a difference through her community involvement with various organizations. Currently, Tammi serves on the board of the Hollyfield Foundation and Montrose Management District as well as on the National LGBT Chamber (NGLCC) Affiliate Chamber Leadership Council representing the Southern region. In 2016, she was appointed by Mayor Sylvester Turner to serve on the City of Houston’s first LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. Tammi is a past member of the Victory Fund Campaign Board and she co-chaired the 2015 and 2016 Victory Fund Houston Champagne Brunch resulting in record-breaking fundraising to help elect LGBTQ+ candidates across the country.
In 2019, she was recognized by BEQ magazine as a Legacy Leader in the LGBTQ+ community. Tammi has been recognized as OutSmart Magazine’s Gayest & Greatest Award for Female Business Person. She was named Female Grand Marshal of the Houston Pride Parade in 2011 in recognition of her leadership and activism on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community.
Jason (he|him|his) is the Founder and CEO of The Woodlands Pride (TWP), an organization that strives to connect, celebrate, educate, and foster relationships in the LGBTQIA community while promoting equality, unity, and love in The Woodlands, Texas and beyond. At their Second Annual festival in 2019, TWP welcomed over 6,000 attendees from all over the country.
In his day job, Jason is an Account Executive with Goosehead Insurance and helps guide clients with important insurance decisions. Jason was driven to serve his county by joining the military and served in the U.S. Army. He was active duty from 2006-2010 with just over a year deployment to Baghdad in 2008-2009.
Tiffany (she|her|hers) is the Founder and President of REFUGE Marketing & Consulting, an LGBTBE® certified firm. REFUGE is celebrating more than 10 years as Houston's "Safe Haven for Small Business". REFUGE Marketing & Consulting was created to serve as a strategic marketing resource for businesses. They help businesses grow through all aspects of digital marketing including Branding, Website Design and Development, Content Creation, Online Advertising, Email Marketing, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). REFUGE also provides marketing consulting, training and coaching services to help businesses improve their internal marketing efforts.
A Houston native, Tiffany is passionate about her local community and most importantly local businesses. Tiffany has 25 years of marketing experience with almost 20 of them focusing on Digital Media and Marketing.
Tiffany is part of the Founding Leadership Council of the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce and winner of the Chamber's 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award. In the past, she served on HRC's National Board of Governors and in several positions on the Houston Steering Committee, including three years as Gala Tri-Chair. Tiffany is a Co-Chair of the Marketing & Communications Committee.
Jack (he|him|his) has been with OutSmart Magazine for 15 years. He is a sales and marketing manager for Houston’s LGBTQ voice. He spent the first 25 years of his professional career in sports marketing.
He came to Houston to be the Executive Director of the Greater Houston Sports Foundation and was involved in Houston’s bids for the Super Bowl, World Cup and numerous national championships.
He is the current president of EPAH, the Executive and Professional Association of Houston. He was president of Bunnies on the Bayou for four years and has served on the boards of the Bayou City Performing Arts (Gay Men’s Chorus), OutReach United and the Lesbian Health Initiative.
He is a Syracuse University graduate and is the extremely proud father of two Aggie sons. Jack is a Co-Chair of the Programming & Events Committee.
Check out our Board Member Spotlight with Jack on the Chamber Blog.
https://business.houstonlgbtchamber.com/blog/Details/board-member-spotlight-jack-berger-37525
Shenice (she|her|hers) is the co-owner of Empower Financial, which provides personalized options to protect individual and businesses' human and financial capital through life insurance and annuity products. Empower Financial is LGBTBE® certified and serves clients in many states.
Shenice began her career in the tech industry with Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, Inc (HP), which is what brought her from the northeast to Houston. Passionate about entrepreneurship, she now uses her project management and training skills in Empower Financial to protect families, foster growth, and give back to the community with financial literacy education.
She is also devoted to giving back through volunteer and charity work, spreading knowledge, and helping others. She volunteers with various LGBTQ nonprofit organizations. Shenice is committed to serving the LGBTQ community to make a difference for individuals, families, and businesses. Shenice serves as a Co-Chair for the Finance Committee and Chair of the Membership Committee.
Check out our Board Member Spotlight with Shenice on the Chamber Blog.
https://business.houstonlgbtchamber.com/blog/Details/board-member-spotlight-shenice-brown-treasurer-35653
Jonathan (he|him|his) arrived in Houston in June 2013 to launch the U.S. division of a global energy consulting firm responsible for the United States and Mexico. He then went onto start the first U.S. registered apprenticeship programs in IT and Cybersecurity in the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Jonathan is part of the Founding Leadership Council of the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce as well as a past Board Chair. He serves as the Board Chair for the Greater Houston LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce Foundation. He was pivotal in the formation and launch of the Chamber in 2016. Jonathan also sits on the board for the British-American Business Council (BABC).
Passionate about both the UK and the US, he works for the UK’s Department for International Trade in Houston as Head of Trade & Investment. The Department for International Trade (DIT) helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy including helping overseas companies bring their high-quality investment to the UK’s dynamic economy.
Check out our Board Member Spotlight with Jon on the Chamber Blog.
https://business.houstonlgbtchamber.com/blog/Details/board-member-spotlight-jonathan-marrs-board-chair-47734
Thomas (he|him|his), a graduate of Texas A&M University, Class of '02, left the corporate world to pursue his passion of connecting people with the resources they need to pursue their goals.
After nearly 15 years of working in Human Resources across various industries, Thomas brings his experience of helping business leaders translate their version into action and is working to have EconomiWorks, a company he founded in 2018, serve as a new engine for that service offering.
Thomas believes in the old saying "work hard, play hard," so when he's looking for inspiration on how to satisfy all the many stakeholders of EconomiWorks, he enjoys time with his friends, family, and dogs, as well as "relaxing" while running, swimming, biking, practicing yoga, and podcasting about LGBT+ history. He is the host of the widely popular podcast, "Let's Talk About Gay Stuff" which discusses historical events and people in LGBT+ history & culture. Thomas is a Co-Chair of the Marketing & Communications Committee.
Check out our Board Member Spotlight with Thomas on the Chamber Blog.
https://business.houstonlgbtchamber.com/blog/Details/board-member-spotlight-thomas-lopez-37554