PART Houston

Carolina Jimenez

Membership Director

Julissa Alcantar-Martinez

Scholarship Director

Julissa is currently our scholarship chair, she was our past director (2020&2021) and has held the position of scholarship chair in the past as well. She has a passion for education and serves in her position as she was an educator in Houston, San Antonio and Puebla, Mexico for over 20yrs in the capacity of  administrator and teacher. 

She truly believes in helping our young latinas get ahead through education and understands that financially we can make a difference. She has worked to evolve the role of the donor to become more of mentors, to allow our girls to see people like them in professional positions. The mentors have also worked to help our girls be involved in the fundraising process, the activities we do as an organization and the need to give back through service. In exchange, the girls learn about networking, team work and sisterhood. They have met other ladies from all over Houston and the world, connected with them at their campus events and formed a bond with a new group who also aspire to be leaders in our latina community.   At the present, she works for Texan Vista Realty, as a realtor with a focus on helping everyone become homeowners. She has been married 25yrs and has 2 children. She is from San Antonio and has her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Lamar University. Her passion is traveling and spending time with her family

Janice Greco

Communications Director

Catherine Louvier

Alum Coordinator

Very soon after joining the PART-H, family I came to see the awarding of scholarships as the act of spreading culture through the gift of education that the organization strives for in The Mission Statement. It’s been my great privilege to serve in the capacity of director of the scholarship committee (with loads of support) since 2020. The PART scholars are an extraordinary group of Latinas, comprised of elite, Houston-area, students who are largely first-generation college applicants that express an awareness of cultural outreach, while performing at the upper reaches of academia. All of this while still in high school, and often under challenging circumstances. I must admit that the search for candidates is a reward of its own. It would be nice to say I love helping them, but the truth is that I find the process quite satisfying personally, and the best thing I have to offer them is one another, and PART-H. In fact, I have found the bonds forged by the girls within the program quite inspirational. It has been fascinating to see the strength they draw from knowing there is more than one of their fellows in New York, or Minnesota (for example) when they get back together for gatherings on break. Knowing one isn’t “out there” (or for that matter, “back here”) alone…having a cultural touchstone seems to help the group normalize the various experiences of their unfamiliar collegiate environments. I think that anyone among us would be feel as gratified as I do to know that this is the at the heart of what we stand for.

Susan Huston

Secretary

My mother joined the Pan American Round Table in the Las Cruces, NM and El Paso, TX tables back in the 70’s so I’ve had a knowledge of the great things this organization does since I was a child. In the 90’s I answered the call to serve myself by joining the Houston table. I have made life long friends and had so many wonderful experiences as a member of this table. I am most proud of the many scholarships we have been able to give to well deserving young women, many of whom are the first in their families to get a higher education. I have learned about the history, culture, art and humanity of the Americas through my travels with my sisters in this great organization. Una Para Todas Y Todas Para Una!

Kate Gabriele

Historian

Kathleen Gabriele joined this dynamic and funloving group of Latina Ladies when she realized PART-H shares her values and interests.

Kathleen first started to learn Spanish in the fifth grade and has continued learning ever since.  She received her bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Wisconsin.  After teaching at all grade levels, K through university, she moved to Texas, met her husband, and became a self-taught paralegal and law office administrator.  Sudenly finding herself widowed, she moved to Houston to be closer to her daughter.  Currently, she serves on boards of several organizations and enjoys international volunteering and travel.

Kaye Fraser

Treasurer

I joined Pan American Round Table of Houston in 2016.  However, PART has been a part of my life since I can remember. My father told my sister and I when we were young that his grandmother (our great grandmother) was the founder of an organization called the Pan American Round Tables in San Antonio, Texas.  Since I was born and raised in the small town of Sugar Land, southwest of Houston, it did not mean much to either of us.  Our Aunt Ruth (Dad’s sister), who was a member of a Dallas table, would talk about the goings on with the organization with their mother, Ruth, whenever we would get together as a family but again it was not a conversation that interested a young girl.  

Unfortunately, I did not become interested in learning more until after my dad, his sister and my grandmother had passed.  But with the age of the internet, I was finally able to connect and join.  Since joining, I have learned a lot about people, places, cultures, art and music while raising money to assist young girls to go to college. The bonus? Making tons of friends. I encourage all to join, get involved and make the Americas a better place for all.   

Mary Champion Closner

Parliamentarian