Hear from some of the women who founded Discovery Green

In honor of Women’s History Month, Discovery Green recently shared a blog post highlighting a few of the women whose vision set the course for the creation of Discovery Green. In it, Nancy Kinder, Julie Sudduth, Mary Margaret Jones, and Lauren Griffith reflect on the park’s 15 year history and offer their hopes for the park in the next 15 years ahead. Click here to read the full post.

L to R: Nancy Kinder, Mary Margaret Jones, Julie Sudduth, Lauren Griffith

Watch: Dr. Marc L. Boom on the importance of leadership in a partisan world

Kinder Foundation team members recently attended the Greater Houston Partnership’s 2023 annual meeting. We had the honor of hearing from Dr. Marc L. Boom, board chair-elect of Greater Houston Partnership and CEO of Houston Methodist, who spoke about the importance of responsible leadership in an ever-partisan world.

Dr. Boom shared that the “irresistible siren call today in our country is constant, unnecessary conflict and disagreement. Our political parties can’t resist this siren song, our press can’t resist this siren song, and most people can’t resist this siren song.”

The antidote, he wisely urges Houston’s business and community leaders, is to be more like Odysseus, “portrayed by Homer as wise, eloquent, resourceful, courageous, a voice of reason and self-restraint.” Dr. Boom says, “we must be wise leaders who use a focus of the culture in our institutions and in our communities to improve the world we live in. We have a profound responsibility to bring and model balance and moderation to our communities.”

Find the entirety of Dr. Boom’s impactful and important speech below.

Checking in with 2011 Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient Keith Desrosiers

It has been a pleasure catching up with some of our past KETA recipients. Today, we are excited to feature Keith Desrosiers, the director of mathematics at Yes Prep Public Schools an one of our 2011 KETA winners. You can read more about Keith, below.

What has been occupying your time lately (personal or professional)?

Professionally, my team and I have spent a lot of time improving upon the curricular resources that we provide for our Math Teachers. We have created more engaging blended learning opportunities which will provide students in all grade levels with an opportunity to further develop their thinking and communication skills. We have aligned our assessments for STAAR-Tested courses to better prepare students for the redesigned STAAR assessment they will be taking in Spring of 2023. I also spend as much time as possible on campuses observing, coaching, and growing our teachers. Continue reading “Checking in with 2011 Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient Keith Desrosiers”

Checking in with 2012 Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient James Sheridan

Today we are catching up with YES Prep Southeast teacher James Sheridan, who received a Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award in 2012.

What has been occupying your time lately (personal or professional)?

This school year has been challenging, balancing COVID protocols while teaching students who have had a disrupted high school experience. Some have knowledge gaps or just need consistency and reinforcement in their routines to allow them to improve. Students need good, consistent teachers and caring adults in their lives; the work of earning their trust and being a respectful steward of the time that we share together is vital.

Personally, I was excited to resume volunteering to pass out cups of water at the Rodeo Run 2022 with my two children and about 85 other members of the YES Prep Southeast community. The event was one of the very last things we did before the world changed in 2020, and after a two-year hiatus, the Rodeo Run was back! Being around so many like-minded folks smiling and encouraging runners who were persevering through cold, cold weather was good for my heart.

I am inspired to keep running and biking with my favorite Peloton instructors (Sam and Matt are awesome!).

What has been your greatest win this current school year? Continue reading “Checking in with 2012 Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient James Sheridan”

Catching up with 2012 Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient James Sheridan

Today we are checking in with YES Prep Southeast teacher James Sheridan, who received a Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award in 2012.

What has been occupying your time lately (personal or professional)?

This school year has been challenging, balancing COVID protocols while teaching students who have had a disrupted high school experience. Some have knowledge gaps or just need consistency and reinforcement in their routines to allow them to improve. Students need good, consistent teachers and caring adults in their lives; the work of earning their trust and being a respectful steward of the time that we share together is vital.

Personally, I was excited to resume volunteering to pass out cups of water at the Rodeo Run 2022 with my two children and about 85 other members of the YES Prep Southeast community. The event was one of the very last things we did before the world changed in 2020, and after a two-year hiatus, the Rodeo Run was back! Being around so many like-minded folks smiling and encouraging runners who were persevering through cold, cold weather was good for my heart.

I am inspired to keep running and biking with my favorite Peloton instructors (Sam and Matt are awesome!).

What has been your greatest win this current school year? Continue reading “Catching up with 2012 Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient James Sheridan”

Catching up with 2018 Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient Elizabeth Rodriguez

Today we are checking in with Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award alumnus Elizabeth Rodriguez. Rodriguez received the award in 2018 as a literary specialist at Yes Prep Southwest.

What has been occupying your time lately (personal or professional)?
Lately, the biggest thing that has been occupying my time has been providing interventions to emergent bilingual students and coaching teachers across campus on creating appropriate learning experiences for our special populations. This year, nearly half of the students at my school are English language learners, which is a huge increase from years prior. I’ve made it my goal for all students in our special populations to receive the support they need to create more equitable outcomes. Outside of work, my 2-year-old pup and grad school have been occupying my time. I’m pursuing my principal certification and Master’s in Bilingual/ESL Curriculum and Instruction. During study breaks, I’ve been visiting all the cool dog parks Houston has to offer!

What has been your greatest win this current school year?  Continue reading “Catching up with 2018 Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient Elizabeth Rodriguez”

Houston deserves a news ecosystem as big and bold as it is

By Ann Stern, Rich Kinder and Laura Arnold

 

Journalism is, at its core, a public service — and Houston could use more of it.

Our representative republic relies on an informed citizenry that has access to trustworthy, vital and actionable information that sheds light on problems and solutions, and provides a platform from which to spur reform. As Thomas Jefferson once said, it is preferable to have newspapers without government than government without newspapers.

But that twilight scenario Jefferson lamented is increasingly coming true. Misaligned market forces and outdated business models have caused a troubling erosion of journalistic resources nationwide. More than 2,000 newspapers have disappeared, leaving many cities with only a single newspaper of record, or worse, no newspaper at all. Information gaps are filled by partisan outlets that frame every issue to fit electoral ends, or by social media sites that care more about profit than the public good.

Even Houston, a city rich in local media in every language and on every platform, lacks news coverage at the size and depth appropriate for our chaotic, energetic, sprawling coastal metropolis. That is why we have decided to collectively invest $20 million for a new nonprofit newsroom in Houston. This newsroom will augment and strengthen the existing journalism ecosystem and add more resources to serve our community.

We made the decision to fund this new venture in response to an assessment conducted by the American Journalism Project. Their survey revealed an appetite for more resources to do focused beat reporting, news that is accessible in different languages and on various platforms, and journalism that directly connects journalists with the communities they serve. Houstonians had desire for coverage that reflected not only the meat and potatoes of news, but the rich cultural diversity of our region, from the proud history of Fourth Ward to increasingly international suburbs growing along the Katy Prairie and everything in-between.

More than anything, this is an investment in Houston’s future — but we can’t do it alone.

Our region’s success lies in the power of its populace to demand and drive change. Research has shown that in the absence of a reporter’s watchful eye, government corruption and mismanagement flourish, voter turnout plummets, and public finances go unchecked. The historic model of competing journalistic outlets struggles to give people everything they need to be fully informed about the civic institutions of their own hometown. Our proposed nonprofit newsroom will instead work hand-in-hand with existing outlets — print, digital, social media, radio and television — to put more reporters at work investigating local government, Houston-specific issues, and community needs. This is a Houston-centered agenda that will fill gaps and bolster coverage of critical stories in a way that will not only add to the existing news ecosystem, but also give journalists at other establishments more flexibility to dig deeper on their own work.

To that end, the organization will provide all journalistic content for free to all Houstonians and all media outlets. The journalism will be fiercely independent and nonpartisan without editorial control or influence by its funding sources.

The announcement today is only the beginning – there are a great number of details to be ironed out. A search committee is actively looking for a new CEO and managing editor who will be responsible for developing the mission, vision, name and hiring the staff of people to execute the hard work. We hope to begin publishing by the end of this year, but that will depend on finding the right candidates who are committed to forging a new vision for Houston journalism that is as big and bold as Houston itself. And it depends on Houstonians stepping up to demand a city as great as its people.

 

Ann Stern is President and CEO of the Houston Endowment, a private foundation that partners with others to achieve a vibrant and inclusive region where all residents can thrive. Rich Kinder is chairman of the Kinder Foundation, a philanthropy that seeks to transform Houston in significant ways and help people realize a healthy and rewarding quality of life. Laura Arnold is the co-founder and co-chair of Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy dedicated to maximizing opportunity and minimizing injustice.

 Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Kathryn Dollins

The Kinder Foundation is committed to making impactful gifts which improve Houston in significant ways. With an ambitious vision set forth by founders Rich and Nancy Kinder, the Kinder Foundation is supported by an exceptional staff of experienced professionals who help make our mission a reality.

Today, we introduce you to Kathryn Dollins, Attorney & Office Manager. Kathryn oversees and acts as in-house counsel for both the foundation and family office, and serves as assistant secretary for the Kinder Foundation Board.

Learn more about Kathryn below, and find past staffer Q&As here. Read about the full Kinder Foundation team here. Continue reading ” Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Kathryn Dollins”

Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Guy Hagstette

The Kinder Foundation is committed to making impactful gifts which improve Houston in significant ways.  With an ambitious vision set forth by founders Rich and Nancy Kinder, the Kinder Foundation is supported by an exceptional staff of experienced professionals who help make our mission a reality.

Today, we introduce you to Guy Hagstette, Senior Vice President of Parks and Civic Projects. Guy is a registered architect and urban planner who directs the foundation’s park and civic projects. As a consultant on Buffalo Bayou Park for the Buffalo Bayou Partnership and an advisor to the Houston Parks Board on Bayou Greenways, Hagstette has helped the city blossom.

Learn more about Guy below, and find past staffer Q&As here. Read about the full Kinder Foundation team here. Continue reading “Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Guy Hagstette”

Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award Alumni Spotlight: Johanna Sanchez

Since 2001, the Kinder Foundation has honored a handful of Houston’s most distinguished teachers with the Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award in recognition of their commitment and innovation. The honors are given at an awards dinner each Fall, where current and past winners share their stories and are shown gratitude by their peers, administrators, and Rich and Nancy Kinder. The Kinder Excellence in Teaching Awards has gifted over $3.7 million to more than 250 teachers since the program was established.

We are proud to spotlight past recipients of this award and sharing what they have been up to since their recognition.

Continue reading “Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award Alumni Spotlight: Johanna Sanchez”