Community Champion
Theola is an enthusiastic advocate for Houston’s heritage communities. Born in Matagorda, Texas, her family soon migrated to Houston, where she grew up in the Fifth Ward before establishing a home in the Third Ward following her high school graduation. She possesses intimate knowledge of the impact of urban development within heritage communities, particularly those that have been marginalized, and has dedicated her life to ensuring people are heard, understood and respected.
She first encountered the South Main Alliance (SMA) in 1997 while serving with a group within the OST/Almeda Corridor’s Redevelopment Authority, TIRZ #7. Her next significant opportunity came in 2004, during her tenure with the Third Ward Redevelopment Authority, where, as a member of the Main Street Coalition Board, she collaborated with state representative Garnet Coleman to establish the Greater Southeast Management District.
Paraphrasing a famous musical, Theola has spent her career "in the room where it happened," serving as a driving force behind ensuring major infrastructure plans adequately served the needs of the transit-dependent residents in her communities. She is guided by the African proverb, “That which is for the greater good of all creates harmony.”
Theola explains how communities react to surprise projects in their neighborhoods.
For her, smart urban development begins with involving affected communities from the outset; "swooping in with bulldozers will never create allies." She urges leaders to be transparent, acknowledging that Houston’s heritage African American communities have faced generations of historical injustices. Members of her community, for instance, witnessed the Texas Department of Transportation carving away whole portions of their once-intact neighborhood to lay new freewaysÑI-45, 288, Hwy 59Ñthrough the Third Ward. “You’ve got to be able to have the conversations”, she emphasizes, “You’ve got to have the collaboration make sure that people are listening to make sure that, as much as possible, you’re going to end up with a win-win and not a situation where people feel they’re being exploited for someone else’s interests.”
She is a straight shooter who prefers to conduct business face-to-face. And forget the golf course! Instead, for years, Theola and her colleagues regularly held "walk-and-talk" meetings in Hermann Park, ensuring they got their exercise while playfully planning ways to solve the world’s problems.