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April 15, 2026

Celebrating Houston's 50 Most Influential Women of 2025

Houston Woman Magazine released its much-anticipated annual keepsake issue celebrating the remarkable achievements of Houston's 50 Most Influential Women of 2025.

A fun and festive celebration dinner took place on March 25 in the ballroom of the Junior League of Houston, where the air was filled with laughter, inspiration and a sense of community. With over 330 special guests in attendance, as well as all 50 honorees, the evening was a delightful blend of reward and recognition.

Houston Woman Magazine's annual keepsake issue is a tribute to the trailblazing women who are making a big difference and shaping the future of our city.

Inaugural Fleet Week Houston to welcome

U.S. Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen

More than 1,000 active-duty men and women serving in the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard have arrived in town for the inaugural Fleet Week Houston festivities, running April 15-22.

During Fleet Week, Houstonians and visitors will get the chance to tour USS Kearsarge (LHD-3), USS Minneapolis-St. Paul (LCS-21), USS St. Louis (LCS-19), and USCGC Edgar Culbertson (WPC-1137), which will be docked along the Houston Ship Channel. The event also presents an opportunity for Houston to welcome service members through dozens of events across the community at schools, museums parks, ballgames and more.

The City of Houston is hosting Fleet Week in collaboration with the Port of Houston, Houston First Corporation and others. This event marks the first time a Texas city has hosted Fleet Week.

Fleet Week Houston is being celebrated during America 250, the official nationwide celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary.

Greater Houston Partnership reports U.S. inflation accelerated last month, mainly due to gas prices

U.S. inflation accelerated in March as gasoline prices moved sharply higher. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 3.3 percent between March ’25 and March ’26, up from a 2.4 percent increase recorded in February. That marks the highest annual inflation rate in almost two years, as disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz pushed up oil and related fuel prices. Outside of fuel, price pressures remained more contained, with annual core inflation (which excludes food and energy) rising modestly to 2.6 percent in March from 2.5 percent in February.

At 3.3 percent, overall inflation matched the expectations of economists in a recent Wall Street Journal survey. Core inflation, at 2.6 percent, came in slightly lower than the 2.7 percent that same group anticipated. The sudden increase in energy prices, coupled with a stronger-than-expected national jobs report for March, is likely to deter the Federal Reserve from cutting interest rates in the near term.

WOMEN MAKING SMART MOVES

Sugar Land's mayor and city council members supported the groundbreaking ceremony for the new campus of Logos Preparatory Academy at 800 Brooks Street. Pictured left to right are: Council Member District 4 and Mayor Pro Tem Rick Miller, Mayor Carol McCutcheon, Council Member District 1 Suzanne Whatley, Logos Prep Head of School Tammy McIlvoy, Council Member District 2 Sanjay Singhal and Logos Prep Capital Campaign Chair Anthony Clay.

Logos Preparatory Academy breaks ground

April 10 for new campus in Sugar Land

Logos Preparatory Academy, a thriving Christ-centered school community known for its distinctive University-Model® approach, celebrated the groundbreaking of its new campus at 810 Brooks Street in Sugar Land on April 10.

The ceremony featured remarks from school leadership and local officials, a student-led opening prayer and a ceremonial first dig that included representatives from across the Logos Prep community, including students representing each division in the school's K–12 program.

The project includes a 51,000-square-foot, three-story main academic building with modern classrooms, a cafeteria with a covered pavilion, a renovated full-size gymnasium with a weight room, a campus courtyard and a multi-purpose athletic field and playground. Designed in partnership with Merriman Holt Powell Architects and built by Brookstone Construction, the Brooks Street campus reflects Logos Prep's long-term commitment to academic excellence, strong community and the kind of well-rounded preparation that equips students for college and for life.

Houston Woman Business Book Club to hold
monthly meeting April 22 at Etoile in Uptown

The Houston Woman Business Book Club is sponsored each month by Houston Woman Magazine and facilitated by Publisher Beverly Denver. The book club was created in 2007 for professional women interested in and dedicated to a lifetime of learning. The club meets monthly during happy hour at various restaurants in the Galleria, Uptown or River Oaks areas. 

Books read by the group include business books addressing a wide range of topics: AI, business management and growth, entrepreneurism, leadership, marketing and PR, etc., but also biographies, history and historical fiction, human behavior, philosophy and psychology. All books are national bestsellers, written by acclaimed authors and/or experts in their fields. 

The club’s next meeting will be held Wednesday, April 22 at Etoile in Uptown Shopping Center, beginning at 5 p.m.  The French restaurant was chosen as this month’s venue to compliment two books the members are reading this month – both written by Ann Mah and both taking place in France. They are “Jacqueline in Paris,” and “How to Master the Art of French Eating.”

The Houston Woman Business Book Club is a small group, but not an exclusive one. All are invited to join in at any time - whether they have had time to read the monthly book selection(s) or not. 

To RSVP for the April 22 meeting at Etoile, please email beverly@houstonwomanmagazine.com no later than Monday, April 20.

Coastal Prairie Conservancy celebrates

grand opening of Katy Prairie Welcome Center

The Coastal Prairie Conservancy celebrated the grand opening of the Katy Prairie Welcome Center April 10 at the Indiangrass Preserve, advancing efforts to connect people to the Katy Prairie Preserve and accelerate conservation in one of Texas' fastest-growing regions.

The Welcome Center serves as a gateway to the nearly 20,000-acre Katy Prairie Preserve, a vast wildlands park west of Houston that is over 13 times the size of Memorial Park. Its opening reflects continued momentum toward the Conservancy's goal of permanently protecting 50,000 across southeast Texas.

Approximately 150 guests attended the private ceremony, including Waller County Judge Trey Duhon, Harris County Commissioner Leslie Briones, Waller County Precinct 3 Commissioner Kendric Jones, City of Katy Mayor William "Dusty" Thiele, and City of Katy Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris, all of whom delivered remarks.

"This Welcome Center gives people a way to experience the prairie up close—spending time outdoors and learning how conserving these lands supports both people and wildlife," said Mary Anne Piacentini, president and CEO of the Coastal Prairie Conservancy.

The program concluded with an environmentally friendly, non-traditional ribbon-cutting moment. Guests tossed Honestly Texas Rice, a locally grown rice brand grown on conserved lands within the Katy Prairie Preserve that supports both agriculture and wildlife habitat, while staff released monarchs and painted lady butterflies.

After the ceremony, guests explored exhibits and joined guided tours of the preserve, including stops at the Ann Hamilton Pond, Bing bird blind and native plant nursery. The Welcome Center is now open to the public and will serve as a hub for year-round programming and events on the Katy Prairie Preserve. Community members and partners are encouraged to visit and take part in upcoming Earth Month events, including a goat grazing workshop, foraging walk, birding walk and more.