LIVING THE LEGACY OF REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
“A CONVERSATION WITH PAULA HARRIS"
The Rotary Club of Houston is proud to present "A Conversation with Paula McCann Harris" on the occasion of the birthday of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King preached nonviolence to solve the many racial and economic divides in America, but he also was a strong advocate on the value of education, a life lived in service to others, and speaking up about things that matter. Paul McCann Harris' life embodies all the attributes Dr. King asked of each American: Graduate of Texas A&M with a degree in Petroleum Engineering; distinguished thirty-three-year career with the leading oil driller in the world, Schlumberger; elected to the HISD Board of Trustees with an emphasis on promoting STEM education and increasing the academic achievement of the children of HISD; Board Chair of STEM Charter School. Noted author and publisher of books that introduce girls to STEM education with a focus on coding and robotics. Established workshops and global initiatives promoting STEM, especially Robotics and Coding.
Please invite your friends to this important and inspiring program.
Joe Colangelo
Kathy Fenninger
Program Committee
3755 Richmond Ave.
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Paula Harris was hired as the Astros Foundation Executive Director and Senior Vice President, Community Affairs in November 2021 and enters her second season in the role in 2023.
Harris has over 33 years of experience in the Houston community, both in the professional space as an executive with Schlumberger Ltd. and in the community with a passion for civic interest and volunteerism.
Harris has extensive connections throughout the Houston community, as she currently serves on the boards of Chart Industries (GTLS), Helix (HLX), Hunting (HTG), The Houston Children’s Museum, and the Petroleum Club of Houston. She is a founding board member of the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy, an all-girl’s engineering school serving primarily minority communities in Houston with the goal to graduate girls prepared to attend top engineering universities. Harris has a particular passion for advancing STEM education and career opportunities for all communities, but especially women and underrepresented minorities.
Previously she served on the boards of the Houston Independent School District, the Permian Strategic Partnership in Midland, Texas, Space Center Houston and numerous other education and outreach associations. In 2020, Harris received the Women Who Mean Business Lifetime Achievement award from the Houston Business Journal and in 2019, the Women on the Move award from Texas Executive Women and the United Nations Global Citizenship Award.
In over 33 years in the international oilfield services with Schlumberger Ltd., Harris, educated as a Petroleum Engineer, worked in many roles over three decades with the company. She worked her way up from Field Engineer, working on offshore rigs to leadership positions such as Director of Community Affairs. She retired as the Director of Global Stewardship.
A native Houstonian, Harris graduated with a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University and a Master of Education in Technical Instruction and Learning from Abilene Christian.
The owner of her own publishing company, Harris has authored, published and distributed two books, including “When I Grow Up I want to be an Engineer.” The book was translated into four languages and over 150,000 copies were distributed globally to schools, museums, and non-profit organizations.
