Please welcome founding member: Colleen Smith!
Please tell us a little about yourself.
I’m originally from Long Island, New York, and grew up in Houston. My Dad worked in oil and the mid-70’s was a boom in the oil industry, and his career brought my family down to Texas. I am the oldest out of 4 girls and my sisters are such an important part of my life. One sister lives in Frisco, Texas and my two youngest sisters live in New York and Connecticut. My Mom lives in Frisco as well, so road trips up I-45 are a regular routine for me. I couldn’t exclude my husband as the most important person in my life. Mark and I have been together for 24 years and married 19 years. We live in Oak Forest and although we don’t have kids we spoil our rescue dog, Dexter, and our cat, Sunday, rotten.
My role as Base Oils Director at Motiva takes up a lot of my time and prior to travel restrictions due to COVID-19, my role took me to amazing places like Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Singapore and London.
What do you do for fun?
The Houston restaurant scene is amazing and I love going out to eat with friends. The minute restaurants opened up last year I immediately booked dinner at Coltivare, in the Heights. I have a core group of friends that I’ve known since school and we get together often for much needed ‘girl time.’ I also love Sunday brunches with another amazing group of gals (some are part of Impact100). So, since I like to eat and drink I also love to work out. Spin classes and core workouts are my go-tos. I have always wanted to play drums, and after buying a kit a few years ago, this past year I really committed and now take lessons virtually with an instructor in LA every week. I’ve never played a musical instrument before so this has been a challenge but so much fun. I’m not ready for any concerts yet..but I have built up a portfolio of my favorite songs to play.
How did you learn about Impact100 Houston?
Impact100 has come to me at the right time and I’m looking forward to getting to know this group of remarkable women. I give all the credit to Lori Pinter for the introduction. She and I have been friends for some time and one fateful brunch she asked if we were interested. The timing was perfect as I’ve been searching for my philanthropy purpose. I support various nonprofits financially and have volunteered in a couple activities but finding that one purpose to commit to was critical to me. In the past I was a member of Tejas Auxiliary, a branch of the National Assistance League, and loved those years forming friendships with fellow members but more importantly serving back to the community through various children’s programs. But that connection and purpose has been missing in my life too long.
What inspires you about the model?
Impact100 was intriguing to me since it has national recognition but allowing for a specific local focus. I love that the foundation is to reach any organization in need. From any of our 5 areas of focus we can impact various needs in the Houston area. This past year has shown me that so many areas of our community have been impacted so I’m fortunate to be part of a group of ladies that share a passion and willingness to give back and make an impact.