Women of Distinction Honorees--Austin Region

Suzanna Caballero, Travis County
	Born in Victoria, Suzanna Caballero grew up in Austin, graduated from the University of Texas and as one of her nominators writes “embodies the values of courage, confidence and character.” As Senior Vice President of Business Banking for Wachovia, she has led her commercial banking team to be among the highest producing teams in the nation for multiple years. A well-respected professional, Suzanna may be even better known for her philanthropic and civic leadership in Central Texas. A Leadership Austin Essentials graduate, she has served on the organization’s Board of Directors including a term as Board Chair. During her tenure with Leadership Austin, she led the Transition Committee as the organization began functioning as a 501c3 and helped launch the Emerge program for young community leaders. Additionally she has held leadership roles with prestigious organizations like United Way Capital Area, Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Greenlights for Nonprofit Success, Austin Partners in Education and of course, Girl Scouts of Central Texas. She is currently Board Chair of Communities in Schools. For her community service and leadership, Suzanna was named Wachovia’s 2007 Volunteer of the Year. By participating in community service as a family, she and her husband, John, purposefully strive to instill the values of generosity and service in their two daughters, Jacquelyn and Natalie. Suzanna hopes her daughters, as well as all Central Texas girls, are empowered and trained to achieve their dreams and do great things for their community.

Carolyn Gallagher, Travis County
	An alumna of Austin High School, Duke University and the Harvard Business School, Carolyn Gallagher has continually strived for excellence in her life. Leaving the world of corporate finance at Coca-Cola, Carolyn returned to Austin and bought Texwood Furniture Corporation a manufacturer of educational furniture where she served as President and CEO for 12 years before selling the company. For her success in growing the business Carolyn received one of the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards from Inc Magazine/Ernst & Young. She currently serves as a director of Home Therapy Specialists, Inc. In addition to success in the private sector, Carolyn has dedicated over 17 years to public service on both the state and national level. She has served on the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service since 2004 and was elected Chair of the Board in 2009. In addition she served 12 years as a Trustee of the Employees’ Retirement System of Texas and was a Director of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Carolyn has also been an active community leader in Austin for many years. She currently serves as Chair of the Board of the Long Center for the Performing Arts and is a Trustee of the Austin Community Foundation, St. Edward’s University and Westminster Manor. Happily married to her husband Tom for 16 years, Carolyn has two children, Eden and Reid, and two stepchildren, Ryan and Jeff.

Dr. Dianne Mendoza, Travis County
	Dr. Dianne Mendoza, Vice President of Business and Community Development for Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has dedicated her life to improving Texas and opening doors for Hispanic-Americans. Her career began as a teacher in the border town of Laredo and quickly grew to include designing Edgewood ISD’s first Special Education Department Teacher Development Center and Austin ISD’s first alternative school model. Upon discovering her knack for communications and fundraising, Dianne was named State Travel Director for Texas, becoming the first Hispanic travel director in the nation. As her career progressed she held the roles of Executive Director for the Maverick County Development Corporation and President/COO of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Then in 1999 she transitioned to Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority where she is active with the All Systems Go Long-Range Transit Plan team and the Saltillo District Master Redevelopment Plan for East Austin. In addition to professional success, Dianne has a long standing commitment to the Hispanic community. To nurture future Hispanic leaders in Texas, she developed the nationally recognized Hispanic Austin Leadership program and Rules of Engagement: A Leadership Institute, the flagship leadership program for emerging leaders with the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce Education Development Foundation. For her many contributions she has been recognized as one of the “50 Most Influential Hispanic Women in Texas” by Texas Hispanic Magazine, “Women to Watch” by Hispanic Business and more. A University of Texas graduate, Dianne identifies her mother, Alicia, and her daughter, Dina, to be her life’s inspirations.

Patti Patton-Bader, Bastrop County
	Nominated by one of the direct recipients of her generous spirit, Patti Patton Bader of Bastrop is the founder and CEO of Soldiers’ Angels. Patti first felt inspired to create Soldiers’ Angels when her son was serving in Iraq and the support American soldiers needed became clear. Through her vision and careful nurturing, Patti has grown the organization from just her immediate family to a network of 250,000 volunteers supporting deployed soldiers, military families and veterans. Together they provide care packages, community services, scholarships and financial assistance to American soldiers and their families. The organization has been recognized nationally with Microsoft’s Above and Beyond Award and the Department of Defense’s Spirit of Hope Award. A woman of passion and drive, Patti has spoken at higher education establishments such as the United States Air Force Academy. For her initiative and contributions, Patti was awarded the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ James C. Vanzant Citizen Award and NBC’s America’s Favorite Mom Award. She also received personal recognition from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for her efforts directed at wounded soldiers. Described as “a shining example of how leadership can come from not only the board room but also the living room,” Patti and her husband, Jeff, have two children, Bayley and Bretton, and one granddaughter, Jocelyn.

Rebecca Powers, Travis County
	Despite knowing little about the Central Texas nonprofit community, Rebecca Powers felt inspired to positively affect her community and jumped in head first. Using her experience as a successful salesperson with both IBM and Pampered Chef and embracing the concept of a giving circle, Rebecca launched Impact Austin in 2003. During Impact Austin’s first year, she motivated 126 women to give at least $1,000 each enabling the group to present its first grant to LifeWorks. By asking questions, listening actively and surrounding herself by a skilled team, Rebecca nurtured the growth of Impact Austin. Seven years later the organization is engaging, developing and inspiring women to effect positive change through community grant giving. By the end of this year, Impact Austin will have invested more than $2.6 million in Central Texas nonprofits thanks to Rebecca’s vision and determination. A graduate of Leadership Austin’s Essentials program, Rebecca instills her generous spirit in both her children, even partnering with her daughter to begin Girls Giving Grants to teach philanthropy to girls ages 12-18. Additionally she serves as a mentor for Impact Giving in California, a fledgling women’s giving circle. For her transformative leadership, Rebecca served a year as a McBee Fellow with the Austin Area Research Organization, was honored by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce with the Community Relations Award and in 2009 was one of the Austin Business Journal’s Profiles in Power. An active member with the Association of Fundraising Professionals and Rotary Club of Austin, Rebecca and her husband, Phil, have two children, Claire and Brad.

Martha Smiley, Travis County
	With more than 30 years experience in law, business and public affairs, Martha Smiley is a distinguished and well-respected member of the Austin legal community. Currently counsel for Winstead Attorneys, Martha was a founding partner of Bickerstaff, Heath & Smiley, where she specialized in communications law and regulatory affairs. A graduate of the University of Texas Law School, she is active with her alma mater as a supporter of the Center for Women in Law, six years as a Board of Regents member and is a recipient of the UT Law School Distinguished Alum for Community Service and Honorary Order of the Coif. In addition to her professional success and commitment to the law, Martha is an active volunteer. A native Texan, she is a founding member of the Texas Foundation for Women’s Resources as well as Leadership Texas and Leadership America. Driven by what is best for her community, she has held leadership positions with United Way Capital Area, Austin Community Foundation and the SafePlace Foundation. Martha, a grown-up Girl Scout, has also served as Vice Chair for the Texas National Research Laboratory Commission and Board President for KLRU Public Television. Currently President of the Austin Area Research Organization, she has two grown sons, Richard and John Gentry who both live in Austin. Described as having “wisdom about what is right, a vision for how to accomplish the right [and] the persistence to never quit,” her wish for Central Texas girls is that they are empowered to dream big and to always believe in themselves.

Kris Whitfield, Williamson County
	Grown-up Girl Scout Kris Whitfield moved to Round Rock in 1992 after leaving her mark on the Abilene community through her successful career, including serving as the Executive Director for the March of Dimes. Upon relocating to Round Rock, she hit the ground running as a Property Manager with Barshop & Oles an then as the President of the Texas Junior Chamber of Commerce. Her career continued to flourish as she stepped into the role of Client Service Manager placing employees at Dell and eventually became President and co-owner of CheckSmart Recovery, the 2006 Round Rock Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year. However it is not for her impressive professional achievements that Kris is best known; it is for her selfless dedication to her neighbors and the well-being of the Round Rock community. A 2003 graduate of Leadership Round Rock, she has served her community through leadership positions with the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the Round Rock Higher Education Center, YMCA of Greater Williamson County, Rotary and more. She was critical to the founding of the Round Rock ISD Education Foundation, Operation Giving Tree, Women Impacting the Nation and Round Rock Area Arts Council among others. For her many contributions, Kris was named an Honorary Governor of Texas in 1997 and a decade later was elected to her current role as a city councilwoman with the Round Rock City Council. In this role, she passionately advocates for community involvement through volunteerism. Kris and her husband, Eric, have three children, Eric, Britta and Richard and four grandchildren.

Distinguished Workplace for Women SafePlace
	Founded by women in 1974, SafePlace is ending sexual and domestic violence through safety, healing and prevention for individuals, families and the community. SafePlace not only empowers the women it serves, but seeks to empower all women, including its own staff. A vast majority of the senior executives, program directors, and program managers are women, and the average length of service with SafePlace is 12 years for senior executives and program directors. This impressive retention rate can be at least partially credited to the organization’s nurturing, family-friendly culture, which includes on-site child care, flexible hours, job-share opportunities, openness to children in the workplace and designated areas for nursing. SafePlace is an internationally-recognized leader for its innovative and valuable programs it offers to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. By providing a state-of-the-art emergency shelter; extensive transitional services; hospital advocacy for rape survivors; counseling, prevention and education programs, SafePlace offers critically needed services to survivors and engages the community in advancing alternatives in attitudes, behaviors and policies to impact our understanding and responses to sexual and domestic violence.