Annise Parker

Annise Parker is the president and CEO of Victory Fund and Victory Institute, becoming the first former elected official to lead the organizations. Parker served six years as a Houston City Council member, six years as city controller, and six years as mayor of Houston. She is one of only two women to have been elected mayor of Houston and is the only individual in the city's history to have held the offices of council member, controller, and mayor. Parker was the first openly LGBTQ mayor of a major American city.

In addition to her duties as mayor, Parker was a member of President Obama’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, chaired the U.S. Conference of Mayors Criminal and Social Justice Committee, was a steering committee member of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, and served on the boards of the Texas Environmental Research Consortium and Houston Galveston Area Council. She is a past Fellow of the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Parker serves on the Policy and Global Affairs Committee of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. She also holds board positions with Houston Botanic Garden, Houston BARC Foundation, Patient Care Intervention Council, and the Climate Disclosure Project. Her work focuses on public policy, urban governance, LGBTQ advocacy, and climate disclosure initiatives.

Parker graduated from Rice University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. In the private sector, she spent 20 years working in the oil and gas industry, including 18 years with Mosbacher Energy Company. She also co-owned Inklings, a lesbian feminist bookstore for 10 years. Parker and her wife Kathy Hubbard have been together for more than 28 years and are advocates for adoption, with three daughters, a son, and a grandson.