International
Women’s Day 2024

GUEST PANELISTS

Ann Johnson

Deanna Jones

Lesley Briones

Margaret Ford Fisher

About

The United Nations Association Houston’s International Women’s Day Commemoration, organized in partnership with the City of Houston will be held on March 8 at the City of Houston City Hall. We unite to honor the remarkable achievements and invaluable contributions of women in the Greater Houston area.

We are honored to announce esteemed speakers for the event, including Representative Ann Johnson, Texas State Representative; Lesley Briones, Harris County Commissioner; and Dr. Margaret Fisher, Chancellor of Houston Community Colleges. Their insights and perspectives will undoubtedly enrich our commemoration.

A compelling panel discussion is scheduled, focusing on this year’s International Women’s Day Theme: “Invest in Women: Accelerate the Progress.”

Here are the event details:

March 8, 2024

11:00 AM

City of Houston City Hall Legacy Room

Wearing purple is encouraged

We truly appreciate your support and participation in this important event. Together, let’s continue to empower and uplift women in our communities and beyond.

RSVP required. If you have any further questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact us at info@unahouston.org

Our Speaker and Panelists

Representative Ann Johnson

a former Chief Human Trafficking Prosecutor, current teacher, and small business owner who works as an attorney in our criminal justice system for victims of sexual exploitation and those who cannot afford a lawyer.

Ann earned a BA degree from the University of Texas and her law degree from South Texas College of Law Houston. She worked as a briefing attorney for the Honorable Leslie Brock Yates, then a Justice on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals following graduation. She then worked as a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office until 2005, when she then entered private practice with her father, Jake, at Johnson Law Firm PC. Ann and her father represented individuals in civil, criminal and juvenile matters. One of her most significant cases was In re B.W., 313 SW3rd 818 (Tex. 2010) in which the Texas Supreme Court reversed the Harris County District Attorney’s prosecution of a 13-year-old child for prostitution and created a framework for protecting child victims of exploitation and human trafficking.

Deanna Jones

Deanna Jones is Executive Vice President of People, Communications &
Transformation at Baker Hughes. She joined the company in January 2020.

Before joining Baker Hughes, Jones served as Senior Vice President of HR, Communications, and Administration for Marathon Oil Corporation. Prior to that, she was the Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Commercial Officer for Newfield Exploration, and she also served as the head of Human Resources for Schlumberger’s Reservoir Production Group. Between 2006 and 2008, Jones was Vice President, North America for Schlumberger Information Solutions and, in that role, was responsible for leading software, information, and the company’s related infrastructure organization in the U.S. Prior to 2006, she worked in a variety of managerial assignments of increasing responsibility for Schlumberger in Canada and the U.S. Jones previously served on the Board of Directors of the Texas Dow Employees Credit Union (TDECU). She is currently on the Boards for Communities in Schools of Houston and the Greater Houston Partnership.
Jones earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Calgary, Canada. She has also completed executive business courses in human resources at the University of Michigan and in finance at the IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Lesley Briones

Harris County Commissioner is a native Texan and proud Latina who grew up on the U.S.-Mexico border. She is the daughter of teachers, who taught her the importance of education, hard work, and serving others—values that have defined her and which she now brings to the office of County Commissioner for Precinct 4.

Upon graduating with honors from Harvard University, she began her career as an 8th and 10th-grade teacher at two of the lowest-income public schools in the country. She then attended Yale Law School, where she led the Latino Law Students’ Association’s public service initiatives and provided pro-bono assistance to survivors of domestic abuse and juvenile offenders.

Margaret Ford Fisher

Ed.D., began her tenure as Houston Community College’s (HCC) Interim Chancellor on September 1, 2023. From 2018-2023, she served as founding president of HCC Online College, leading to the establishment more than 60 fully online degrees and 70 hybrid programs, building a 62,000-plus enrolment.

Before that role, she served 20 years as HCC Northeast College president. There, she led two successful capital campaigns and community support for HCC District annexation. She led development of new, leading-edge STEM energy and biotechnology programs, secured federal and state grants and philanthropic support, and brokered industry relationships that led to high-tech, stackable-certificate programs, state-of-the-art facilities, and 14,000 enrolled students.