Grace Rodriguez

I’ll be focusing on Social & Global Impact, Entrepreneurship and Startups, and Future Workplace content. Throughout the week, visit our friends Brian Lang, Eddie Gonzalez and Erik Ibarra (an Impact Hub Houston Board Member!) at Energizing Health: I’ll be representing Impact Hub Houston and helping national movement leaders, social enterprises and entrepreneurs at the Titan Generator: Many thanks to Roxy Ortiz of Elevated Layers for styling me this weekend; to Trish Badger for taking this photo of me at SXSW years ago; to the Impact Hub Houston team for keeping the ship aimed forward full-speed and on course; and to Andrew Karnavas (JustAddBeats and YAWP Records) for holding down the fort at home!

When I got the call from Blair Garrou introducing me to Emily Keeton three years ago, I had no idea that joining her, then Chris Root, then the indomitable spirit of John “JR” Reale, for the adventure of forming, launching, and growing Station Houston would become the most thrilling and character-building roller coaster ride of my life … so far. From the early days at the Surge Shack — when we were building our community, connecting the Lennart’s and Sam’s (Graylog) and the Carolyn’s and Courtenay’s (Circular Board/HelloAlice) with each other … when we tried to squeeze meetups of 60+ people into a room built for 30 … and when we battled to keep the summer heat at bay for Arundo’s team in the tiny office upstairs — to the growing pains of moving downtown and working lean to breathe life and vibrancy into what was once Deutsche Bank’s corporate trading floor, it has been a true adventure. To Station’s Board, mentors, investors, community partners, and corporate sponsors: I want to thank you so much for supporting Station Houston — I’m super excited to continue working with you in the broader community to strengthen Houston’s innovation ecosystem and foster even greater impact.

As an Independent, I didn’t vote along a straight party line throughout the full 2016 ballot; but after seeing so much hateful, racist, sexist, and spiteful rhetoric from many conservative leaders on the campaign trail, my votes leaned strongly towards progressive candidates. Some seemed to have voted for the GOP candidate and continued to bash Hillary Clinton, while ignoring the surge in hate crimes that immediately followed the 2016 election results. I want everyone to keep in mind that we want this to be a safe space for all; and, as such, that any disrespectful behavior is not tolerated here, neither from anyone nor to anyone, regardless of role within the Station community. In these times, I want us all to hark back to our stated values, and make sure that everyone in our community knows that Station Houston is a safe place for them.

By supporting WITS you are investing in the largest literary arts organization in Texas and a proven model for quality arts education. — teach the craft of writing, digital literacy and critical thinking in schools and community classrooms, helping students and educators explore literacy in innovative ways that close gaps in achievement and opportunity while fueling lifelong learning. $25 could provide classroom supplies for five children each month Many companies also have matching gift programs that can double or triple your impact. If you’d like to make an even greater impact on #STEAM education and literacy in Houston, please contact