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To The Leader

The Better Business Bureau Serving Southeast Texas announced the names today of the women who they will honor in conjunction with the newly launched BBB Texas Professional Women’s Conference. In partnership with BBBs throughout Texas and Lamar Institute of Technology, the 2020 conference will be held virtually on October 22nd.

Four local women were selected based on their business leadership, community involvement and relationship with BBB Southeast Texas. The “Woman of Integrity” honorees will be recognized in a small presentation and virtually throughout the month of October.

The 2020 Woman of Integrity honorees are:

Michelle Brewer: Michelle works in the Hardin County Office of Emergency Management as the Disaster Recovery Director under the direction of County Judge Wayne McDaniel. She is the Executive Director for Hardin County Strong, a 501c3 non-profit that provides long term, disaster recovery. For the last 3 years Michelle has been working to help residents rebuild their homes and lives after Hurricane Harvey.

Michelle previously worked at Better Business Bureau Serving Southeast Texas and the Julie Rogers Gift of Life Program.  She enjoys staying involved with local community and hometown projects and participates in various volunteer efforts.  To Michelle, the most rewarding is her involvement with the children’s bus ministry at First Pentecostal Church of Silsbee. In 2019 Michelle accepted an appointment to the Disaster Leadership Team, a national volunteer group of recovery leaders that deploy to disaster impacted areas across the United States to offer training, mentorship and support at no cost.

Michelle lives in Silsbee with her husband of 31 years, Justice of the Peace Charles Brewer. Together they have 4 grown, married, successful children, Chad, Kaylee, Blake, Dollie, and 9 grandchildren. Michelle believes that any successes she may have are due to God’s grace, the Christian leadership of her pastor and church, and the people God has put in her life to help shape, mentor and inspire her to do good with the talents and resources she has been given.

Meg Baertl Brown: Meg was born in Lima, Peru and raised in Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania. She made her way to Southeast Texas with her family in 1995.

She graduated from UTMB Galveston with her bachelor’s in nursing and has been a nurse for 14 years in the pediatric, obstetrics and gynecology and hospice fields. Meg graduated from Lamar University in 2015 with her master’s in Nursing Administration. She is currently a case manager at Compassion Hospice and is working towards her post-master’s family nurse practitioner certificate at West Coast University.

Meg was nominated as a Houston Chronicle’s Salute to Nurses 150 Outstanding Nurses in 2015, a Southeast Texas 40 under 40 Professional nominee in 2017, and a member of Lamar University’s Alumni Advisory board from 2017-2020. She was crowned Ms. United America Petite in. She graduated from Leadership Beaumont in 2020 and has served on several local non-profit boards including the ARC of Greater Beaumont and Sea Rim Striders. She is currently on the board of the Rainbow Room of Orange and Orange Community Players. Meg is the Rotary Club of Bridge City-Orangefield President Elect, CASA advocate, Junior League of Beaumont sustainer, Service League of Orange member and is on the planning committees for both the Beaumont Walk to End Alzheimer’s and the Southeast Texas Out of the Darkness Experience for 2020. Meg was on the BBB’s Southeast Texas Women’s Conference Planning Committee and a conference volunteer in 2019.

In 2019, Meg started the PeriodPower Pantry to provide period products to the girls and women of Southeast Texas. She collects donations from the community and assembles the period packs which includes menstrual pads, tampons, deodorant, hand sanitizer, body wipes, and an inspirational card. She has delivered over 200 packs to local high schools, nonprofits, and has recently made packs to aid in the Hurricane Laura relief.

Jennifer Burch: Jennifer was raised in Southeast Texas. She is the CEO and Founder of Best Hospice Care of Texas. She is passionate about elder care and education. Jennifer has been in the hospice industry since she was 9 years old, growing up in the family business and volunteering with her paternal grandparents serving in a nursing home ministry program. She has served professionally in hospice the last 19 years, making it her mission to advocate and educate about hospice and healthcare services available to our aging community.

Jennifer is a servant leader and serves on the board of the Anayat House, the board of the Better Business Bureau Serving Southeast Texas, a member of the Speakers Bureau for the Alzheimer’s Association, member of the Beaumont Rotary Club, member of BNI, volunteers with the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Gift of Life, Nutrition and Services for Seniors, and Symphony League of Southeast Texas. She is a supporter of CASA of the Sabine Neches Region, Orange Service League, and the United Way of Orange and Beaumont. Jennifer was awarded 2017 40 under 40 by the Southeast Texas Young Professionals Organization, a 2013 Leadership Beaumont and 2013 Leadership Southeast Texas graduate.  Best Hospice Care of Texas was awarded the 2019 BBB Torch Award – Large Business Category.

Jennifer is married to Chris Burch, originally set up via blind date by their grandparents, and wed during Hurricane Ike. They have two beautiful daughters Madison (17) and Gracie (10), and three dogs a Bulldog named Breezy, a Goldendoodle named Maximus, and a Berniedoodle named Moose.

Dena Hughes: Dena Gray Hughes serves as the CEO of TAN Healthcare, a Federally Qualified Health Center, providing primary care, behavioral health services and medical care management to residents of Southeast Texas. Mrs. Hughes served as Executive Director for a couple of years before being named Chief Executive Officer.  Under her leadership, TAN Healthcare has doubled in size and become a comprehensive family health center offering primary medical and behavioral health services for people of all ages.

Dena has over 20 years of successful nonprofit/government management, advocacy and consulting experience. Prior to joining TAN Healthcare, Dena led the housing services division for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. She was executive director for Bread of Life, Inc., and director of advocacy for People with AIDS Coalition Houston. She also started Concept 2 Resource, a consulting firm that focuses on non-profit organizational management. She has conducted hundreds of presentations and hosted her own radio show. In 2011, Dena was named a recipient of President Obama’s CHAMPION OF CHANGE AWARD and was recognized locally with her own “Dena Gray” day on June 24th by Houston Mayor Annise Parker. And in 2016, Hughes was named Pride Houston’s Ally Grand Marshall.

In 2016, Mrs. Hughes relocated to Beaumont from Houston, Texas, to join the organization, while also graduating two children from the first class of Beaumont United High School in 2018.  Her family roots go deep in the Beaumont community, her family being a part of the farming settlers in the Pear Orchard in the early 1900’s.  She currently lives in the house her great-grandfather built with her husband, Daniel and their three dogs.  Mrs. Hughes is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Epsilon Theta Omega Chapter, Port Arthur, Texas and a member of the Beaumont Rotary Club.

BBB Southeast Texas initiated their Woman of Integrity recognition in 2019 as part of the Southeast Texas Women’s Conference. Although the conference is evolving and expanding this year—relaunching as the Texas Professional Women’s Conference—BBB Southeast Texas will continue to honor local women that work to empower, engage and educate within their community.

BBB Southeast Texas initiated their Woman of Integrity recognition in 2019 as part of the Southeast Texas Women’s Conference. Although the conference is evolving and expanding this year—relaunching as the Texas Professional Women’s Conference—BBB Southeast Texas will continue to honor local women that work to empower, engage and educate within their community.

“BBB congratulates the 2020 Woman of Integrity honorees.  While we adapted our Women’s Conference to meet the current conditions; we are committed to continuing to recognize local women making a difference in our community,” said BBB Southeast Texas President, Liz Fredrichs, “ It is a special tribute on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to honor women who embody a “can do” spirit reminiscent of the suffrage movement.”