Meet the League of Women Voters
A community-driven organization since 1920.
Our Board of Trustees
Annie Johnson Benifield, President
Melissa Padden, Secretary
Jackie Kacen, Treasurer
Nancy Kral, Vice President for Voter Services
Naomi Williams, Vice President for Study and Advocacy
Roxanne Werner, Vice President for Marketing and Communications
Tiko Reynolds-Hausman, Vice President for Membership
Carol Shattuck, Vice President for Development
Claudia Ortega Hogue, President-Elect & Vice President for Strategic Partnerships
Amber Burton Alfred, Trustee At Large
Alan Bernstein, Trustee At Large
Renee Cross, Trustee At Large
Jack Enright, Trustee At Large
Graci Garces, Trustee At Large
Virginia Johnson, Trustee At Large
Michelle Levi McDaniel, Trustee At Large
MaryJane Mudd, Trustee At Large
Gene Preuss, Trustee At Large
Katherine Summerlin, Trustee At Large
Priscila True, Trustee At Large
Watch President Annie Johnson Benifield discuss our work:
The League of Women Voters of Houston is a nonprofit 501(c)3 charitable trust dedicated to serving the Houston community by offering voter outreach initiatives and trusted, impartial information about elections and major public policy issues. Donations, including membership dues, are tax-deductible as allowed by law. LWV-Houston is governed by a Board of Trustees elected by our membership.
Katie Campbell Shumway, League of Women Voters of Houston's Executive Director
Katie has twelve years of experience working within the nonprofit sector, as a staff member, volunteer, and board member. Prior to joining LWV Houston as Executive Director, Katie worked with the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. During her tenure, she took part in the Arboretum’s transformative Master Plan, doubled event income, modernized IT infrastructure, and worked closely with staff and board members to further the mission of nature education and conservation.
Since 2018, she has served on the LWVH Board of Directors, moving from being a member, to serving on a committee, committee chair, and then Treasurer. She has also volunteered with the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, and several activism and political campaigns.
Katie is very committed to diversifying the LWVH. She will launch a “listening” effort to better understand the needs within diverse communities, and to explore how the LWVH could partner with each community to build voter registration, voter awareness/education and voter participation.
In asking how others would describe her, Katie said: “She gets things done, she is a problem solver, she works well with others, people seek her input when addressing difficult issues, and she is a relationship builder.”
Katie: “My priorities are to work hard, increase voter turnout, collaborate as much as possible, and turn our ideas into action by building out a strong team of staff and volunteers.”
Our Vision
We believe in the power of every person to create a more perfect democracy and support the desire, the right, the knowledge and the confidence for all to participate.
Our Mission
The League of Women Voters of Houston fosters a thriving democracy by engaging all people in the political process through nonpartisan information sharing, passionate civic engagement and by providing opportunities to participate in the democratic process.
Our Values
- Engaged—We are an organization of action. Our people-centric mission enables us to empower our community to be the educated change agents our world needs.
- Inclusive—We seek, in all levels of our organization, to support, engage with and empower ALL members of our community regardless of gender, race, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, religion or creed.
- Transparent—We actively demonstrate our integrity by openly sharing the work that we do and the results we achieve together to inform our community and encourage other communities to follow suit.
- Trustworthy—We consider our organizational and individual integrity to be of the highest priority in all that we do.
- Aware—We listen, evaluate and connect the dots in our community and current political landscape to ensure every action and charge that we lead is reflective of the world we want to see tomorrow.
- Forward-thinking—We take action today for our collective tomorrow by leveraging the ideas, technology and community-driven initiatives that enable us to achieve our Vision.
100 Plus Years of History
The League of Women Voters of the United States and the League of Women Voters of Houston were both established in 1920, the year that the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States gave women the right to vote. Learn more about our Centennial Celebration here!
We are proud to be an unbiased, nonpartisan organization that works on issues that matter deeply to our members and to the public. Your membership in the League of Women Voters of Houston includes membership in our state League (LWV-TX) and in the national League (LWV-US).

Connect With Us
