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TEXAS FEDERATION OF

REPUBLICAN WOMEN

INSPIRED
WOMEN
UNITING
TEXAS

TEXASStar

F a l l / C o n v e n t i o n

I s s u e

@ Marc Friedland Photography

Rolls of Fun Photography


by Pamra Culp

Presidents
Message ...

As the current TFRW term comes


to an end, it is with gratitude that I
reflect back on the women who were
instrumental in founding our organization. Texas Federation of Republican
Women continue to build on a history
of empowered women training other
women to become leaders in the political arena. TFRW was founded in 1955
under the umbrella of the National
Federation of Republican Women.
Since that time, we have continued
to grow and train leaders throughout
Texas.
Founded in 1938, the National Federation of Republican Women is one of
(Presidents Message Continued Page 2)

Convention 2015


Lubbock and its Republican Women were gracious hosts for TFRWs
2015 Convention in November. Republican Women from across the state
traveled to the West Texas plains for the biennial event that brought together
Texas elected officials and the women who elected them. The 3-day event
featured Governor Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, Former Gov. Perry and U.S. Senators Cornyn and Cruz in addition to a myriad of other Texas dignitaries and
speakers.

TFRW President Jody Rushton presided over the convention along
with the 2014-2015 board. Bylaws were changed, resolutions were approved,
and numerous awards were presented to TFRW clubs. In the end, it was a
most productive convention and the 2016-2017 TFRW Officers were elected
(Continued Page3)

TEXAS FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN

T F R W

O F F I C E R S

PRESIDENT
Jody Rushton
4500 Barwyn Ct
Plano, TX 75093
214 952 8668 (M)
president@tfrw.org

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT


Carolyn Hodges
5525 Navarro
Houston, TX 77056
713 443 4239 (M)
pastpres@tfrw.org

1ST VP Special Events


Debra Coffey
500 Throckmorton, #2204
Ft. Worth, TX 76102
817 307 4992 (M)
firstvp@tfrw.org

MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Sue DeVillez
137 Old Chisholm Trail
Georgetown, TX 78633
512 818 5029 (M)
devillez05@verizon.net

VP BYLAWS
Theresa Kosmoski, RP
8855 Merlin Ct
Houston, TX 77055
713 502 3527 (M)
vpbylaws@tfrw.org

MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Pearl Maggio
6 South Dylanshire
The Woodlands, TX 77384
713 907 1958 (M)
pmaggio@consolidated.net

VP CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES
Cheri Creekmore
141 Persia Dr
Universal City, TX 78148
210 288 3073 (M)
vpcampaignact@tfrw.org

MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Michele Samuelson
14419 Robert I Walker Blvd
Austin, TX 78728
214 995 0413 (H)
michele.samuelson@gmail.
com

VP FINANCE
Janis Holt
105 Magnolia Ln
Silsbee, TX 77656
409 781 2130 (M)
vpfinance@tfrw.org
VP LEGISLATION
Rachel Woods
1199 Western Oaks
Waco, TX 76712
254 723 7633 (M)
vplegislation@tfrw.org

STANDING COMMITTEE
CHAIRMEN
AWARDS
M Elizabeth Cathey
203 Bobcat Bend
Shavano Park, TX 78231
210 488 1516 (M)
awards@tfrw.org
OUTREACH EDUCATION
Tina Gibson
911 Millpond Dr
Sugarland, TX 77498
713 412 1620 (M)
community@tfrw.org

VP MEMBERSHIP
Kim Chambers
PAC TREASURER
115 Sandra Muraida Way #615
Barbara Buxton (Larry)
Austin, TX 78703
15614 Azalea Shores Dr
512 507 3668 (M)
Houston, TX 77070
vpmembership@tfrw.org
713 824 8324 (M)
pacchair@tfrw.org
VP PROGRAMS
Rhonda Lacy
PARLIAMENTARIAN
3012 Moss
Pam Meyercord
Midland, TX 79705
5831 Meletio Ln
432 553 1593 (M)
Dallas, TX 75230
vpprograms@tfrw.org
972 239 1965 (M)
Meyercord@aol.com
SECRETARY
Carol Van De Walle
1301 Vista Del Monte
San Antonio, TX 78216
210 493 4508 (H)
secretary@tfrw.org
TREASURER
Gail Entrekin
1805 Pembroke Ln
McKinney, TX 75070
972 839 8715 (M)
treasurer@tfrw.org

PUBLIC RELATIONS - TX
STAR EDITOR
Julie Faubel
3110 Golfcrest Dr
Montgomery, TX 77356
918 519 1599 (M)
pr@tfrw.org


TFRW Headquarters
13740 N Hwy 183 Suite J4
Austin, TX 78750
512-477-1615 (Office)
512-480-0709 (fax)

(President Message-continued from page one)

the largest grassroots political organizations in the country with thousands


of active members in local clubs across the nation. NFRW focuses on
national leaders and the national political arena.
NFRW and TFRW empower women from all backgrounds in the political
process and provide a forum for women to serve as leaders in the political,
government, and civic arenas.
Our objectives are to:
Inform the public through political and legislative

education, training and activity;
recruit, train and elect Republican candidates;
protect the integrity of our electoral process;
promote the principles, objectives and policies of the

Republican Party;
unite and facilitate cooperation among the state and club

organizations; and,
increase the effectiveness of women in the cause of good government.
In Texas over the last two years, TFRW has contributed over $600,000 to
Republican candidates and 2 million volunteer campaign hours working to
elect Republicans. There are no other political organizations for women as
instrumental in the state of Texas as TFRW. We are proud of our heritage,
and are looking forward to a future filled with positive conservative candidates and policies.

It has been such an honor and a privilege to serve as your TFRW
President. We have worked together to ensure growth, open up potential and encourage those around us to run for political office. As I have
traveled Texas, visiting and talking with members all over the state, it has
been such a pleasure to get to know each one of you. The women of Texas
are strong in their resolve to make our state and our country more secure,
economically sound, and educationally exceptional.

I wish to congratulate the entire incoming TFRW Board, led by
President-elect Theresa Kosmoski. The next two years will be exciting
and powerful under their command! We will look forward to our next
TFRW club Leadership Training at our Leadership Day February 6, 2016
at the Houston Westin Hotel in Memorial City. More information on this
event may be found on the TFRW website.

My wish for you and your families is for a blessed and Merry
Christmas. May 2016 bring us renewed vigor and enthusiasm AND a
Republican President!
And may we all continue to be: Inspired Women, Uniting Texas
TFRW President 2014-2015

Jody Rushton

Congratulations to

Rhonda Lacy
TFRWs VP Membership,
on receiving
NFRWs 2015 Campaign
Volunteer Award!

tfrw@tfrw.org
www.tfrw.org

TEXAS FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN

(Continued from page one)

and installed. Thank you President Jody Rushton for your


dedication and hard work! Congratulations to incoming
TFRW President Theresa Kosmoski and we wish you well
as the gavel is now yours!
Julie Faubel
Texas Star Editor

L E G I S L A T I V E

U P D A T E

TFRW awards Senator Jane Nelson

Kay Bailey Hutchison


Award
The Texas Federation of Republican Women chose Texas Senator Jane Nelson as its 2015 recipient of
the Kay Bailey Hutchison Leadership award during TFRWs Convention recently in Lubbock.
The award, established in 2013 and named for former
U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, came about after
much discussion on how to properly honor Senator
Hutchison after her retirement from office. Its goal
is to encourage more Texas Republican Women to
step up to the plate and seek elective political office,
as Sen. Hutchison did during her career. Congratulations Senator Jane Nelson!

Republican women run the machinery of our campaigns, and they are the reason we turned Texas red
and built a strong state economy. This award is very
special to me because I am a great admirer of Senator Hutchison and because I would not be where I
am today without TFRW.
Texas State Senator Jane Nelson, R- Flower Mound

TEXAS FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN

Convention 2015

Rolls of Fun Photography


by Pamra Culp

TEXAS FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN

Convention 2015

Rolls of Fun Photography


by Pamra Culp

TEXAS FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN

Convention 2015

Rolls of Fun Photography


by Pamra Culp

TEXAS FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN

S
Convention 2015

Rolls of Fun Photography


by Pamra Culp

TEXAS FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN

The Ten Most Outstanding Women


Congratulations to this years 10 Outstanding Award Recipients!
participated in Republican conventions for over 30 years,
served as a Precinct Chairman for 20-plus years and assisted with several state party conventions. Its hard to
find a Republican candidate and/or elected official that has
not benefited from her as a staff member or volunteer. She
has been a member of her local Republican Womens Club
for 35 years and has held every office and chaired every
committee, except Treasurer. She has been honored by her
local club withLifetime Achievement Award.

Halene Crossman

Kingwood Area Republican


Women
Not only is Halene known for her
Republican activity, but she is well
known throughout her community
for her extensive involvement in
civic, school, church and profes-

The Honorable

sional organizations.
As a political volunteer she has served her local Republican Womens club as President, Treasurer, Parliamentarian and Chaplain. She has been involved with numerous
TFRW events and programs including serving as a state
delegate for six years and a national delegate for two conventions. Her heart for the military led her to coordinate
a welcome home event at Ellington Air Force Base for the
Texas Air National Guard and their families.

Patricia Harless

Northwest Forest Republican


Women
Patricia began her involvement
in the political process early in
life. At age 16 she worked phone
banks for Presidential candidate
Ronald Reagan which led her to become a committed
volunteer. In addition to her Republican activities, she has
shared her expertise throughout her community and with
her professional trade association, the Texas Independent
Dealers Association. Two Texas Governors Bush and
Perry appointed this get it done Republican woman to
the Texas Motor Vehicle Board. We all know the importance of answering the call and she has done just that.
She is serving her fifth term in the Texas House of Representatives where she serves on the powerful Calendars,
State Affairs and Transportation
Committees.

Shirley A. Martinez

Bexar County Republican Women


Outreach to the Latino community
has been at the center of Shirleys
involvement that reaches across
local, state and national levels.
She has served Bexar County
Republican Women in a variety
of positions including President,
Vice-President of Programs and Chaplain. She has twice
been recognized by TFRW as an honoree for its Tribute to
Women. In 1989, she worked on the Presidential Inaugural Committee and was the executive director of the BushQuayle Presidential Hispanic Inaugural Ball. She served
as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Air Force at the
Pentagon under President George
W. Bush and as the liaison to the
White House Initiative on Educational Excellence.

Candace Noble

Golden Corridor Republican


Women
A lifelong Republican, Candaces
first involvement in the political
area began in college by lobbying
the Texas Legislature. Since then, she has been involved
on the local, county, state and national levels as an energetic volunteer. She has served her local club as a delegate
to the state convention on five different occasions and an
NFRW delegate and alternate at two conventions. On the
county level, she serves a Precinct Chairman and county
parliamentarian. State-wide, she serves as a State Republican Executive Committee Woman, and Chairman of the

Susan Fischer

Richardson Republican Women


Susan grew up in a Republican
family, and has been an Election
Judge for almost 40 years. She

TEXAS FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN

A member of the Grassroots Club, she has held almost


every position in her local Republican Womens club.
She generously gives of her time to support fundraisers
for her club - the county party and elected officials. She
regularly opens her home to political events and candidates. She chaired the Decorations Committee and served
on the Planning Committee for the 2009 TFRW Convention. In addition to her involvement in the political arena,
she has served her Homeowners
Association, local museum, food
bank and the Wounded Warrior
project.

Grassroots Committee. She has been a delegate to the past


10 county or senatorial district conventions, a delegate to
the last seven state conventions and a delegate to the 2012
national convention.

Jan Ott

Cy-Fair Republican Women


A campaign manager and volunteer, Jan has done it all - from
block walking to campaign office management, to presenting
campaign management schools.
She was still in college when she
worked on her first campaign, supporting Kit Bond for Governor in her home state of Missouri. She became active in Texas politics when she moved
to Houston from Singapore with her husband and daughter
in 2001. Not only has she worked hard in her local club,
serving in many elected offices, she has served as an
elected officer for 6 years to TFRW in leadership positions
and now serves as a Deputy President.
She has been a delegate to six TFRW conventions and five
NFRW conventions.

Zan Sharp Prince

Bush Legacy Republican Women


Zan knows how to get the job
done and do it RIGHT! She is
a community leader that gives
of herself to individuals and the
community through professional, civic, charitable and
political outreach.
She has campaigned for many candidates, most notably;
she was part of the 2000 Bush-Cheney Texas Strikeforce
Team that deployed to West Palm Beach, Florida. A dedicated volunteer, she has participated in Precinct, County,
State and National conventions, along with TFRW and
NFRW conventions. She is a past president of Parker County
Republican Women and a Charter Member and past president
of the Bush Legacy Republican Women. For 11 years she has
lead her county as Republican Party Chairman.

Deborah M. Wall

San Antonio Republican Women


Following 25 years as a military
spouse, Deborah became an active
member in her local Republican
Womens club where the skills she
gleaned from military life proved
invaluable as First Vice-President
for Programs, College Outreach
and Awards Chairman and as Cochair for the 2013 TFRW Convention. She has served her
county as an election clerk, poll watcher, liaison between
the county party and Republican women, and helped organize the county campaign headquarters. When she was only
five years old, Jan became fascinated with politics when
attending a rally for a Republican Senator who actually campaigned on a soapbox in her home state of Kentucky!

Judy Parada
Lake Conroe Area Republican
Women
A lifelong Republican, Judy
has served as a delegate to six
RPT State Conventions and one
RNC National Convention. She
has assisted her local chapter as
Chairman of Caring for American, Campaign Activities and held elected positions as
Treasurer, Vice-President for Membership and President. She also served on the TFRW Board on the Budget
Committee, as Vice-President of Membership, District
Director and Deputy President. In addition to her local
involvement, she serves her communitys public library,
poison information committee and the leukemia and lymphoma Light the Night benefit. Judy is a former teacher
and wife of a retired US Air Force Lt. Colonel.

Pearl Maggio

Montgomery County Republican


Women

A former teacher, Pearl became


involved in her local chapter
when she retired and moved to
her current county of residence.
Our nominee leads by example.

* Thank you to Sherry Peterson, Chairman, and her committee members Rebecca Bradford, Texas Moore, Juandelle Lacy Roberts and
Leanne Ivey for your dedication and hard work!

TEXAS FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN

Borah Van Dormolen Scholarship


Borah Van Dormolen was no ordinary person. She was an accomplished soldier, businessperson, Republican political leader, community leader, and much more. In her memory and
to encourage leadership in young women, the Texas Federation of Republican Women, along
with Borahs Family have established a Memorial Scholarship in her name. This scholarship
is fully funded by Borahs family.

Congratulations to the 2015 Winners!


Madison
Albrecht
As a longtime
resident of Boerne
Texas, Madison
Albrecht has strong
conservative values
and a love of our
country. She graduated at the top her class with honors
from Boerne Champion High School. For three years,
Madison was president of the debate team, coaching other
students to excel in speech and debate. Madison founded
Operation Boerne, a school district wide initiative to
support our military by shipping hundreds of care packages to the U.S. troops serving overseas. She also founded
Champion High Schools Republican club to engage other
students in politics.
A junior at The University of Texas at Austin, Madison
is majoring in Government and Economics. She is involved in College Republicans, Young Conservatives of
Texas, and the Navigators. In addition to school, she has
spent hundreds of hours volunteering for the conservative
cause through TFRW, the Republican Party, and numerous
candidates. Also Madison worked as Assistant Clerk of the
House Pensions Committee during the 84th legislative session. Madison plans on graduating May 2017 and it is her
goal to work for the Legislature either through campaigns
or public policy advising.

McKenzie
Johnson
McKenzie Johnson
grew up in Prosper,
Texas. She attended
Prosper High School
and was the valedictorian of her class. During her years in high school, she was
involved in Student Council. McKenzie was voted Team
Captain of her schools soccer team twice. She was also
president of the Prosper Fellowship of Christian Athletes
chapter. She, along with a couple other students, founded
the Prosper Writing Center and helped to tutor others.
McKenzie is currently a sophomore attending The
University of Texas at Austin majoring in Computational
Biomedical Engineering and minoring in English. She is
involved in the Women in Engineering Program, as well as
the Society of Women Engineers. She is a member of the
Programs committee of the International Affairs Society
where she strives to provide a conservative voice to the
group. McKenzie plans on graduating in May of 2018.

Susanna Lorenz

TFRW State Scholarship 2015 Winner!


Susanna was homeschooled at Straight Arrow Academy in Richardson and presently attending Collin College. She will transfer to University of Texas at Dallas
to continue her studies in Neuroscience. Her other interest is in Child Development, where she has lots of experience volunteering with various groups. She is
active in her church, been an honorary page for Senator Van Taylor, worked the
polls and was a delegate at the State Convention. Her essay was outstanding with
a title of Texas and Its Daughters.

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TEXAS FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN

And the gavel is passed, Congratulations Theresa Kosmoski, TFRW President 2016-1017!

Theresa Kosmoski

Julie Faubel

Tina Gibson

Janis Holt

2016-2017 TFRW Officers

Karen Newton

Michele Samuelson

President, Theresa Kosmoski


1st Vice President Special Events, Julie Faubel
Vice President Bylaws, Tina Gibson
Vice President Campaign Activities, Janis Holt
Vice President Finance Karen Newton
Vice President Legislation, Michele Samuelson
Vice President Membership, Rhonda Lacy
Vice President Programs, Besa Martin
Treasurer, Cindy Payne
Secretary, Glynis Chester

Rhonda Lacy

Besa Martin

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Glynis Chester

Cindy Payne

MARK YOUR CALENDAR


February 4 TFRW District Directors

Meeting and Executive Committee
Meeting

Westin Memorial City, Houston
February 5 TFRW Board Meeting

Westin Memorial City, Houston
February 6 TFRW 2016 Leadership Day

Westin Memorial City, Houston
March 1 Texas 2016 Primary Election Day

TEXAS FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN


INSPIRED WOMEN
UNITING TEXAS

TEXASStar
H H H H H H H H H

The Texas Star is the official publication of the Texas Federation of Republican Women and is e-mailed quarterly to its members. It contains information about the Federation, its member clubs, and issues important to the
political arena.

13740 N Highway 183, Suite J4, Austin TX 78750

Political advertising paid for by Texas Federation of Republican Women PAC

Thank you Jody!

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