Houston Endowment’s newest executive shares her thoughts on the Foundation, Houston, and more
Tabitha Rice joined Houston Endowment in summer 2024, bringing with her visionary leadership and passion for Houston. Previously, Tabitha served as Executive Vice President at Texas Children’s Hospital, where she led numerous projects to transform and develop clinical, research, and support departments.
As the Foundation’s Vice President of Programs, she drives our mission to improve the lives of everyone in Greater Houston through investments in education, civic engagement, and arts and parks. Below, Tabitha shares what brought her to Houston Endowment, what fuels her inspiration, and her favorite things about our city.
First and foremost, why Houston Endowment?
I feel incredibly connected to Houston Endowment’s mission to improve the quality of life for everyone in Greater Houston and believe it is an immense privilege to be part of an organization that is so focused on making a positive impact.
It was easy to say “yes” to joining this team. This is a special organization full of thoughtful, kind, and talented people who work together to make a meaningful and measurable impact in our community. And in my few months here, I’ve found that Houston Endowment is impactful, thoughtful, collaborative, and innovative.
Why are you passionate about Houston?
I was born in Kansas but we moved to Houston when I was in junior high, and it opened my eyes to a wealth of opportunities that I had never even dreamed of. It also gave me an excellent public education that led to a college experience that changed my life.
Houston is vibrant, diverse, and accessible to all sorts of parks, cultural opportunities, and sporting events. There are a multitude of opportunities to be engaged, and it’s a great place to raise a family.
I feel fortunate to live here, and it’s an immense opportunity to make a difference in the city I love and that has given me and my family so much. I look forward to ensuring that Houston is unequivocally the best city in the world for generations to come.
What would you say to our founders, Jesse H. and Mary Gibbs Jones, if you could?
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you for this incredible legacy that has benefitted generations of Houstonians, and thank you for your foresight, generosity, and unwavering commitment to Houston. We are honored to continue to carry forward your vision and are deeply committed to ensuring that the work you began will continue to make a difference well into the future.
Now that you’ve spent some time getting to know our new office, what’s your favorite piece of art in the building?
It is impossible to pick a single favorite! I love the Forgotten Struggle Series by Phillip Pyle II as well as Carnival by Gerardo Rosales that is outside my office. I am also completely captivated by the most recent installation of the Jones Artist Awards Program, Con Cariño by Guadalupe Hernandez, which is paper-based and uses papel picado techniques.
What do you consider your superpower?
My children would consider it my ability to find anything lost in the house, but for me it’s a combination of things. One is the ability to take a complex problem and solve it. I can also work with anyone — it’s all about finding common threads and purpose.
What are you reading right now?
My booklist is way longer than anything I can actually work through. As soon as I finish a book, it seems like I’ve added two or three more, so it gets longer and longer, and it’s a pretty eclectic mix.
I have three books going right now. My fiction book — in part because it is now a Netflix series and I want to read the book before watching it — is “The Perfect Couple” by Elin Hilderbrand. “Infectious Generosity” by Chris Anderson is my non-fiction, and with my son, I’m reading “Why We Love Baseball,” by Joe Posnanski which is iconic baseball stories.
What’s your 5-9 before your 9-5? (or 5-9 after your 9-5)
If the choice is early morning or late at night, it’s always late at night. I do my best work late at night. Mornings for us are mainly school prep and getting out the door. Evenings are workouts, family dinner, and kids’ sports.
What are you most proud of?
That’s easy. My children. My three kids are fantastic.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Be the best at getting better.
Last but not least is the lightening round — Houston Edition.
- Orbit or Toro? Orbit.
- 610 or 45? Neither?
- Ninfa’s or El Tiempo? El Tiempo because it’s 5 minutes from my house
- Shipley’s Donuts or kolaches? Both!
- Regular ketchup or spicy ketchup? Regular Whataburger ketchup.
- IAH or HOU? Whichever is cheaper.
- AstroWorld or WaterWorld? WaterWorld.
- HLSR: Rodeo or concert? Both. When I was a little girl, I barrel raced in Kansas.