After 35 years of dedicated service with the company, Sharon Michael Owens has retired, effective today.

Owens joined the company in 1977, beginning her career as a power consultant with Houston Lighting & Power Company. For 15 years, she worked in the operations side of our business before making the transition to public affairs and community relations. In 1998, she became Vice President of Community Relations. During the 14 years she has held that position, Sharon has become one of the most, if not the most, respected corporate figures in Houston’s charitable community.

She is currently active on several professional and civic boards, including the Houston Downtown Management District Board, Better Business Bureau, Joint City County Commission on Children, Precinct 1 Street Olympics, Neighborhood Recovery Community Development Corp., the Ensemble Theatre, Crohn’s & Colitis and the Missouri City Chapter of Links, where she serves as president.

Owens previously served on the boards of Neighborhood Centers, Inc., Texas Executive Women and the Girl Scouts Emerald Circle, to name a few. She served as president of the American Leadership Forum, second vice president and board member of the Houston Branch NAACP and on the National Board of Leadership America. She was appointed to the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Board for the State of Texas from 1994-1997.

Owens has received numerous awards and recognition for her leadership and service to the community. In 2010, she was inducted into the "Greater Houston Women’s Hall of Fame” by the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce. That same year, she received the Corporate/Business Award from the National Black MBA, Houston Chapter, and the Audrey H. Lawson Impact Award for Business & Community Service from Wheeler Avenue Inner City Visions, Inc. In 2008, she was recognized by Rolling Out Magazine as one of the “Top 25 Women of Houston – Female Success Factor” and she was honored as the “2008 Most Inspiring Business Woman” by Inspire Women.