The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation has announced its 2027 Women of Distinction Honorees as the Winter Ball approaches its 40th anniversary in Houston, a milestone year for one of the city’s long-running black-tie traditions! For forty years, the Women of Distinction Winter Ball has been part of Houston’s philanthropic season, bringing together women from across business, healthcare, education, and the arts who are recognized for their leadership and the ways they show up in the community over time.
This year’s honorees are Deborah Dunkum, Kelley Sullivan Georgiades, Mignon Gill, Michelle Budinger Maresh, Sandra Porter, Erin Furr Stimming, Saula Valente, and Laura Williams, with Leisa Holland Nelson Bowman and Leigh Smith being recognized as ambassadors, a distinction that highlights their continued involvement with the organization.
The Winter Ball has always been one of those black-tie nights at The Post Oak that’s as much loved as it is familiar in Houston’s social calendar, but it’s also directly tied to the work of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, supporting research, patient programs, Camp Oasis, and the broader efforts around Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Patti Murphy, Tammie Johnson, Beth Muecke
Over the years, the event has raised more than $25 million, which in Houston terms really translates into sustained funding, long-term research progress, and support systems for families navigating IBD in very real, day-to-day ways.
Event Chair Robin Klaes described this year’s honorees as “the very best of Houston,” while Co-Chair Kittsie Klaes Hance spoke about philanthropy as something shared across a community, something that doesn’t really sit still or belong to one moment in time.
Chair Robin Klaes and Junior Chair Kittsie Klaes Hance
The 2027 Women of Distinction Winter Ball will take place Saturday, February 13, 2027 at The Post Oak Hotel, with a cocktail reception, seated dinner, and formal presentation of honorees before an audience of Houston’s philanthropic community gathered for the evening.
Read more at onecau.se/stxwinterball.
Michelle Lilie, Kelley Sullivan Georgiades, Carol Sawyer, Pat Mann Phillips
