LCAHouston’s Top Ten People of the Year 2018
Houston is known for its rich culture, philanthropy, thriving businesses and diversity. With more than 145 different languages spoken in Houston we boast the third largest number of languages spoken in a U.S. city. This city ranks as the most diverse city in the nation. Our gala charity events do not shy away from embracing the various cultures that represent Houston. Whether it’s the variety of cuisine, ethnic wear, or festivals, Houstonians know how to embrace it all.
As we wrap up the Year, we are proud to present our annual LCAHouston’s Top Ten People of the Year 2018!
Nicole O’Brian Lassiter
Nicole aka Nikki turned many heads at the Bone Bash 2018 fundraiser gala evening when she walked in looking like a Bollywood star. Nicole O’Brian Lassiter, former double crown winner of Miss Texas Teen USA and Miss Texas USA remains our reigning beauty queen and Top 10. She is the owner of a consulting business, Bee Your Best, where she coaches young women on stage presentation, modeling, poise and styling. Along with her lawyer husband James Lassiter, she supports many charities.
Photo By | Wilson Parish Photography
Dan Boggio
Dan is the Founder, President and CEO of PBK, a multi-disciplined architectural, engineering firm that specializes in the design and development of public projects with offices in the U.S. and China. Dan Boggio has served on many charitable boards over the years including the Board of Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP) and the Board of Advisors for Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston (IMGH). Dan has helped support projects at Interfaith Ministries, such as the Interfaith Dinner Dialogues, Animeals for Seniors’ pets, Refugee Services and more. Dan and his wife Susan have funded housing needs for human trafficking survivors through the City of Houston in 2017 & 2018 and funded the Friends of Integrative Medicine Department for M.D. Anderson in 2016.
Photo Courtesy | Fulton Davenport
Shawntell McWilliams
Shawntell McWilliams, a proud breast cancer survivor, is affiliated with numerous organizations. She is a true champion of women empowerment helping them flourish in businesses and philanthropic endeavors. LCAHouston’s Mothers’ Day Soirée Host Committee Member, Shawntell works enthusiastically in the support of various causes and has chaired numerous fundraisers for laudable not-for-profit organizations. She has chaired many charity events this year and is looking forward to the new year as she Chairs the 2019 Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America Winter Ball.
Photo By | The Lennz Fashion Photography
Maria Morales
Maria Vidal Morales has a passion for serving the community. She owns Healthy Elegance and is a devoted wife to her high school sweetheart and loving mom of two beautiful daughters.
Born and raised in Mexico City, Maria moved to Houston 27 years ago. She loves supporting her Hispanic heritage and is a proud Houstonian.
She earned her Bachelors in Business/Marketing and Sociology from Houston Baptist University. She then continued her education at the University of Houston, where she earned her Masters in Education.
In her free time, she serves on various boards, supports charitable organizations including Shriners, Scarlett Fund, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Be The Match and Wig Out. Maria loves to travel to enhance cultural diversity and enjoys spending time with her beautiful family and friends.
Photo By | Laura Sanz Modern Photography
Kaushlesh Biyani
Kaushlesh Biyani is a talented Houston photographer who captures the essence and emotions of the some of the most important moments in life. Specializing in “candid photo-journalistic wedding photography”, Biyani has traveled the world for destination weddings in order to capture that perfect shot that his clients will cherish for a lifetime.
“A traveler and seeker at heart, I love capturing the fleeting moments! My love affair with photography started at a very early age – when I was 5. It took me years to give up a lucrative career in Management Consulting and follow my passion and set up a Photography Studio of my own!” he shares.
Photo By | Biyani Photography
Raj Salhotra
Raj Salhotra is a native Houstonian who attended Rice University with majors in Economics and Policy Studies. After Rice, he joined Teach For America where he co-founded One Jump, an educational technology non-profit that connects high school students to enrichment opportunities. Raj went on to attended Harvard Law School where he focused on researching public policy issues and representing tenants being evicted from their homes. Also, during law school, he started Students With Ambition Go (SWAG) To College, a mentorship non-profit that provides underserved high school and college students mentors to help them get to and through college. SWAG To College currently serves over 600 students. Raj returned to Houston in 2018 to explore public service in Houston.
Photo By | Jonathan St. Mark
Ashley Seippel
Ashley Seippel is a fashion stylist and wardrobe consultant, as well as a social media influencer and blogger. With over 120,000 followers on Instagram, Ashley loves sharing how to curate a stylish life. Besides fashion, Ashley is involved with several organizations including the Arthritis Foundation. She recently Chaired the foundation’s annual Halloween “Bone Bash” gala. Ashley has been involved with the Foundation for nearly a decade, and was previously the Adult Honoree at the 2016 Gala. Her passion for the organization is personal, as Ashley suffered from juvenile arthritis as a child, and was re-diagnosed as an adult in 2013. She is the youngest person ever elected to sit on the Leadership Board in Houston, and has made it her mission to educate the community about the disease.
Photo By | Priscilla Dickson Photography
Dr. Shreela Sharma
Dr Shreela Sharma is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth), School of Public Health. Dr. Sharma has a robust research program at UTHealth on mitigating food insecurity and diet-related chronic diseases. She is also co-founder of Brighter Bites, a nationwide nonprofit organization that converts food waste into a public health opportunity by purposefully channeling donated fruits and vegetables along with hands-on nutrition education to low-income children and families. In her spare time, she enjoys doing various things with her family including cooking, being active outdoors, and admiring/collecting art with her husband Vibhu and their two boys, Suvir and Kayan.
Photo Courtesy | UTHealth School of Public Health
Justin Stapleton
Justin is a Meteorologist for the KPRC 2 Severe Weather Team. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Justin earned a Masters degree in clinical psychology from Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland, and worked as a crisis intervention specialist with the Baltimore County Police.
He returned to school to receive a masters in Geosciences from Mississippi State University to become a broadcast meteorologist. Justin has worked through multiple severe weather outbreaks, including around the clock coverage during Hurricane Harvey. Away from the green screen, Justin is an avid runner, who loves sports, local food and craft beer, is addicted to socks but is most proud of his role as dad to his two daughters.
Photo Courtesy | Justin Stapleton
Brigitte Kalai & Dr. Sippi Khurana
Applause Please! LCAHouston’s 2017 ‘Cover Girls’ simply outdid themselves this year by chairing over ten galas. Even though they found themselves exhausted at times, they were back on stage helping to raise paddles to raise funds and awareness for notable causes like Crime Stoppers of Houston and The Houston Area Women’s Center. Each of them raising record breaking funds. Along with their supportive husbands, the gorgeous duo continue to serve the community to make Houston Strong.
Photo By | Cindy Cheng Photography
