“I'm a member of Circle of Red to support heart disease research for women - especially African-American women who are at the highest risk for heart disease.”

- Kimberly Houston

KIMBERLY HOUSTON

Kimberly grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of Fannye (Dillon) and Robert Houston III. She is second born of four children and is the Houston family’s only daughter. Living with four brothers taught Kimberly how to be a fighter and that was necessary growing up during the Civil Rights Movement. Kimberly was only 10 years old when Martin Luther King (MLK) was killed and that moment in history helped shape the path of her future. She grew up wanting to be a product of MLK’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech. Being raised in the Christian faith set the foundation for Kimberly’s spiritual center that is still present today. Surrounded by unconditional love, Kimberly’s talents and gifts were met with encouragement, motivation and she was taught to always strive to be the very best at everything she did. She grew up in an environment that molded her to be fair, honest and most importantly to have integrity. Those qualities are still very present in Kimberly’s life now and has been throughout her career.

Being the first graduate in her family, Kimberly holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Management Science from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and a Master of Science degree in Organizational Development from the Weatherhead School of Business, at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a 2012 Dow Corning Corporation retiree who successfully led strategic corporate-initiatives as the Chief Diversity Officer, Global Community Relations Leader, and as President of the Dow Corning Foundation. Post retirement, Kimberly headed corporate and foundation development at Central Michigan University (CMU). In this role she built new philanthropic relationships across the state and helped facilitate one of CMU’s largest private foundation gifts. She makes significant contributions to her profession and the Great Lakes Bay Region. She advocates passionately for leadership development, succession planning, enhanced diversity and cultural inclusion. Join Kimberly in her journey to embolden the leaders of tomorrow.

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Certifications

Certified Coach Practitioner, Certified Coaching Federation (CCF)

CQ Certified Advanced professional by the Cultural Intelligence Center, LLC 

Certified Unconscious Bias Facilitator by the Cultural Intelligence Center, LLC

Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology - Wellbeing Lab

Awards

Outstanding Fundraising Executive - Association of Fundraising Professionals

Dr. Gerald K. Smith Award of Excellence - Council of Michigan Foundations

The International Athena Leadership Award - Midland Area Chamber of Commerce

Fisk University Outstanding Alumni Achievement for Community Service

Women of Distinction - Heart of Michigan Girl Scouts

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award - Dow Corning Corporation

  • Michigan Nonprofit Association Board Member

    Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA) is committed to life-long learning and building collective power. We aim to be a leader in providing resources to build the civic engagement capacity of nonprofits that serve marginalized communities and are lead by BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) leaders. Kimberly Houston has served as a member of MNA’s State Board since 2011. She plays an integral role in continuing the organizations focus on diversity, development and engagement. The goal of our programs is to enhance participation in the “civic engagement cycle” of historically underrepresented groups such as being counted in the census, voting, and participating in the redistricting process.

  • Delta College Board of Trustees 2005-2016

    Kimberly Houston served as an elected member of the Delta College Board of Trustees from 2005 to 2016, with time spent as Board Chair. She focused on effective board development, along with increased interaction and communication. She also served on the Delta College Foundation Board of Directors and assisted with the Possible Dream fundraiser, A Chocolate Affair. The Kimberly R. Houston Leadership and Service Learning Endowment is being created with gifts to the Delta College Foundation totaling $22,000. It is intended that the distributions of interest from the endowment will provide students the opportunity to explore aspects of leadership and/or service learning.

Four-year Member of the Inforum Michigan State Board

Kimberly shared her unique business insights and perspectives as a four-year member of the Inforum Michigan State Board. Her governance style and leadership presence were thoughtful and engaged. During her tenure the racial, ethnic and age diversity on the Inforum board was broadened. Ms. Houston passionately embraced Inforum’s mission to accelerate women's careers, be a catalyst to remove barriers, increase opportunity and create a culture that embraces women leading and succeeding. Kimberly has partnered Inforum to design and facilitate live and online learning labs and workshops focusing on women’s agency, empowerment and advocacy and also heightening the understanding about the importance of workplace equity and allyship for Diversity and Inclusion practitioners and affinity groups.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Kimberly is an active and loyal member of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.