The Mount Holyoke Club of Houston hosts many events each year with a range of topics and activities for all members of the club. This group is for alumnae of Mount Holyoke College in Houston, Texas and the surrounding area. We invite you to be a part of our community by becoming a member, attending an activity, volunteering, or sharing your news.

The Club is led by a volunteer Board and coordinates Houston area alumni events, scholarship fundraising and other engagement activities.

2020- 2022 Board: 

	President: Taryn H. Gore, Ph.D. ’09 Taryn graduated from Mount Holyoke in 2009 with her BA in Neuroscience. Following Mount Holyoke, she received her PhD in Counseling Psychology from Boston University and MA in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University. Taryn currently works as a school psychologist in Cypress Fairbanks school district. Outside of work, Taryn enjoys traveling, hiking, cooking, and spending time with her husband and two sons.
	Vice President/Treasurer: Raluca Dalea ’01 Raluca graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 2001 as an Economics major. After MHC she started her career on Wall Street. She took a break from work to get her MBA from UT Austin and decided that Texas is a pretty cool place to live in. Houston has been home for over 10 years now. Raluca has continued her career in finance in Houston and currently works as a credit research director with BP. When not at work Raluca enjoys spending time with her husband and adventurous toddler.
	Secretary: Anu Kulkarni ’17 Hi! I’m Anupama (Anu) Kulkarni (Class of 2017). After my undergraduate studies in Mathematics & Chemistry (largely, the research side of STEM), I wanted to be more involved in current events and productive efforts, so I chose to explore careers in public health. This kept me in the New England area for a little longer, while I pursued my Master of Public Health. My experience enabled me to expand the STEM curriculum of a local charter school and investigate the role of clinical bioethics in Texas. Thereafter, I returned to Texas, where I’ve since dedicated my time to teaching STEM, continuing my studies in public health, learning a new language, and volunteering with various educational organizations.
	Communication Chair: Jessica Abad-Serpas ’05 Jessica Abad-Serpas graduated from Mount Holyoke in 2005 with a BA in Women’s Studies. Jessica spent over a decade in the non-profit fundraising world and currently works for a legal tech consulting firm. When she’s not convincing her toddler to not climb the bookcases, she enjoys puzzles, traveling throughout Latin America, and cooking.
	Program Chair: Michelle Watts ’94 Michelle Taylor Watts is a native Houstonian who recently returned to the greater Houston area. She graduated from Mount Holyoke in 1994 where she completed a double major in English and Politics in 1994. She received her doctoral degree in American literature from Rice University in Houston, Texas in 2001. She has taught at Rice University, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and she currently teaches in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department and the Organizational Leadership Program at the University of Cincinnati. While at Miami, she was recognized as an Honored Professor for her ‘remarkable commitment to students.” She continues to work as a nonprofit consultant with a focus on girls’ leadership and researches African American children’s literature. She received the 1905 Alumnae Fellowship from Mount Holyoke, which supports her research on black girls and civic engagement.
	Young Alum Co-chair: Rachel Bostick ’19 Hello MHC Houston! My name is Rachel Bostick and I am the Young Alum Co-Chair. I came to the Houston area right after graduating from Mount Holyoke in 2019 where I majored in statistics (shoutout to Clapp 4th floor). I am currently a PhD student in epidemiology at the UTHealth Science Center at Houston, so I spend a lot of time in the Texas Medical Center — which might I just say is probably one of the coolest places I have been as a healthcare researcher. I live in the Clear Lake area which I love for its proximity to the beach and the city. I look forward to getting to know everyone and hosting some pretty spectacular events here soon with Relyn! Please feel free to reach out to me anytime!
[Photo]	Young Alum Co-chair: Relyn Myrthil ’19
	Membership Chair: Yue Jiang ’11

2020 – 2022 Committees: 

Our Current Committees:

Note: Committee leadership and membership are never closed.  We love help and new ideas!  Please let us know if you want to join in.

Nominating Committee:  Chaired by Nicole Shanklin ’98, Immediate Past Co-President. Established by our Bylaws to ensure proper succession planning and talent development at the Club level.  The Houston Club has a proud and long-established tradition of sending talented leaders to serve the Alumnae Association and Mount Holyoke College.  We want to develop the next generation/wave of leaders.  If you have any interest in being a club officer, please do not hesitate to throw your hat in the ring!  The time commitment is minimal.

Events Committee:  Responsible for programming for the club, and event organization.  Traditional events include the Ice Cream Social, Holiday Party, Annual Business Meeting, and Rose Drop.  

Book Club:  Chaired by Michelle Watts ’94. A well-loved tradition of recent years.  We are always looking for great book recommendations, and members who are willing to host a meeting in your home. 

Young Alumnae Committee.  Co-Chaired by Relyn Myrthil ’19 and Rachel Bostick ’19.  Dedicated to providing programming of interest to alumnae who have graduated in the last 10 years. 

Membership Committee. Chaired by Yue Jiang ’11. Dedicated to building the Club membership.