Past Events

Pia Orrenius, Vice President and Labor Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, will present on macroeconomic trends across regional industries and discuss what local economic data tell us about prospects for 2026.

Pia Orrenius:

Pia Orrenius is a labor economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, working on regional economic growth and demographic change. She manages the regional and microeconomics group in the Dallas Fed Research Department, is executive editor of the publication Southwest Economy and co-edited Ten Gallon Economy: Sizing up Economic Growth in Texas (2015, Palgrave MacMillan).

Her academic research focuses on the labor market impacts of immigration, unauthorized immigration and U.S. immigration policy. She is coauthor of the book Beside the Golden Door: U.S. Immigration Reform in a New Era of Globalization (2010, AEI Press).

Orrenius is affiliated with several academic institutions. She is research fellow at the Tower Center for Public Policy and International Affairs and the Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center at Southern Methodist University and at the IZA Institute of Labor in Bonn, Germany, as well as adjunct scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Orrenius was senior economist on the Council of Economic Advisers in the Executive Office of the President, Washington D.C., in 2004–05, where she advised the Bush administration on labor, health and immigration issues.

She holds a PhD in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles and bachelor degrees in economics and Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign.

Online registration is closed. Limited in person registration is available.

Registration is now closed.

Join us for an engaging and relaxed afternoon at the Briar Club, where we’ll be hosting a special Happy Hour Panel Discussion featuring three of Houston’s top CFOs. Enjoy delicious light bites and a curated selection of wines as our distinguished panelists share candid insights into their experiences accessing and working with various finance service providers.

This event is designed to foster open conversation in a welcoming atmosphere, offering attendees the unique opportunity to hear firsthand how leading CFOs approach partnerships, make decisions, and what they look for in financial service relationships. Whether you’re a finance professional, service provider, or simply interested in the evolving role of CFOs, you’ll leave with valuable perspectives to help shape your future interactions and strategies.

Event Highlights:

• Panel discussion with three top Houston female CFOs
• Honest Q&A on working with finance service providers
• Networking in a relaxed, upscale setting
• Complimentary light bites and wine

Come ready to connect, learn, and enjoy an afternoon of meaningful conversation!

Event Timing:

3:30 – 4:00 PM | Welcome Mix & Mingle
Kick off the event with a friendly check-in, a refreshing cocktail, and some light networking.

4:00 – 5:00 PM | The Main Stage: Panel & Perspectives
Settle in for an engaging panel discussion featuring our distinguished CFOs. Hear fresh insights, ask your burning questions, and get inspired by dynamic conversation.

5:00 – 5:30 PM | Cheers & Chats Encore
The conversation doesn’t stop here! Continue to networking and take this opportunity to chat one-on-one with our speakers or fellow attendees.

Laura Thompson

Laura E. Thompson is a Certified Public Accountant and the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Platform Partners LLC, a Houston-based Private Equity Fund. Laura began her career at Ernst and Young in the Houston audit practice where she spent 10 years prior to moving in house to Platform Partners. She graduated magna cum laude from The University of Texas at Austin Red McCombs School of Business with her BBA in Accounting and Finance and an MPA in Accounting. Laura has been an active member of The Junior League of Houston since 2010, serving in various leadership roles, including serving as the Financial Vice President and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors in 2023 – 2024, the Board of Directors in 2023-2024 and 2022-2023 and the Junior League of Houston Foundation Board for 2022-2023. Laura has served on the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston since 2022 and is currently serving as the Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. Laura is a native Houstonian, an involved Aunt to six nieces and nephews and Mom to her toy poodle, Jacques.

Jennifer Whalen

Jennifer Whalen is serving as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer for the Bristow Group Inc. beginning in June 2020. The CFO role is responsible for overseeing our Information Technology department, company accounting, decision support, financial reporting, internal audit, investor relations, strategy and M&A, tax, and other financial functions of the Company.

Previously, she served as the Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, for Era Group Inc. since February 2018. Jennifer served as the Company's Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since August 2013 until her appointment as Vice President, Acting Chief Financial Officer in June 2017. Jennifer joined the company as Controller in April 2012. From August 2007 to March 2012, Jennifer served in several capacities at nLIGHT Photonics Corporation, a supplier of high-performance lasers, including as Director of Accounting. Prior to these roles, Jennifer served as the Manager of Accounting at InFocus Corporation for over two years. After serving in the U.S. military, Jennifer started her career in public accounting in the assurance practice group at PricewaterhouseCoopers for approximately five years. She received a B.S. in Accounting from Alabama A&M University and a master’s degree in Accounting from the University of Southern California.

Rebekah Le

Rebekah Le is a people and strategy-focused executive with over twenty-five years of diverse experience spanning financial, strategic, administrative, and operational leadership across organizational scales and complexities, including publicly traded, private equity (PE), nonprofit, client-service, and global environments. She has a demonstrated ability to lead in a range of commercial environments and service models, from EPC/Construction to Power Delivery to Industrial Services to Healthcare. Rebekah’s expertise lies in developing and executing strategic plans, driving talent and culture-focused initiatives, fostering high-performing teams, optimizing business operations, and forging cross-functional partnerships. She is adept at crafting change management strategies and communications tailored to various business environments, from distressed to high-growth scenarios, and has successfully overseen high-profile special projects, including technology implementations. Her leadership extends to championing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives, underscoring her commitment to social responsibility. As a Certified Public Accountant and a CoachRice Certified Coach, Rebekah is agile in her ability to lead teams, both technical and nontechnical, leading from a place of genuine curiosity and empowerment.

Currently serving as Chief Strategy & Financial Officer for Legacy Community Health, Rebekah oversees various functions, including Finance, Revenue Cycle Management, Supply Chain, Project Management, and Strategy. Her strategic and collaborative approach is instrumental as she works to develop roadmaps for financial sustainability, fostering growth, optimizing returns and cash flow, and transitioning to data-centric tools. Rebekah has partnered across the organization to expand financial acumen and ownership to drive year-over year improvements, including a net positive budget with significant cost improvements and operating model efficiencies embedded. Her focus on process enhancement, scalability, sustainability, and adoption of innovative technologies reflects her dedication to driving operational, financial, and strategic excellence.

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How Cyber Criminals are Targeting Executive Women and What You Can Do to Stop It

This presentation includes details on how threat actors are currently targeting women executives along with tips for personal and corporate cybersecurity.  AI Deep Fakes, Wire Fraud and Ransomware attacks are discussed as well as personal home and phone security recommendations.

Heather Hughes, J.D. is a Vice President for Stroz Friedberg's Houston office where she leads a wide variety of engagements, including data breach, ransomware and other incident response matters, complex digital forensics investigations, proactive security risk assessments, and cyber due diligence investigations.  Heather has over 25 years’ experience in privacy and data security and she has led and managed some of the firm's most complex incident response engagements, including the largest healthcare ransomware event in U.S. history which was perpetrated by threat actors during the COVID pandemic.

Heather regularly works with outside counsel to assist clients with regulatory inquiries as a result of the theft of data by both departed employees and organized cyber criminals.

Registration is now closed.

The Briar Club - 2603 Timmons Ln Houston, TX 77027

June 12th, 2025 11:15 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Don’t miss this dynamic discussion featuring three powerhouse women in tax and estate planning. From hot-button issues like IRS enforcement and estate exemption sunsets to proactive strategies for year-end planning, our panelists will walk you through the financial lifecycle of clients and what’s ahead with the “One Big, Beautiful Bill.” Whether you're a seasoned CPA, banker, attorney, or just starting out in finance, you’ll leave with actionable insights and fresh perspectives.

Panelists & Specializations

• Tama Klosek, Klosek & Associates – Estate Planning
• Lucy Petry,  Petry Law Firm – Tax Litigation & Controversy
• Kristen Sayegh, Whitley Penn – Tax Planning & Compliance
• Clair Primm, Aon - Moderator

Kristen Sayegh, CPA, Tax Partner at Whitley Penn

Kristen Sayegh’s tax practice has centered around working with families, entrepreneurs, and closely held businesses focusing on estate planning, financial planning, federal and multi-jurisdictional income tax planning, and professional accounting services.

She is a member of the Houston Business and Estate Planning Council, Houston Estate and Financial Forum, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TXCPA).  Kristen is the Tax Partner lead for the Private Client Service Industry, serves as Whitley Penn’s partner overseeing the firm’s campus recruiting efforts, and helped start the firm’s Women’s Initiative, WAVE.

Kristen was the University of Houston-Victoria’s 2021 Young Alumna of the Year, Houston Business Journal 2021 Woman to Watch Honoree, and Houston Business Journal  2022 40 Under 40 Honoree.  Kristen was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to Hong Kong, Past President of the Rotary Club of Houston Skyline and a member of Leadership Houston, Class of XXXII.

Kristen received a B.B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Houston-Victoria.  Kristen and her husband, Joseph, and the proud parents of their two children, Charlotte and Logan.

Lucy Petry, Founder of Petry Law Firm, PLLC

Lucy Petry is the founder of Petry Law Firm, PLLC, where she offers extensive expertise in tax law and business law. As both a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and an attorney, Lucy provides a comprehensive approach to legal and financial matters, assisting individuals and businesses in navigating complex tax regulations and business challenges.​

Lucy's professional background includes roles in both industry and public accounting. Prior to establishing her law firm, she managed her CPA practice and served as a Controller and Accounting Manager for public and international manufacturing companies. ​ Her commitment to excellence has been recognized by her peers, earning her the distinction of Super Lawyer since 2021.

In addition to her legal practice, Lucy is deeply committed to pro bono work. She serves as the co-chair of the Pro-Bono Committee of the Texas State Bar Tax Section and has been involved with the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for over 20 years, supervising and preparing more than 15,000 tax returns.

Lucy is also dedicated to education, serving as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas, where she teaches graduate taxation courses.

Lucy's educational background includes an LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center (2022), a J.D. from South Texas College of Law Houston (2016), an M.B.A. (2008), and a B.B.A. (2004) from the University of St. Thomas.​

Beyond her professional endeavors, Lucy is an advanced diver and a pilot. She is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, and has traveled to over 55 countries.

Tama Klosek, Klosek & Associates – Estate Planning

Tama’s practice is a tax practice focused on both the domestic and international aspects of estate planning and family wealth transfer and tax-exempt organizations.  Following graduation from Harvard Law School in 1999, Tama began her legal career with Vinson & Elkins in the Probate, Trusts & Estates Group of the Tax Section.  After 10 years at Vinson & Elkins, Tama continued her legal practice with Klosek Howes LLP and formed Klosek & Associates PLLC in June 2013.  Tama is Chambers Ranked in High Net Worth—Private Wealth Law and Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has been widely recognized in Houston, the State of Texas and nationally by her peers, as well as her clients and others, as an outstanding attorney in her field.  Tama has significant experience in income, nonprofit (including private foundations), estate, gift, trust and generation-skipping transfer taxation and marital property planning.  She has advised a variety of clients on domestic and international tax matters and also consults on divorce matters in connection with complex marital estates.  In addition to her legal practice, Tama is a Managing Partner in a national life settlements originations firm, Treyled Life Settlements LLC, where she works as part of an experienced management team to assist high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients of Treyled Life Settlements to efficiently exit life insurance contracts on a favorable basis through sales to third party institutional investors when life insurance is no longer desired or advisable.  Tama has many local and regional professional affiliations and has presented seminars and continuing legal education on a range of topics related to her area of expertise, including life settlements, to numerous groups in Houston, Texas and nationally.

Education and Professional Background
•    Harvard Law School, J.D., 1999
•    Columbia University, B.A. Economics with Honors, 1996
•    Admitted to practice: Texas, 1999

Professional Recognition
•    Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
•    Chambers Ranking High Net Worth—Private Wealth Law – Texas 2020-2024
•    "Texas Super Lawyer", Texas Monthly, 2015-2025
•    Top Lawyer H Texas Magazine November 2020
•    "Texas Rising Star," Texas Monthly, 2004, 2007 - 2014

The Briar Club - 2603 Timmons Ln Houston, TX 77027

May 15th, 2025 11:15 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Claire Warren, BHGRE Gary Greene

Vision & Hammer

Where Beauty & Function Meet 

We organize and design beautiful spaces that you’ll love to come home to. Whether you’re in need of a closet clean-out, a full home remodel or a little bit of everything, our speciality is creating a home that reflects you and your family.

Having an organized and well-designed home starts with creating systems that can be easily maintained over a long period of time. We’re going to chat about a few easy ways to do this in your home - and how to make sure your family members keep it up!

Katia Basley's Bio: 

After graduating SMU with a degree in Psychology, Katia started a private catering service and worked for over five years as a personal chef. She soon realized that she was more passionate about organizing kitchens than cooking in them! After her home partially flooded during Hurricane Harvey, she and her husband realized there weren’t many reliable contractors or designers in Houston that would tackle smaller projects without huge purchases minimums or retainer fees, so Vision and Hammer was born. Katia loves the challenge of making spaces both aesthetically pleasing and functional for the whole family.

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