Sylvester Turner will join us to speak on issues facing Houston as he begins his tenure as Houston’s 62nd mayor. Mayor Turner previously served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1989 until 2016. Mayor Turner was born and raised in the Acres Homes community in northwest Houston. His mother worked as a maid in the old Rice Hotel in Houston. His father worked as a painter for Continental Ensco and on the weekends, cut yards with his sons to make extra money. Mayor Turner attended neighborhood public schools until forced integration came to Houston and he was bused to Klein High School. He was later elected president of the student body and graduated as a valedictorian. Mayor Turner went on to attend the University of Houston and Harvard Law School before joining the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski. He later founded the Houston law firm of Barnes & Turner in 1983. Mayor Turner has received numerous awards and honors during his 25 years in the House. Following the 83rd Regular Session, Capitol Inside named him the “Most Valuable Player in the Texas House.” Noting that hiss leadership role in budget negotiations preserved crucial funding for future water needs and public school money, Capitol Inside praised him for delivering “what very well might have been the greatest performance by a state legislator on either side of the aisle in modern Texas history.” Texas political blog, Texpatriate named Sylvester one of the “Best Members of the House,” calling him the “secret ace-in-the-hole when it came to budget and water negotiations” during the regular session. In July, the Court-appointed Special Advocate Association (CASA) honored him as one of its “13 Big Voices for Little Texans in 2013.” In August 2013, he received the Humanitarian Award at the national conference of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and most recently received the 2013 Legislative Leadership Award from AARP honoring him for his leadership in ensuring Texans receive electricity assistance funds originally intended for them. Following the 82nd Legislature, he was recognized by Texas Monthly magazine for “his passionate defense of the voiceless.” He was awarded the “2011 Legislative Leadership Award” from AARP for his dedication to protecting seniors and the “Hero Award” from the NAACP of Texas. He was also recognized by a number of organizations and associations for his staunch advocacy to prevent the massive state budget cuts that drastically reduced services essential to schools, the disabled, the elderly, children and low-income citizens. Other past awards have included the “Helen Farabee Community Leadership Award” (Houston Mental Health Association); “Legislative Star” (twice awarded by the Texas Classroom Teachers Association); “Best of the 77th Legislature” (Hispanic Journal); “Star of Texas Award” (Common Cause of Texas); “Open Government Award” (Texas Daily Newspaper Association); “Ten Best Legislators of the 75th and 80th Legislative Sessions” (Texas Monthly Magazine); “Texas Hospital Advocacy Tribute Award” (Texas Hospital Association); “Friends of Medicine Award” (Texas Medical Association); “Champion for Children Award” (Amerigroup Foundation); “Child Advocacy Award” (Texas Pediatric Society); and the “Presidential Award of Merit” (Texas Association of Family Physicians). Fievent.com | Contact | Privacy | Terms