Christian Community Service Center Executive Director Michelle Shonbeck was one of eight nonprofit honorees chosen by the Houston Business Journal for its 2018 Women Who Mean Business Awards.

The awards recognize Houston’s most successful women business leaders in for-profit and nonprofit industries. HBJ and a panel of independent judges reviewed over 200 nominations before naming 56 honorees in nine categories: energy, finance, health care, hospitality and retail, law, nonprofit, professional services, technology and IT services, and real estate.

The criteria for selection included career achievement, contribution to company and city success, community involvement and leadership.

Shonbeck is deeply committed to CCSC’s mission to serve the poor, hungry, disabled and otherwise needy while respecting their religious, ethnic or cultural differences. She has been dedicated to CCSC since 1988 when she began volunteering with the organization while working full time in corporate human resources. In 1993, she was hired as a CCSC program director, and in 1995 she became the nonprofit’s executive director.

“I feel grateful to have been able to find, 30 years ago this year, a place that aligns my skills, interests and values with my professional life,” Shonbeck said. “I’ve worked with so many extraordinary people and I’ve learned from all of them, including our clients.”

This past year Shonbeck’s leadership of CCSC has included raising money for its capital campaign to build a new facility. CCSC has raised nearly $8 million dollars toward its $14 million dollar goal for funds to construct a new building that will allow for expanding programming while also keeping Houston’s flood waters at bay, as the CCSC administration building consistently floods during Houston weather events. Currently, the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation in Tulsa, Oklahoma has issued a $500,000 challenge grant to be given to CCSC once its capital campaign reaches $9.5 million and the Hildebrand Foundation will be giving CCSC the last $250,000 toward this challenge.

“In raising funds for the new building we have also increased awareness of Christian Community Service Center’s mission and engaged more people in that mission,” Shonbeck said. “I’m very happy to say that the goal of maintaining CCSC’s high level of service while also raising the initial capital campaign funds has been met. We are on our way to a new building for CCSC and the community it serves.”

The other Houston Business Journal 2018 nonprofit sector honorees are: Wafa Abdin, executive director of Houston Volunteer Lawyers; Claudia Aguirre, president and CEO of BakerRipley; Patsy Chapman, CEO of the Houston Ballet Nutcracker Market; Sonia Corrales, chief program officer of the Houston Area Women’s Center; Jennifer Hazelton, CFO of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Inc.; and Rhonda Smith, CFO and deputy director of the Houston Police Department.

The 2018 Women Who Mean Business Awards judges were: Shantera Chatman, managing partner at C+A Global Group; Jenn Cox, executive director at National Association of Corporate Directors – Texas TriCities Chapter; and Brittany Hebert, CEO and founder of Sky High for St. Jude's.