Save the date for these 10 can't-miss Fort Worth galas and soirees of spring 2023

The gown lowdown

Photo by Lawrence Jenkins

Time to steam the ballgowns and send the tuxes to the cleaner: Spring gala season has arrived.

Fort Worth's biggest fundraising balls - along with sleek cocktail soirees and panache-filled power luncheons - kick off early this year with Grand Entry Gala the first weekend of January. Then, don't sleep on tickets to see music icon Yo-Yo Ma headline the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Gala Concert and Dinner in February. Jewel Charity Ball is going to Japan, and Classically Cliburn Gala is headed to Monte Carlo.

Photo by Lawrence Jenkins

The FWSO Gala is back, February 25.

Here are the 10 spring dates every social butterfly in Fort Worth should circle now.

Junior League Grand Entry Gala, January 7
Saddle up for the first big gala of the season. Junior League of Fort Worth's annual Grand Entry Gala serves as serves as a glam kickoff to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, which officially starts on January 13. The Western-chic evening features dinner, dancing, cocktails, silent auction, and a concert by vintage country stars Tracy Byrd, Mark Chesnutt, and Neal McCoy. The 2023 gala returns to "the dirt floor" of Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum, and Grand Entry Gala supports the organization's mission to promote volunteerism, develop the potential in women, and improve the lives of women and children in Fort Worth. This year's president is Becky Escott. For more information, head here.

Fort Worth Symphony Gala, February 25
The title alone - "Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra: A Gala Evening featuring Yo-Yo Ma" - should tell you that tickets will go quick. Good thing there are options for those wanting to spend an evening in the presence of the global cellist superstar. First, Yo-Yo Ma will mesmerize listeners at Bass Hall with a performance of Elgar's Cello Concerto with the FWSO, under the direction of music director Robert Spano. The the black-tie gala amps up post-concert, with themed cocktails, a delectable four-course meal, and dancing in the Grand Ballroom of the Worthington Renaissance Hotel. Gala chair Mercedes T. Bass and co-chairs Ashli Blumenfeld, Anne Marie Bratton, Mary Hart Lipscomb, Kim Johnson, and Misty Locke will bring the unforgettable evening to life in support of Music Education initiatives. Limited tickets remain for both the Gala Concert and Dinner. For information about the dinner, email Development Manager Malia Lewis.

St. Jude Celebration at Sundown, February 25
Coming off a record-breaking event last year, organizers have moved this annual affair to a bigger venue: Tannahill's Tavern, the new restaurant-music venue in the Stockyards' Mule Alley. Benefiting the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and chaired by Jennifer Wright and Paige Charbonnet, the cocktail-casual evening annually includes silent and live auctions, dancing, drinks, dinner, and live entertainment. It's always a powerful evening, with a special emphasis on the challenges that child cancer patients face. Families who go to St. Jude, founded by Danny Thomas and located in Memphis, Tennessee, never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food. Tickets and information are here.

Go Red for Women Luncheon, March 3
Benefiting the American Heart Association's efforts to research and eradicate cardiovascular disease in women, this annual heartfelt luncheon will take place at the Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel and is chaired by Texas Health's Jennifer Chavez and Becky Tucker. They typically offer onsite health screenings, as well as champagne, a multicourse lunch, speakers, and onstage performances. After the luncheon, be sure to save the date for Tarrant County's Heart Ball, which is April 22, with more details to be announced soon. For more information and tickets to Go Red, visit tarrantcountygored.heart.org

Jewel Charity Ball, March 4
Fort Worth's grandest gala, the 68th Jewel Charity Ball - themed “Gateway to Kyoto” - will be held at Will Rogers Memorial Center, Amon G. Carter, Jr. Exhibits Hall. Jewel Charity president Shannon Shivers and ball co-chairs Hillary Jennings, Suzanne Sanders, and Peggy Sims - along with ball designer Bill Robertson with Events by Bill - are planning an elegant evening inspired by Japan. The night will include a seated dinner by Wolfgang Puck, dancing, a silent auction, and raffle, all capped with a performance by legendary band Kool and the Gang. Of course, JCB's official jeweler, Collections Fine Jewelry, will add some sparkle with an onsite store featuring cases of exclusive pieces. Since 1954, Jewel Charity has helped raise nearly $80 million for Cook Children's Hospital, and the ball celebrates the Angel donors who generously support the patients. For information and tickets, visit jewelcharity.org or call 817-347-6104.

Classically Cliburn Gala, March 31
This year, the extravagant black-tie ball goes to glamorous Monaco. "Classically Cliburn Gala 2023: Monte Carlo" will feature all the signs and sounds of the French Riviera destination, including a casino extraordinaire. The gala also takes place in a new location: Fort Worth Club. Event co-chairs are Gina and Bob Ravnaas, and honorary chairs are Teresa and Luther King. Throughout the night, gala-goers will drink, eat, dance to the fabulous Jordan Kahn Orchestra, and enjoy the chance to mingle with Fort Worth's most influential patrons of arts and culture — all while remembering the Cliburn's mission to advance piano and classical music around the world. For gala information and tickets, visit the website, email khowell@cliburn.org, or call 817-738-6536.

Butterfly Wishes Gala, April 14
A Wish with Wings has been bringing joyful experiences to children with life-threatening medical conditions since 1983. Last year's 40th anniversary Butterfly Wishes Gala, themed "Where the Wish Begins," raised a record-breaking $500,000, which will helped grant the wishes of 65 young Texans. Details are still in the works for this year's gala; it takes place April 14. Check the website for more details.

Texas Ballet Theater Opening Night Dinner, May 26
One big change that COVID brought was a shift, for some organizations, away from big galas to smaller, more targeted fundraising events. Texas Ballet Theater is focusing its spring efforts on two Opening Night Dinners ahead of the premiere of Alice in Wonderland in both Dallas and Fort Worth. Guests will enjoy an exclusive dinner and hear from the artistic staff behind the ballet before heading into the theater to watch the last production of the season. The Dallas Opening Night Dinner will be Friday, May 19 and the Fort Worth dinner will be Friday, May 26; location TBA but not far from Bass Hall, where the performance will take place. Check the website for more details.

Puttin' on the Pink Luncheon, April 18
The 30th anniversary edition of this fashion-forward luncheon will bring all the best-dressed women (and some men, too) to the Fort Worth Convention Center ballroom. It's hosted by the Kupferle Health Board of Texas Health Resources Foundation and supports mobile health outreach and screenings for underserved women in Tarrant County. Event chair Wendy Wright — and her mile-long host committee of influential Fort Worth women — is planning a sit-down lunch and a Jan Strimple-produced fashion show of the latest looks provided by Neiman Marcus. Arrive early for a Champagne reception. For information and tickets, visit the website.

TEX Gala, April 20
This rare Thursday night gala benefits the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, which improves the lives of children, the military, and first responders' families in the community. Attendees will experience a red-carpet arrival, dinner on the playing surface of Globe Life Field, live and silent auctions featuring exclusive Rangers experiences and sports and Hollywood memorabilia, and a live performance from country superstar Kenny Chesney. For information and tickets, visit the website.

Facebook/Pink'd Out House

North Richland Hills house 'pinks out' Halloween decor for breast cancer awareness

Decorating for a cause

Angela Fincher says she’s not entirely sure why she decided to decorate her house pink, but she knows she had to do something to raise awareness for breast cancer survivors.

The 47-year-old mother of three was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2021 and fought it until September of that year. This October — Halloween month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month — she has decorated her home in North Richland Hills with pink Christmas lights and a pink pumpkin patch in her yard to raise awareness of breast cancer.

The home even has its own public Facebook page, called Pink'd Out House.

“This year for some reason — I wish I could give you this grand reason why, but I don’t know why — I just thought it would be kind of cool to do something for breast cancer awareness, being a survivor myself,” Fincher says. “I thought it would be cool to make my house pink and let people come see this pink’d out house.”

The UNT alumna started tossing around the idea for a “Pink’d Out House” in August and mentioned it to a girlfriend, who eagerly encouraged her. On August 25, the day of her biannual mammogram, she started working on a plan, creating the display’s name and Facebook page and mapping out the decor.

Creating the display was a community effort.Facebook/Pink'd Out House

At first, Fincher wasn’t sure how to elevate the display beyond just hanging pink Christmas lights, but eventually she decided to add a patch of pumpkins painted pink to her front yard. She says she didn’t think people would go see a house that just had pink Christmas lights and wanted to give visitors something more.

“If I can give you a pumpkin patch, and a pink pumpkin patch at that, then anyone can show up,” Fincher says. “You don’t even have to know anybody or be affected by breast cancer, but you’re at least knowing what the meaning is and showing up.”

Creating the display was a community effort. Fincher says she had eight friends help install the lights and paint pumpkins over several days. She also placed magnetic breast cancer awareness ribbons on her garage door that visitors can write prayers, poems, survivors’ names, or other notes on. There also are stones people can paint or leave messages on.

The public can write survivors' names or other messages on the display.Facebook/Pink'd Out House

Fincher wasn’t seeking to gain anything by decorating her house for breast cancer awareness — she just wanted to do it. She says she has three girlfriends currently fighting breast cancer, and their battles are much worse than hers was. While Fincher only had a lobectomy, her friends are having to undergo double mastectomies and losing all their hair, she says. Seeing her close friends still fighting instilled a compassion in her that inspired her to do something.

Her only hope with the display is to raise awareness of breast cancer, encourage women to get mammograms, and provide hope and support to those affected by breast cancer.

Within the first couple days after launching the Pink’d Out House, Fincher received encouraging support. North Richland Hills mayor Oscar Trevino, the city’s fire department chief Stan Tinney, and some police officers visited Fincher and her house.

Angela with the NRH mayor and members of the police and fire departments.Facebook/Pink'd Out House

Fincher says she has been an “emotional wreck” throughout the process.

“It has been a very rough journey to get to this,” she says. “I would go to sleep at night and I would have voices telling me ‘this is stupid, no one’s gonna come’ and ‘no one’s gonna come to your stupid house to see your stupid thing that you’re doing.’ And it was rough.”

Fincher says she would toss and turn at night, full of negativity. She had to convince herself that her idea was worth the effort, but the community’s response has shown her she was right.

The exhibit is free to visit, but Fincher has plans to eventually create a Venmo account for those who want to make donations. She plans to donate a portion of contributions to a local charity, which she has not selected yet, and use a portion to expand her display in the future.

Fincher’s home will stay decorated until October 31, and she plans to continue pink’ing it out annually in October. Those interested can visit the Pink’d Out House on Buck Street in North Richland Hills and follow the house on Facebook and Instagram.

Photo courtesy of Vinovium

New Hill Country festival jams out with 15 Texas wineries and 3 bands

Texas festivals

Most people are more fun at jams with a glass of wine in hand. Chasing that feeling, the Texas Wine Jam is combining concerts and “off-the-beaten-path” wines September 4, for six hours of grape- and foot-stomping fun.

The festival at Vinovium Winery in Johnson City benefits community causes in both wine and music. Each ticket sale contributes $2 each to the Texas Hill Country Wine Industry Scholarship program and the SIMS Foundation, an Austin-based organization supporting mental health and substance abuse resources for music industry professionals. The most recent data on wine scholarships shows that Texas Hill Country Wineries awarded a total of $12,500 to nine students at Texas schools.

On the wine side, this showcase includes 15 Texas wineries including Vinovium, which offers 13 wines on its website, including a Tempranillo blend from three different vineyards called “Social Distance.” It also sells bottled wine cocktails like El Niño, inspired by a Dark and Stormy, with Cardamaro from Italy, lime juice, and ginger beer. The winery has regular events ranging from very casual standup and trivia, to serious wine certifications.

Bringing the tunes, three Texas bands are visiting Vinovium. Bluegrass band the Lost Pines is well-known in Austin. The soulful Scott Strickland Band played its Blues on the Green debut this July, and is living up to its up-and-coming status with regular engagements with local music organizations. Finally, rock and roll group the Joey Green Band is showing off its singer, who caught national attention on NBC’s The Voice.

Every bottle purchased at the festival automatically enters the guest in a raffle for “one of several” cases of wine, with a mix of bottles from all the wineries involved. Some raffle winners will receive gifts sponsored by community partners including the Wine & Food Foundation, Waterloo Sparkling Water, and Texas Department of Agriculture initiative Go Texan.

The Texas Wine Jam is scheduled for September 4 (the Sunday of Labor Day weekend), with a rain check October 9. Tickets ($45 general admission) from 12 pm to 6 pm, are available at vinovium.wine. Vinovium Winery is located at 214 Edmonds Ave. in Johnson City.

Courtesy rendering

Texas-based H-E-B donates $10 million to rebuild Uvalde's Robb Elementary School

Help for Uvalde

After the school shooting in Uvalde last month, H-E-B did what it's become known for: stepping up to help Texans in need. Beyond giving $500,000 to victims and their families, the San-Antonio based grocery chain deployed its disaster relief trucks to the South Texas town to provide meals, supplies, and further recovery resources in partnership with local nonprofits for the people of Uvalde.

Now, the company is pledging $10 million to help rebuild Robb Elementary, where the massacre took place.

Built in the 1960s, the elementary school serves approximately 538 students in grades two through four. The school has been permanently closed since the events on May 25, 2022, and plans are in place to demolish the building so that no students or staff ever have to return to the site of the tragedy.

In a news release, the Butt family and H-E-B said they will commit $10 million to help build a new elementary campus in Uvalde. Longtime supporters of public education, the Butt family and H-E-B will work as founding donors with other stakeholders and organizations on the development of this project.

Texas firms Huckabee and Joeris General Contractors, which are also founding donors, have also made generous commitments to donate their services and time to this project, which will help the children, families, staff and Uvalde CISD community move forward together.

“Our first store in Uvalde opened in 1959, and Uvalde people are our people,” said Charles Butt, H-E-B’s chairman, in the release. “As we continue to mourn tremendous loss, I join with my family and H-E-B in working to ensure the Uvalde community can move forward from this tragic event. Our children are this country’s future, and our schools should be a safe place where children can thrive and envision new possibilities.”

According to the release, the new campus will significantly enhance educational offerings, implementing state-of-the-art safety and security measures and infrastructure to support the availability of new technology. The location and design of the new campus and timeline for the project have not been determined, but the school district will work closely with the Uvalde community, donors, and other stakeholders to solicit ideas and gather feedback for the project.

Additional contributions to support this project can be made by donating to the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization established to both raise funds for the new elementary campus and support the immediate and ongoing financial needs of Uvalde CISD. Donations can be made by visiting UvaldeCISDMovingForward.org.

"We will never forget those who were senselessly taken from us on that tragic day," says Uvalde CISD Superintendent Dr. Hal Harrell on the Moving Forward website. " ... we want to honor their legacy as we work to build our future."

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

Texas-based H-E-B donates $500,000 for Uvalde aid with chance for customers to do more

Texans helping Texans

H-E-B is donating $500,000 to help Uvalde recover from this week’s Robb Elementary School massacre, and the Texas-based grocery chain is offering customers a chance to do more.

H-E-B announced the contribution Wednesday, May 25, a day after an 18-year-old gunman shot and killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary.

Beyond that, shoppers at all H-E-B and Central Market locations can make donations of $1, $3, $5, $50, or $100 at store registers or when placing curbside or home delivery orders. People also can give via the H-E-B-owned Favor app or online at heb.com/donate. Dallas-based Central Market is a subsidiary of H-E-B.

H-E-B says all of the money collected will benefit families of students at Robb Elementary. The cash will go into the Spirit of Giving Fund, a nonprofit that H-E-B created after Hurricane Harvey and the Sutherland Springs church massacre. In March, H-E-B launched a $1 million donation campaign in support of Ukraine.

On top of the monetary help, H-E-B’s mobile kitchens are providing meals, supplies, and other resources to community support centers, first responders, and Uvalde CISD, and are collaborating with nonprofit organizations that are helping local residents. Furthermore, H-E-B is making crisis counselors available to people in the community.

“Our hearts go out to all the families during this tragic and painful time,” Winell Herron, H‑E‑B’s group vice president of public affairs, diversity, and environmental affairs, says in a news release.

“Our neighbors in Uvalde, including many of our H-E-B Partners, have connections to someone touched by this tragedy. We grieve alongside them as they face unimaginable loss. It is our hope that H‑E‑B’s support, along with our loyal customers’ donations, will help during this difficult situation.”

H-E-B’s store in Uvalde, at 201 E. Main St., is one mile from Robb Elementary. Uvalde is almost 85 miles southwest of San Antonio and roughly 60 miles northeast of the U.S. border with Mexico.

Photo courtesy of Christie's

Fort Worth philanthropist Anne H. Bass’ art collection hauls in $363.1 million at NYC auction

Big sale in the Big Apple

A dozen pieces of art from the collection of the late Fort Worth philanthropist Anne Hendricks Bass fetched a whopping $363.1 million at a recent auction in New York City.

Christie’s auction house initially had forecast the collection would rake in at least $250 million — about $113 million below the actual take. The $363.1 million total works out to an average of almost $30.3 million per piece.

Le Parlement, soleil couchant (The Houses of Parliament, at Sunset), an early 20th century oil painting by Claude Monet, hauled in the most money — nearly $76 million — among the 12 artworks sold May 12. The Christie’s auction house had figured the painting would garner anywhere from $40 million to $60 million.

Monet’s Le Parlement now ranks as the fifth most expensive Monet painting ever auctioned, according to the Artnet Price Database.

Two other Monet paintings, Nymphéas (Water Lilies) and Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, automne (Poplars on the Banks of the Epte, Autumn), sold for $56.5 million and $36.5 million, respectively. Those sale prices exceeded the low end of Christie’s estimates.

Meanwhile, two Mark Rothko oil paintings went for $66.8 million (Shades of Red) and $49.6 million (No. 1). Those sale prices were above the lowest estimates calculated by Christie’s.

At a sale price of $41.6 million, Edgar Degas’ Petite danseuse de quatorze ans (Little Dancer Aged 14) set a record for a Degas work. Christie’s highest sale estimate for the bronze sculpture was $30 million.

Christie’s called the Bass collection “the most significant American collection to come to market this season.” None of the buyers of the 12 artworks were identified.

“The Anne H. Bass collection represented the pinnacle of the artists it contained, the pinnacle of taste, the pinnacle of modern collecting. We were beyond honored to work on the estate’s behalf and gratified that these works and her example inspired collectors around the world just as they have inspired us,” Max Carter, head of impressionist and modern art at Christie’s, says in a news release.

Christie’s announced in March that it been hired by Bass’ estate to auction off the 12-piece collection. The collection came from her Fifth Avenue apartment in New York City.

Christie’s has described the collection as an assembly of “masterpieces that was profoundly rigorous yet deeply personal, shaped by her remarkably informed eye and female perspective in a world dominated by male collectors.”

Bass was the ex-wife of Sid Bass, the Fort Worth investor and oil heir whose net worth is estimated at $3.6 billion. She reportedly received a $200 million to $500 million settlement as part of their high-profile divorce in the 1980s.

Anne Bass died of ovarian cancer in April 2020 at the age of 78. A longtime resident of the Fort Worth area, she was an avid supporter of the city’s nonprofits and arts organizations, including The Cliburn, Jewel Charity Ball, Junior League, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Modern Art Museum.

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'Yellowstone' stars to greet fans at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

Yellowstone news

Yellowstone fans, get your comfy shoes ready - there'll be a long line for this one. Cole Hauser a.k.a. "Rip Wheeler" on Yellowstone, and Taylor Sheridan, the show's co-creator, executive producer, and director of the series, will meet fans and sign autographs at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

The event will take place from 4:30-6:30 pm only on Friday, February 3. Location is the 6666 Ranch booth near the south end of Aisle 700 in the Amon G. Carter, Jr. Exhibits Hall.

According to a February 2 announcement from FWSSR, "fans will have the opportunity to snag an autograph as well as purchase some distinctive Yellowstone and 6666 Ranch merchandise while also enjoying all the features the Stock Show offers."

The event is free to attend (with paid Stock Show admission) and open to the public.

It's the second year in a row for Hauser to appear at FWSSR; in 2022, he and fellow cast mates drew huge crowds.

Sheridan, a Paschal High School graduate, is no stranger to Fort Worth; he lives in a ranch near Weatherford and filmed 1883, the prequel to Yellowstone, in and around Fort Worth. Currently, another spinoff, 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, is filming in North Texas.

The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is winding up its 2023 run on Saturday, February 4.

Get free pet food, vaccines, and spay/neuter at Fort Worth animal event

Animal News

Animal shelters across North Texas are overcrowded right now, due to an increase in owner surrenders, and a group of animal rescues are coming to the rescue.

Several Texas-based animal welfare organizations are coming together on Saturday June 3, to offer a day of free pet food, vaccines, microchips, and spay/neuter vouchers to pet owners in Fort Worth.

The owner surrenders are a symptom of economic pressures and related issues such as food insecurity, which are up in Texas and across the U.S.

According to a release, in Fort Worth alone, the North Texas Food Bank estimates that 30 percent of the population faces challenges accessing nutritious food. These issues affect not only people, but pets as well - often resulting in families surrendering their pets to a shelter or to an animal rescue.

Fort Worth Animal Care and Control (FWACC), which receives animals from the area, has seen an increase in animals—more than 1,000 additional animals coming through its doors so far this ﬁscal year—with many exhibiting signs of illness easily prevented by vaccinations.

The signiﬁcant increase in animals has stressed resources that are already maxed out. FWACC for example, has faced a difficult crease in its "live release rate" - the percentage of animals that leave their care alive. Last year, its live release rate was at 96 percent and a year later, it has decreased to 87 percent.

Keeping pets at home where they have families who love them is a key component to preventing shelter crowding and the impact felt by the organizations who are faced with it.

The event is Saturday June 3, from 8 am-12 pm, rain or shine, and will take place at 1678 Rockwood Ln., across from Rockwood Park.

Organizations stepping up to help include Cowtown Friends of Fort Worth Animal Control; Spay Neuter Network; Dallas Pets Alive; The Love Pit; and SPCA of Texas.Partners: Fort Worth Animal Care and Control; Don’t Forget to Feed Me Pet Food Bank; Saving Hope Animal Rescue; and Rahr to the Rescue.

The event is supported by CUDDLY, a mission-driven company centered around the needs of rescued animals and the community focused programs that sustain them.

3 Dallas-Fort Worth entrepreneurs rank among Forbes' richest self-made women for 2023

Elite entrepreneurs

Twelve of the country's 100 most successful female entrepreneurs live in Texas this year, and three of them call Dallas-Fort Worth home. So says Forbes in its 2023 list of America's Richest Self-Made Women, released June 1.

"Bolstered in part by a rebound in the stock market, [the richest 100 female entrepreneurs] are cumulatively worth a record $124 billion, up nearly 12% from a year ago," says Forbes.

To make the Forbes list, women had to garner wealth on their own, rather than by inheriting or winning it.

Texas' wealthiest women have made their fortunes in fields ranging from home health care, insurance, and aviation logistics to jewelry design, dating apps, and running the show at SpaceX.

The three female entrepreneurs from North Texas who appear in the elite club of America’s richest self-made women (and their national rankings) are:

Robyn Jones, No. 29, of Fort Worth. Her net worth is estimated at $830 million. Jones is founder of Westlake-based Goosehead Insurance Agency LLC. She started the property and casualty insurance agency in 2003 after being frustrated with her truck-driver husband's "road warrior lifestyle," Forbes says. He joined her in 2004 and they took the company public in 2018. It has nearly 1,000 franchised offices.
April Anthony, No. 34, of Dallas. Forbes puts her net worth at $740 million. She founded the Dallas-based home health and hospice division of Encompass Health Corp and sold it for $750 million to HealthSouth. In 2022, she was named CEO of VitalCaring, a home health and hospice care firm.
Kathleen Hildreth, No. 44, of Aubrey. Her net worth is estimated at $590 million. Hildreth is co-founder of M1 Support Services LP, an aviation logistics company based in Denton. A service-disabled Army veteran, she graduated from West Point in 1983 and was deployed all around the world as a helicopter pilot.

The nine other Texans who appear on the list are from Austin and Central Texas.

With an estimated net worth at $4.8 billion, Thai Lee, of Austin, remains at the top of the list in Texas, and ranks No. 5 nationally.

She falls behind only No. 1 Diane Hendricks of Wisconsin (co-founder of ABC Supply, $15 billion net worth); No. 2 Judy Loveof Oklahoma (chairman and CEO, Love's Travel Stops And Country Stores, $10.2 billion); No. 3 Judy Faulkner of Wisconsin (founder and CEO, Epic Systems, $7.4 billion); and No. 4 Lynda Resnick of California (co-founder and co-owner of Wonderful Company, $5.3 billion) among America's richest self-made women.

For some additional perspective, Oprah Winfrey lands at No. 13 on the list for 2023. The TV titan (and most famous woman on the planet) has an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion, Forbes says.

Austin's Lee, a native of Bangkok who holds an MBA from Harvard University, is founder, president, and CEO of SHI International Corp., a provider of IT products and services with a projected revenue of $14 billion in 2023. Fun fact: "Lee majored in both biology and economics," Forbes says, "in part because her English was less than perfect and she wanted to avoid writing and speaking in class."

The remaining eight Texas women on the list are:

Gwynne Shotwell, No. 27, of Jonesboro (Coryell-Hamilton counties). Her net worth is estimated at $860 million. Shotwell is president and COO of Elon Musk's SpaceX. She manages the operations of the commercial space exploration company and owns an estimated stake of 1 percent, Forbes says.
Lisa Su, No. 34, Austin. Forbes pegs Su’s net worth at $740 million, tying her with April Anthony of Dallas. The native of Taiwan is president and CEO of Santa Clara, California-based semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices.
Kendra Scott, No. 47, of Austin.Forbes says she has amassed a net worth of $550 million as founder of Kendra Scott LLC, which designs and sells jewelry in more than 100 stores (and is worth $360 million). The celebrity entrepreneur is also a judge on TV's Shark Tank.
Whitney Wolfe Herd, No. 52, of Austin. She is worth an estimated $510 million. Herd is co-founder and CEO of Bumble Inc., which operates two online dating apps: Bumble and Badoo. She owns a 17% stake in Bumble and became the youngest self-made woman billionaire after it went public in February 2021.
Paige Mycoskie, No. 73, of Austin. She is worth an estimated $380 million. Mycoskie created founded her 1970s-inspired California lifestyle brand, Aviator Nation, which took off during the pandemic and now has 16 retail locations across the U.S. If the name sounds familiar, that's because she's the sister of TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie, with whom she competed on TV's The Amazing Race.
Imam Abuzeid, No. 77, of Austin. Her net worth is estimated at $350 million. Abuzeid is the co-founder and CEO of Incredible Health, which she started in 2017 to help alleviate America's nursing shortage. Forbes describes it as "a souped-up version of LinkedIn for nurses." Abuzeid is one of only a handful of Black female founders to run a company valued at more than $1 billion, Forbes notes.
Julia Cheek, No. 92, of Austin. Her net worth is estimated at $260 million. Cheek founded at-home testing company Everly Health in 2015 "out of frustration at having to pay thousands for lab testing to diagnose issues related to vitamin imbalance," Forbes says. It got a Shark Tank deal with Lori Greiner and is now worth roughly $1.8 billion.
Belinda Johnson, No. 96, of Austin. She is worth an estimated $250 million. Johnson was Airbnb's first chief operating officer and led many of its legal disputes. She stepped down from that role in March 2020, Forbes says, and left the company's board in June 2023.

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